Trivia: The sheriff in the movie was Tom Savini, who did the makeup and special effects in the 1978 version and also had a cameo as a biker in the '78 version. (00:25:35)
Trivia: Stay for the duration of the credits. The movie doesn't end with them sailing away. There is a continuation in the credits.
Trivia: The opening sequence features a vehicle losing control and crashing into a gas station causing a large explosion. This is the same scene that Ben describes to Barbara in the original "Night of the Living Dead" (1968).
Trivia: The name of one of the stores in Crossroads Mall is named after the actress that played Fran in the original Dawn of the Dead, Gaylen Ross.
Trivia: The sheriff is played by the same actor who played 'Sex Machine' in From Dusk Till Dawn. And just after his television spot, the pregnant girl hides the bite that eventually turns her, just as Sex Machine did. (00:25:35)
Trivia: The bloated woman who is brought into the mall in the truck is actually played by a man. His name is Ermes Blarasin, and he is a stuntman.
Trivia: During the movie there are parts especially outside where an orangy tint comes over the screen. This is an homage to the 1978 version of Dawn of the Dead, which was shot in this type of hue.
Trivia: During the shot where the camera zooms in on Ana's car, a helicopter is flying behind her. This is the same helicopter the survivors from the original Dawn of the Dead used to escape the city. (00:09:15)
Trivia: The mall the survivors are in is called the Crossroads mall. This seems fitting since humanity is at a crossroads in the film flirting between survival and extinction.
Trivia: When the first set of survivors enter the mall listen closely, the song that is playing on the mall speakers is a stylised rendition of "Don't worry, be happy". Somewhat ironic given the situation.
Answer: It was actually explained in both versions that the zombies went to the mall because it was a place of familiarity, a place that they could remember even if they didn't know why.
Tobin OReilly