April 11, 2024

Phoenixville theater to show 'Dawn of the Dead' to mark film's 45th anniversary

Pennsylvania drive-ins will also play the George A. Romero zombie classic, which opens in a Philly news station.

By Kristin Hunt
PhillyVoice Staff

Screenshot/United Film Distribution

Over 90 movie theaters and drive-ins across North America will screen 'Dawn of the Dead' starting Friday, April 12 — the date of its original 1979 release in the United States.

A legendary horror film with a Philly connection is celebrating the 45-year anniversary of its U.S. release with a return to theaters.

"Dawn of the Dead," the second in director George A. Romero's series of zombie flicks, is playing select drive-ins and multiplexes starting Friday. The film originally premiered on that date in 1979 in Pittsburgh, where Romero attended college and shot many of his films.

MORE: New Hope Film Festival to show Malcom Kenyatta documentary

"Dawn of the Dead" was largely filmed in the Monroeville Mall in Allegheny County, but it opens in a fictional Philadelphia news station called WGON-TV. A producer and a traffic reporter flee in one of the station's helicopters with two cops and seek shelter from the zombies in an abandoned mall. The movie then becomes a biting satire of consumerism, just as Romero's previous film "Night of the Living Dead" offered commentary on racism in America.

Though "Dawn of the Dead" is considered one of the best horror movies of all time, it is not widely available to watch. The film is only available to stream through Roku with a ReDiscover add-on, and its DVDs are out of print (though they can be acquired through some sellers).

That gives the upcoming anniversary showings an extra edge. Fans can catch "Dawn of the Dead" on the big screen at over 90 locations in North America, including Phoenixville's Colonial Theatre on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 9:45 p.m. Especially dedicated zombie groupies can travel to the mall where it happened for a special Monroeville screening, but it will also play the Emmaus Theatre in Lehigh County from Friday, May 3, to Sunday, May 5, and the Mahoning Drive-In in Carbon County on Saturday, May 25.