I really like it when someone brings up a topic I had never thought of before. As is the case here, I never thought about the stores being closed but the main doors being open, good thought SRP76! Of course, the easy answer to that point, and others addressed here, is that GAR simply didnt put that much thought into it. Of course, that isnt a very fun answer, so lets look at the movie itself....
 Originally Posted by sandrock74
I always wondered what had happened there prior to our heroes arriving. I never thought anyone was killed and eaten at the mall for the simple reason that there was NO bloodstains ANYWHERE to be seen! Not one. The mall was in pristine condition when they found it.
You are correct that there are no signs of any types of attack/struggle within the mall. Therefore, for some reason, the main door were unlocked before any of the stores doors were, or the store doors were locked and the main doors never got locked. Either of these two scenarios could be correct, however, the first one seems more likely. If there was no attack in the mall, the only reason people would leave without locking the outer doors would be they received word about the outbreak and were told to leave. However, upon hearing these initial reports, it would seem not believeable that the dead were rising and attacking the living, so while security/others might be more than willing to leave work, it seems unlikely they would be in fear of an attack, especially since none were happening at the mall at the time. Therefore, there would no reason to NOT lock the outer doors as well. So it seems logical that the mall doors were opened early, and then the store doors never got opened. This is a good an explanation as any:
Originally Posted by EvilNed
This is what I always figured myself. I don't think the mall was ever attacked. I think that one morning, the security guards arrived and unlocked the mall, and then got a call from their employer telling them that due to the current crisis, the Mall would be closed for an indefinite amount of time. And so the security guards just bailed.
As far as the movie theater thought goes, many malls did used to have theaters open while the rest of the mall was closed, so it is plausible that this could have been the case in Dawn. However, there is not, and never was, a theater in the Monroeville Mall, so surely GAR would not have used this process (again, if he used any at all) to explain the main door/store door issue. We are shown no theater in the movie, it seems as if our heros would have watched some movies, as there were DVD players in existence, and if VHS/BETA were in existence, there use was still sparse. We dont see any in the mall in any event. So although you could say that just because we arent shown a theater doesnt mean there wasnt one, there is in fact no real reason to think that there was one.
As far as the "old people exercising" in the mall theory goes, that program was in fact in place back when the movie was made, including at the Monroeville Mall. But this is not relevant here, as even if they opened the main doors for this purpose, we still need more explanation as to why the stores were never opened with no sign of attack.
Couple of more points:
Odd that we only see one security guard in the movie. I'm assuming there was a whole fleet of them though, just offscreen. It wouldn't make much sense to stick just one dude with securing the entire complex.
I dont find that odd at all. I have been going to many malls for decades now, and rarely have I ever seen a security guard. Yes I have seen them, but hardly ever. Sometimes just the illusion of security is the only reason companies hire guards. I mean, what is an unarmed guard really going to do? And even if armed, do you think a low paid armed guard is going to open fire in a crowded mall? I dont think so.
Before letting people in for the morning, the power would be turned on. Since it was off when the heroes arrived, it would have to be in reverse order. Turned off the lights, then never quite made it to the doors. That would be at the end of a day, not the start.
I see what you are saying here, but I disagree. The power was NOT off when our heros arrived. The control panel (hit em all, we may as well have power in everything) was not the main electrical power. It was to the fountains, escalators, and displays. Any mall leaves power on when the place is empty. Whether is it summer or winter, you cant have no power on at night, to where it is sweltering or freezing when you open the doors for customers. And most malls, and the stores themselves, leave lights on when closed, I assume so that security and/or cops driving by can see inside. If it was it pitch black, it would be easier for thieves to be inside up to mischief without being seen.
And last few points:
That does seem odd that there is no "sign of struggle".
But I think that's just because of the filmmaking problem of money and permission to splash blood and gore all over the mall. I think an attack had to have happened. Why? Because of three things:
1. "Maintenance zombie". The one that jumps Roger. For him to exist in the first place, someone would have had to croak in a locked department store. It doesn't make a lick of sense for someone to lock themselves inside a store and die there, unless they have to (like, for instance, leaving the store would get them eaten).
The real reason of course, is that this scene was thrown in at the last second to explain a continuity problem with Roger not having the jacket tied to his waist anymore (with no thought given to "why is someone inside the locked store?") But for a real world explanation, it is not unreasonable to think that a maintenance guy would be inside a store doing maintenance while the store in closed. He fell off a ladder, cracked his head open, and died.
2. In the script (not shown onscreen, but it proves intent of the storywriter), the mall manager locked himself in his office and shot himself. Why would he do that, unless he was trapped in there for some reason (like zombies roaming the mall)?
I dont remember this in the script, but it must be there if you mention it. I would say that is also believable that he just committed suicide, either due to knowledge of the zombie outbreak, or at the news that a loved one had just been attacked and killed. Or even non-outbreak related, he just committed suicide. People do it all the time.
3. "Security zombie". The one that bumrushed Flyboy. This dude was clearly attacked at some point. The most obvious suspect would be zombies.
There are several reasonable explanations as to how he could have been attacked that would not be zombie related. Or he could have just been drunk and cracked his head and died. Also, it is also possible that he had already been killed off mall property, wandered inside just like the other zombies in the mall, and found his way to the security office. Just as Flyboy "remembered" there was a fake wall and tore it down, that could have been an actual Monroeville Mall security guy who got off work, got killed (many different ways this could happen) before changing out of his work clothes, and wandered back to a familiar place (he didnt know WHY he went to the security office, he just knew he wanted to be in there...)
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