Day of the Dead (1985)




Day of the Dead was released into theaters on July 19th, 1985. Filming locations include Fort Myers and Sanibel, Fl. and Wampum, Pa. It was directed by George A. Romero. This was the third film of his "Dead" series. Romero is known as the "Godfather of the Dead" since he basically invented the modern zombie film genre with his 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead. All of the zombie extras in the film were paid one dollar each, given a hat that said "I was a Zombie in Day of the Dead" and a newspaper shown in the beginning of the film with the headline "The Dead Walk!" for their services. The films soundtrack was done by John Harrison, Jim Blazer and Sputzy Sparacino. The films first DVD release was on November 24th, 1998. 


Sarah and Miguel call for survivors - Hendry St. and Edwards Dr. Fort Myers, Fl. 33901

The first comparison picture is looking north toward the Caloosahatchee River. Most of the Palm Trees seen the film are still there. The second comparison picture is looking south down Hendry St. A lot of the buildings have been remodeled or simply done away with.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Edison Theatre - 1533 Hendry St. Fort Myers, Fl. 33901

The theatre was built in 1941 and is named after Thomas Edison. However, it hasn't operated as a theater since the early 80's. This location, as well as the following three, are all within the Fort Myers Downtown Historic District which was added as a U.S. Historic District on January 6th, 1990.


2019


Rooftop view - 1625 Hendry St. Fort Myers, Fl. 33901
(The Old Robb & Stucky Building)

The building was constructed in 1926 as the site of Robb & Stucky Furniture. The structure hasn't been affiliated with the company for years though, and today it houses a variety of law offices. The camera is looking north toward the intersection of Hendry St. and Main St. I wanted to gain access to the roof so I could get the same comparison shot, but unfortunately I was about twenty minutes late and all the doors were locked.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2019.



Zombies in front of column building - 2301 First St. Fort Myers, Fl. 33901

The building behind them was constructed in 1933 as a United States Post Office. In the 1960's, it was converted into a federal courthouse. After considerable restoration, on September 10th, 2008 it opened as the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center .


2019


Alligator & redneck zombie - 2248 First St. Fort Myers, Fl. 33901

The granite structure was erected in 1914 as the First National Bank Building. 


2019


Bunker entrance - Bowman's Beach Rd. and Mosquito Control Access Rd. Sanibel, Fl. 33957
(Bowman's Beach Helistop)

It's owned and operated by the Lee County Mosquito Control District. The bunker entrance roof was just added for the film. In reality, there has never been an opening or elevator at the location.


All "Now pictures taken in 2019.



Bunker interior - 1605 Old Route 18 Wampum, Pa. 16157
(Wampum Underground Commerce Center)

From 1870 to 1946 the Crescent Stone Company mined the limestone for it's cement plant, located just on the other side of the highway.  In the mid-1950's the United States Air Force created an engineering study to create a bomb-proof storage depot at the site. However, they never followed through with the plan. The property would lay dormant until 1963, when Page Avjet, an aviation service company, and Medusa Cement Company jointly owned and developed the mine into the Wampum Mine Storage Company. Page Avjet became the sole owner in 1980. Wampum Underground Limited Partnership purchased the facility in 1994. In 2005, the facility again changed ownership, this time to Bruce-Wish Management. The current amount of developed space in the facility is 850,000 square-feet, with the potential for 2.5 million square feet. It measures one mile from end to end. It reaches two-hundred feet at it's deepest depth. The facilities physical structure consists of huge limestone pillars, up to thirty feet in diameter, which support a solid limestone ceiling. The natural ambient temperature is fifty-five degrees. I always found the underground facility the most interesting part of the film and imagined how neat it would be to just explore the entire thing. When I visited this location, I obviously didn't have access. However, the south entrance isn't sealed. Meaning, while you can't gain access, you still have an unobstructed view inside the entrance and can even feel it's natural temperature protruding through the door.


2017



9 comments:

  1. Nice post. I watched the movie a few weeks ago.

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  2. so very disappointing a shooting unaffiliated with the Zombicon halloween event brought it to a screeching halt. 10+ years of various halloween events including themes and costume contests

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  3. This is my favorite zombie movie of all time. Thanks for the pics. A lot of the places don't even look the same anymore.

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  4. Amazing job seeking out the original locations. Great finds!

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  5. I grew up in ftmyers I remember when the filmed it there,so here is a piece of info for you,they were going to shoot a scene at a new restaurant that was on the river down town it got completed right before they shot in the downtown area but the restaurant did not allow it, it would have been really cool.

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    1. Thanks for the anecdote! I have to say that personally, I am always a little disappointed with the locations of the films, indeed, regarding the day of the dead, I always believed that it had been shot in the same place, namely in Florida. while the undergrounds were filmed thousands of kilometers from the start of the film, the famous "magic of cinema" ^^.
      Friendly from France (my english may not be very good)

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  6. You should include the movie "Just Cause" with Sean Connery. Also filmed in Fort Myers, Sanibel, Captiva, and Hendry County Labelle

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