It's a Zombie Fest!

Pittsburghers of a certain age cherish memories of host Bill Cardille’s “Chiller Theatre” on Saturday night on Channel 11. Debuting in 1963, it ran for twenty years. Its late night ratings were so high that Pittsburgh was the only market in the country that didn't show Saturday Night Live during its first few seasons. 

In 1968, at the apex of his popularity, Cardille appeared as a television reporter in George Romero’s locally filmed cult horror classic, Night of the Living Dead which earned a place in the Library of Congress’s Film Archives and further immortalized “Chilly Billy” as a horror film host.

Flash forward to the past few years when Saturday late night horror films have returned to local TV with WBGN TV Pittsburgh’s independently produced It’s Alive Show at 10:00 p.m.  Mark Menold, aka Professor Emcee Square, and his Deathmobile band host the B movie fest. Ah, a Pittsburgh tradition continues.

 Love of the genre has morphed into a lifestyle for fans ages 18 to 60 through It’s Alive’s message board and the social networking website, www.zombiefriends.com.

Their offering of “Bad Movie Monday” gatherings packs them in at the Obey House Tavern on Steuben Street in the West End. A combination of “Mystery Science Theatre 3000”, “Chiller Theatre” and “B” movies at the Drive In (for those who remember), a host presents a particular “bad” movie each Monday which is then verbally ripped to shreds by the audience. Who can resist?

While the social network also offers pizza and Christmas parties, the apogee of their year is Zombie Fest this weekend at the Monroeville Mall. Click here for full schedule of events. The location has become an international pilgrimage destination for zombie film fans since George Romero filmed 1978’s Dawn of the Dead within its hallowed halls. It’s Alive Show’s Zombie Fest takes advantage of the location with a Film Festival, Zombie Ball, and appearances by actors and actresses from Romero’s productions.  Last year, the gathering set a Guinness World Record for the largest collection of zombies ever assembled.
This year they're going for the record again!

Who's Your Zombie?
The zombies partner with local groups for the Fest. Zombies were encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, donate to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Fund, or give blood (of course!) at the Central Blood Bank Bloodmobile parked nearby.

Maureen Kowalski, who was herding zombies toward the registration table at the last fest, said the camaraderie of the social network is built on love of campy “B” horror flicks and “any good reason to wear make up.”  Sonja Zlokas, applying zombie foundation to her twenty-something daughter’s cheeks as her already made up husband looked on, volunteered that the family “can’t keep up with all the socializing.  Everyone’s so nice and friendly.  You’d be surprised at the variety of people who come to the events.”

Curtis Riemann II of Hazelwood and his best friend, Heather Cruz of Homestead, dress up for the Renaissance Faire in the summer, but said “their hearts lie with zombies.”  Heather was “bitten” by zombie lore when she grew up playing in the hangars of the small Monroeville airport featured in Dawn of the Dead.

Not all who attended last year’s Zombie Walk were members of the social network.  James Michalski, of Pittsburgh’s North Side was devoid of make up. Cast almost thirty years ago as a member of the motorcycle gang featured in the actual film, he returned to the site to quietly observe the legacy spawned by the movie in which he was a bit player. Bill Hinzman, recognizable by his height, was there, too. Bill portrayed the recently reanimated ghoul sporting a pristine burial suit in the opening cemetery scene of Night of the Living Dead almost forty years ago.

Prep Zombies. Of course.
Two vans from Kiski Prep in Saltsburg, PA brought blazer and tie wearing “prep zombies”. If not for the pasty zombie skin and dark eyes they might have been the school glee club. Absent from their attire was the fake blood worn by other fest goers.  It might stain those crisp white dress shirts.

Rob Leslie and his wife Laura Luttner of Squirrel Hill, long time Dawn of the Dead fans brought their five year old son, Aiden. Aiden may have been one of the youngest attendees, but there were plenty of other young children present with their families, too. Those youngsters got an eyeful of Pittsburgh area zombie costume creativity. Along with the requisite hordes of burial suit wearing zombies there were multiple “blood drenched” bride and groom zombies, prom-going zombies,  waiters and waitresses, mechanics, football players, an umpire, a carnival barker, Superman and Wonder Woman, and biker chicks in spandex sporting rotting skin along with their tattoos.

Heritage and tradition are major threads woven into the Pittsburgh area psyche. Like affection for Iron City beer and Primanti Brothers, it helps to be a native Pittsburgher to understand the pride engendered by “Chiller Theatre” and locally produced Romero films. 

Kaufmanns may now be Macys at the updated Monroeville Mall, and director Zak Snyder may have re-made Dawn of the Dead at another location in 2004, but as a component of “Made in Pittsburgh” self esteem, the area “undead” continue to regenerate. Like the area that produced them, Pittsburgh zombie aficionados don’t stay buried.  Strong and hungry, they are Alive.

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Marilyn and Elvis and Waitress and Waiter courtesy Angela Rocco; Woman Looking Unwell and Man in Dark Glasses copyright Nick Certo