The second annual Zombie Walk at Monroeville Mall has broken another Guinness World Record.

Last October, 1,028 zombies shambled through the mall, exceeding the record set by the walk in 2006. Mark Menold of Monroeville, the organizer, received the Guinness certification for the world's largest zombie gathering.

Sponsored by WBGN-TV's "The It's Alive Show," a "Chiller Theater"-type late night horror television show, the walk also raised more than 1,200 pounds of food donations for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Because the mall was where George Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead" was filmed, it was a natural place for zombies to gather.

Menold, host and producer of "It's Alive," said the walk was honored earlier this year with a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Fan Event of 2007.

The Rondos, named after 1940s character actor Rondo Hatton, are a fan-based survey and e-mail only vote of the classic horror community, sponsored by the Classic Horror Film Board Web site.

Menold has set his sites on raising awareness of world hunger by holding World Zombie Day on Oct. 26 in conjunction with the "It's Alive" 2008 Zombie Fest.

"Since we established the world record in 2006, many other cities around the world have tried to beat our record and failed," Menold says.

World Zombie Day will enable zombie walks around the globe to participate in one big event and add their attendance numbers for one grand total.

Menold also plans to encourage food bank donations with the goal of adding together the total weight of the donations.

To date, more than 40 cities worldwide from Hong Kong to London have signed on to participate in this year's event.

The event is scheduled for Oct. 26, as part of Zombie Fest at Pittsburgh ExpoMart.

For more details, visit www.myspace.com/worldzombieday or www.theitsaliveshow.com/zombiefest2008/home.htm