Have you ever watched a movie and wished you could climb inside its world through the screen? For films that weren't filmed on a sound stage, we can actually visit many of the locations that are featured in iconic movie scenes.
There is a community online where movie tourists post their side-by-side photos from historic filming locations. If you're a real movie buff, you might get a little FOMO when you see them. Or maybe even be inspired to visit some of them yourself? But even if you're just a fan of people doing cool stuff, check out these pics of real-life places from movies such as Men in Black, Ghostbusters, and Gremlins.
Bored Panda reached out to one of the admins of the group and creator of the Historic Film Locations website Paul S. He kindly agreed to tell us more about how this whole project came about and shared some of his personal favorite filming locations he's visited. Be sure to check out our conversation with him below!
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#1
Star Wars (1977) Photograph taken at the hotel Sidi Idriss, Matmatat-Al-Qadimal, Tunisia on the 17th of October 2024
Image credits: Marty Mackillop
#2
Home Alone (1990) - then and now (2024) Grace Episcopal Church, Illinois - 924 Lake Street, where all the interior of the church scenes filmed. Whilst Home Alone is all over the place this time of year location wise. For me, visiting this location was 5 years in the making this Sept, even though I've been to Chicago and these suburbs 3 times now to see things. I took my sister's ashes across the USA for this trip (leaving her in some places) as I live in Melbourne, Australia. Home Alone was my and her favourite film, so I made sure this was part of this 3 week holiday as I was going back in Sept this year. We stopped by all the locales and the house. It was scorching and hot that day. So special shoutout to Father John from the Church who allowed me to come and visit and stay as long as I liked. I will be forever thankful. A woman was practicing the organ so that was cool hearing mucic playing whilst I was there. But Kevin being there made it all the more better - apparently the church have this wooden stand and bring it out at times. There is also a mark on the Pew marking where Kevin sat. Truly a highlight of the trip.
Image credits: Toni Frazer
#3
Jurassic Park Released in 1993 My photo 12/17/24 This is located on Kualoa Ranch in the Ka’a’awa Valley. (21.5368567, -157.8448593) My wife and I took a tour of the Kualoa Ranch on Oahau this morning. The tour guide said only about 10% of the movie was filmed at the ranch.
Image credits: Bud Turner
There's something magical about being in a place you've seen many times in a film or a TV show. Film directors and their DPs know how to capture places at their most beautiful, but we want to visit filming locations not only because of their beauty.
It can make us feel closer to the piece of art somehow. Who wouldn't want to run around Central Park pretending the Wet Bandits are chasing them? It almost makes us feel like we can step into the movies we love so much, and makes the films a tad less fantastical and more relatable in our minds.
#4
“The Third Man” 1949. Location: Prater in Vienna August 2024
Image credits: Sara Barua
#5
Better Call Saul "Bagman" - 2020 Shot taken in 2024 Albuquerque, New Mexico 34.971250, -106.638923
Image credits: Andrea Nowak-Gelet
#6
Home ? Alone (1990) 1024 Lake Ave, Wilmette, IL (2024)
Image credits: Mike Sal
The Historic Film Locations group on Facebook is a community of almost 900k members, most of whom are cinema fans and film tourists. The group believes that movies "hold cultural history & meaning within each generation of film watchers/lovers," and so they encourage people to explore film locations.
Granted, some of the locations people share in the group have changed drastically since we've seen them on the screen. But that's no reason not to visit the locations; in fact, it adds more excitement. We might not want to see the exact replicas of the scenes, but we're rather more curious about what it feels like to stand in the same spot our favorite actors did.
#7
I was in New York City this week and I had to stop at this place and cross it off my bucket list, and it was decorated for Christmas too! The glorious Ladder 8 Firehouse used as Ghostbusters Headquarters 40 years apart. Ghostbusters 1984 December 3, 2024 14 N Moore St, New York, NY 10013
Image credits: Brian Naydol
#8
“A Christmas Story” House in 1983 and 2023. Cleveland, OH
Image credits: Hito Zapata
#9
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991; Dir. James Cameron) — Angel's Point, Elysian Park, Los Angeles, CA *visited July
Image credits: Mitch Felan
Historic Film Locations is not only a group on Facebook. In fact, it all started with a website, created by Paul S., now an admin. Bored Panda got in touch with the creator, and he told us that his website was born in 2011. He says he wanted to document the filming locations he had visited and planned to visit in the future and decided to do that in website form.
#10
Back to the future- 1985 and 2024. South Pasadena, CA
Image credits: Hito Zapata
#11
Duel (1971) Soledad Canyon Rd. Santa Clarita, CA. Had seen some posts before on same scene at tunnel. Happened to be locating a store from The Devil’s Rejects and happened through it on the way. Pic taken 11/29/24.
Image credits: Tommy Phillips
#12
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004; Dir. Michel Gondry) — Wainscott, NY *visited December
Image credits: Mitch Felan
Thus, the Then & Now Filming Locations website was born. "I include the address of every single location I post, so anyone else who may wish can also visit the location," Paul S. told us. "It's a very fun hobby and I enjoy it a lot." As far as hobbies go, this one is indeed a pretty cool one to have!
#13
Some Like It Hot (1959; Dir. Billy Wilder) — Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, CA *visited July
Image credits: Mitch Felan
#14
The Walking Dead (2010-2022) — Jackson Street Bridge, Atlanta, GA *visited January
Image credits: Mitch Felan
#15
The Twilight Zone "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (1961) CA-190 Olancha, Ca. 93549
Image credits: Then & Now Movie Locations
"There's just something special about being in an actual place that you saw in one of your favorite movies or television shows," Paul goes on. He also clarifies that while he is an admin for the Historic Film Locations Facebook group, it was actually created by David Broido.
#16
Film location from "Charade" starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. All the locations in the movie (including interiors) were filmed in Paris. 24 Rue Censier
Image credits: Phil Grishayev
#17
Casino - Then & Now Desert Meeting Location Jean Dry Lake Jean, NV 35.786001,-115.271805
Image credits: David Broido and Bruce Murdock
#18
Top pic: Scene from 10 Things I hate about you which came out in 1999. Bottom pic is from a visit I made to Seattle in 2015. Address: North 36th Street, Troll Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
Image credits: Clay Duchene
Some filming locations can be tricky to find, especially when filmmakers use many props and the place doesn't look exactly like it did in the movie. Yours truly had some personal experience with this while looking for the place the hobbits were hiding from the Nazgul in The Fellowship of the Ring. I knew the place was in Mount Victoria, Wellington, but I looked for the exact place for almost an hour even with directions from people online.
#19
McFly home in the “Back to the Future” movies. Top: Back to the Future (1985) Middle: Back to the Future III (1990) Bottom: With my family out front in 2015 (coincidentally it was in my Facebook memories today) Roslyndale Avenue in Arleta, California (some maps also list Pacoima, as Arleta was once part of Pacoima)
Image credits: Zak Ford - Called Up/Next Up
#20
1979 vs 2024. From "The Blues Brothers," taken at the Cook County Office Building at 118 N Clark Street in Chicago.
Image credits: Mark E. Phillips
#21
Home Alone 2- 1992 and 2024. Central Park, NY
Image credits: Hito Zapata
For Paul S., there haven't been many similar experiences. "So far, every movie location I've wanted to find (in the United States) I've been able to," he tells us. "Whether it was myself who found it, or if I received help from others who also enjoy the hobby. An individual named Paul H. has been a huge help in finding some of the harder locations for me. He runs the website Halloween Filming Locations."
#22
Edward Scissorhands (1990; Dir. Tim Burton) — Lutz, FL *visited February
Image credits: Mitch Felan
#23
Forrest Gump (1994; Dir. Robert Zemeckis) — Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA *visited July
Image credits: Mitch Felan
#24
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Starring: Angelina Jolie Location:Ta Prohm, near Angkor Wat/Siem Reap Photo taken: November 15th, 2024
Image credits: Moritz Zeiler
Paul doesn't always visit filming locations alone. "I have numerous friends who also enjoy visiting movie locations," he tells Bored Panda. "We often exchange information on locations and sometimes we visit them together. It's kind of like a filming location hunter community," he says.
#25
Filming location for Men in Black” (1997) Starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum 1071 5th Ave. New York, NY. Pic taken 10/27/24
Image credits: Steve Dallman
#26
Walking Dead season 1, Episode “Days Gone By” Sheriff’s station. 1737 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NW Atlanta, GA 30318. Taken 11/23/24.
Image credits: Tommy Phillips
#27
Harry potter, The Deathly Hallows pt 1. Malham cove, yorkshire dales, England. 10/11/24.
Image credits: Terry Smith
Paul says that his favorite real-life filming locations are the ones that might be more difficult to reach. "I enjoy all genres of films, so, with that comes many different landscapes and habitats," he explains. "My favorite locations to visit are the ones that are in the more rural areas. It's easy to type an address into your GPS and visit a house or business, but something about visiting a location that's out in the middle of nowhere, that not many people have been to, makes it even more satisfying for me."
#28
007 (Pierce Brosnan, blue shirt) on his way to meet his contact at the cigar factory in what's supposed to be Havana (Die Another Day, central food market, entrance gate at the Plaza de la Libertad, Cádiz, Spain). Then: 2002, now: April 2024.
Image credits: Otman El Hitouri
#29
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Santa Monica Place, Los Angeles I was looking for a unit with the number 215 as you can briefly see that over Arnie's shoulder as he gets up and runs back into the shop to give chase after being chucked through the window by the T-1000.
Image credits: There Will Be Bond
#30
Mystic Pizza (1988) Vs 70 Water St, Stonington CT (2024) The location where they filmed the movie is about a 10 minute drive from the real restaurant (which is located right in Mystic).
Image credits: Emanuele Selmi
What about you, Pandas? Have you ever visited a filming location from one of your favorite movies? Share the scenes and the locations with us in the comments. And don't forget to upvote the side-by-sides from this list you like best so your favorites make it to the very top!
