Dead Places
"Hello!?" "Is anyone there!?"
This unforgettable, awkward, and desperate herald that echoed though the streets of that ravaged coastal city helped comprise one of the most haunting moments in film history. Many have spoken of the chills they recieve upon watching the opening shots of Day of the Dead, and some, even having seen the film hundreds of times, still report this eerieness. But where was this haunted place, really? Never much of a mystery to the curious, the city our heroes sat down in that grim, sunny afternoon was none other than the downtown area of Fort Myers, Florida... and interestingly, it is strikingly similar to the place we see in the narrative, even to this day.
First established in the 1820's, the city began as its name implies, serving as a fort during conflicts between settlers and the native Seminole peoples of Florida. Abandoned in 1853, it was re-manned in 1863, providing the location for the Southernmost battle in the American Civil War. Eventually, the original fort was demolished, and some of its wood used to begin the first buildings of the city of Fort Myers. This was 1876. In later years, the city served as a stop off for various types of livestock and produce commerce, but perhaps most notably, Fort Myers was the home and research base for technology icon, Thomas Alva Edison, whose lamp posts can still be seen throughout the downtown area. Add the existence of other items of interest, such as the first Ford Motor Company dealership, and you have an oddly fascinating, yet subtle jewel, resting quietly on the South bank of the Caloosahatchee River.
Fast forwarding to the early 1980's, another icon made his residence not far from Fort Myers: one George Andrew Romero. In true Romero style, much of his immediate surroundings were incorporated into the third tale of his epic apocalypse, and the greater Fort Myers area developed into the humid, desolate backdrop of Day of the Dead.
We traveled to this location in the sweltering Summer heat of 2004, expecting to find many changes since 1985. What we found, however (and we think you'll agree), is shockingly unmistakable.
DISCLAIMER: There probably isn't much trouble that a law-abiding citizen can get into by simply walking around in a public, downtown area, but please practice good judgement if you should decide to make the trek to Fort Myers and geek out on Day of the Dead locations. Do not assume that business owners want you peeking into their windows, or trying to sneak up onto their roofs to get that awesome overhead shot you've been wanting. Be good in Florida. You have been warned.
The site of our good friend Miguel's greeting, the North end of Hendry
Street, twenty years ago. A new information center has been added on the
riverbank, but virtually nothing else has changed. Sarah and Miguel stood
in the center of the street, close to the intersection with Edwards Road.
The Fort Myers Federal Building. Very little has changed here, save the
removal of stair rails, and the addition of the large sidewalk lamps.
This building is reportedly empty, and it is possible that the actual
federal building has been relocated, but it is extremely doubtful that
this particular building is in jeopardy of much change in the near future.
You've likely seen
shots of the bank. Here is a closeup of the door, then and now. Sans aligator,
of course. This bank is seemingly empty, much like many of the old buildings
in downtown Fort Myers. It truly does seem like a "dead place."
This is a parking lot
directly East of the opening scene. In the film, we see our chopper fly
over this arched building, though perhaps from the opposite side. There's
absolutely nothing monumental about this building, but we felt it was
an interesting find.
The tallest structure
in Fort Myers, this telecommunications tower can be seen at least a couple
of times during the opening scenes of Day of the Dead, and can be seen
from many different locations in the downtown area. Zoomed in from this
particular angle, the film has a leftward pan that covers the tower, as
well as the building to the lower left (whose trim was painted blue twenty
years ago), including the flagpoles.
The Edison Theatre,
whose namesake we have already discussed. It's shape is as good as its
ever been. Unfortunately, one won't readily find the latest Romero film
on release here, due to the fact that the building has been converted
into a lawyers' office.
This shot is, basically,
just a brief, rightward pan away from the Edison Theatre. This is further
South on Hendry Street, quite the opposite of our opening location. The
trees bordering the parking lot to the right have grown significantly,
and the buildings in the background have undergone quite a change, but
the foreground structures are all very much the same, right down to the
signs in some cases. Allow us a moment to mention that we are standing
in the middle of the street here, as we have been for many of these shots.
There was not a visible soul around.
Here's a familiar soul...
and a familiar place. The structure on the right is actually the side
of the bank, seen previously. The other building has been repainted, and
the larger awning has been replaced with two smaller ones. Even so, there's
little doubt as to what we're looking at.
This shot did not come
out as we had hoped, but not for lack of trying. We simply weren't able
to scale the building. In any case, this is the ground-level variation
of the screen capture above. Interestingly, this is looking back North
on Hendry street. Looking closely, you can see the Edison Theatre's sign
on the right-center of the frame, and looking very closely, you can see
all the way to the river, where the new information center was built (as
discussed in the first shot). Ultimately, this shot is the virtual opposite
of the intersection images, two shots up.
Perhaps the trickiest
shot of the bunch, it is also the most famous. We are standing just North
of where our beckoning heroes stood, and the intersection of Hendry Street
and Edwards Road. The information center is behind us, and we are looking
South down Hendry Street. The trick is, that the image from the film seems
much more developed, and thus, much more devastated than what we see in
reality. A matte painting was used to accomplish this. Familiar parts
of this shot are the angled curb in the righthand portion of the frame,
and the general structure of the buildings further down the street (which
didn't need to be built up terribly much). For those interested in even
smaller details, the street sign correctly reads, "Edwards."
All words and images Copyright 2006, Dead Places. Reproduction without express permission is prohibited. Contact.