Every October, ghoulish creatures shamble into Pittsburgh, dripping with blood and aching for human flesh. Pittsburgh, more appropriately named “The Zombie Capital of the World,” hosts a fan fest for lovers of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” movie saga.Known as “Zombie Fest”, its participants come from all over the region to walk among the living in full zombie make-up and costume.            The event benefits the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which asks each participant to donate a non-perishable food item for those less fortunate.            This year, zombies will invade Market Square. The venue change is a major one for the event, which normally takes place at the Monroeville Mall. As fans know, the Monroeville Mall is the site where Romero’s 1978 horror flick, “Dawn of the Dead,” was filmed.            Ron Thompson, director of visual merchandising at Spotlight Costumes in the South Side, suspects the change had something to do with mall management and overcrowding.            “I think the mall didn’t want them back,” Thompson said. “As a business owner, I can see why, but they don’t realize the publicity of it.”            Hardcore fans of the series, like Spotlight Costumes’ resident make-up artist Lindsay “Ginger” Dickison, feel the shift in venue will reduce the magic of the event.            “It’s important for true fans and people not of this area to see where this movie came from,” Dickison said.            The local late-night horror television show “It’s Alive!,” a sponsor of the event, insists the mall is too small to house the ever-growing crowd of zombies.            Commercials produced by “It’s Alive!” highlight The Motorpsychos, The Cheats, Deathmobile and Icarus Witch as live entertainment for this year’s festival.            Zombie fans will also have a chance to participate in gruesome contests.            “Zombie Olympics”, which pits ghouls against one another, lets zombies test their skills at throwing dismembered body parts like discuses. A brain eating contest pushes ghouls to stuff themselves with gelatin grey matter. “The Ugly Pageant” crowns one ghoul more gory and repulsive than all the others. “The Scream Off” allows the living a chance to win a prize, too. Zambelli Fireworks will end the night.            Dickison remembers how bland “Zombie Fest” used to be.            “There wasn’t much entertainment, mostly booths for purchasing cool, horror-type items,” she said. “You also had celebrities, like Ken Foree [of “Dawn of the Dead”] signing autographs for a lot of money.”            The Fest’s biggest event is likely the “Zombie Walk”. Participants shuffle, crawl and lose limbs as they mill about a designated area, while surrounded by the living.            “It’s Alive!” hopes Pittsburgh will reclaim the Guinness World Record for the most zombies gathered in one place, which the city lost to Seattle last year.            Chris Paternoster, of Allison Park, is very excited for this year’s walk.            “My best friend, Anna, went the year before and got me interested in zombies,” Paternoster said in an e-mail interview. “My favorite part would have to be the walk itself, or just being around all the other zombies.”            Zombies are expected to stay in character as they enter the realm of the living, but must abide by a few restrictions. They must follow the “haunted house” rule of not touching others. Zombies must shamble away from unwilling participants if they start panicking. Ghouls must stay on sidewalks and not wander into the streets. Also, even though zombies are mindless, they must refrain from destroying public property or littering.            Paternoster suggests going to the festival purely for fun.            “Seeing the costumes, the detail that people put into theirs, makes Zombie Fest what it is,” Paternoster said.            “Zombie Fest” is free and set for Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010 from noon to 8 p.m.