Mallrats (1995)

/ filmoblivion / 2 Comments

The 1995 Kevin Smith film “Mallrats” was mostly filmed in Minnesota, with some scenes filmed in Smith’s native New Jersey, as well as a few additional scenes shot in Los Angeles, California. There are several existing cuts of the film, the two most famous being the theatrical cut and the extended cut. Some locations only appear in certain cuts, which we’ll note in this article.

The house of Brodie, played by Jason Lee, can be found in Minneapolis.

LOCATION: 4808 Valley View Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55424

As TS Quint, played by Jeremy London, drives to the house of Brandi, played by Claire Forlani, he drives past the Quick Stop Groceries, which is of course famous for being the central location of Smith’s first film, “Clerks.” The store only appears in the extended cut of the film. The location has appeared in many of Smith’s other films as well, such as “Chasing Amy,” “Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back,” “Clerks II” and “Clerks III.”

LOCATION: 58 Leonard Ave, Leonardo, NJ 07737

The location of the house of Brandi is confusing because two different places were used and depending on which cut of the film you see, different houses appear. The extended cut of the film features the original location in Minnesota, where a news crew waits outside as TS visits with Brodie. After the original movie opening performed poorly with test audiences, the opening was reshot in Los Angeles. For the shorter, theatrical cut, a totally different home was featured, where TS meets Brandi alone and tries unsuccessfully to take her on a trip to Florida. This is the Los Angeles location of the reshoot scene.

LOCATION: 414 S Rimpau Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Hedges have since been planted along the front of the property, obscuring much of the house from street level.

In the Mallrats audio commentary for the theatrical version, Smith confirms the scene was shot long after the original footage and was indeed filmed in Los Angeles. The location is omitted altogether from the extended cut of the film, in favor of the original footage. The Minnesota location of Brandi’s house, which is only seen in close-up shots, has yet to be found.

The key location of the movie, the Eden Prairie Center Mall, has since been heavily remodeled and no longer appears how it did in the film.

LOCATION: 8251 Flying Cloud Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55344.

The “dirt mall” where TS Quint and Brodie meet a topless fortune teller has since been demolished. It was formerly located at 17 US-1, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.

At the end of the film, TS and Brandi are married at the Jaws ride, supposedly at Universal Studios Florida. The scene was instead filmed at the Jaws ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.

LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

To see our “Mallrats” location page, click here.

Related articles: Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Jersey Girl (2004), Clerks II (2006), Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008), Red State (2011), Yoga Hosers (2016), Jay And Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

The Grifters (1990)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1990 film “The Grifters,” directed by Stephen Frears, was shot primarily in Los Angeles, California and Phoenix, Arizona. Lilly, played by Anjelica Houston, visits her son Roy, played by John Cusack, at his apartment in Los Angeles. Roy’s apartment is actually a composite of two locations. For the wide shots and the scene where Roy is taken away in an ambulance, the Bryson Apartments were used. The same apartments can be seen in such films as “Magnolia,” “Calendar Girl” and “Stewardess School.” For closer shots, the Asbury Apartments, located at 2505 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90057, were used.

LOCATION: 2701 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057

The apartment where Roy’s girlfriend Myra, played by Annette Bening, lives has since been demolished. It was formerly located at 692 S Mariposa Ave Los Angeles, CA 90005.

Lilly places bets on horses at a race track, supposedly located La Jolla. The real location can actually be found in Phoenix. As she’s leaving, her angry boss Bobo comes to visit her. The location appears again later in the film when Myra spies on Lilly.

LOCATION: 1501 W Bell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85023

A drunken man disturbs Lilly as she tries to eat at this cafe in Santa Clarita. The cafe is only seen from interior views in the film.

LOCATION: 25861 Railroad Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

After Lilly discovers she is in danger, she gets a motel room, supposedly located in Phoenix. Myra follows her there, planning to kill her. Ironically, despite other scenes actually filming in Phoenix, the motel chosen by the production instead shot in Santa Clarita, California. The same motel also appeared in the films “The Wizard,” “Near Dark” and “Crossroads,” as well as the TV shows “Too Old To Die Young” and “Westworld.”

toooldtodieyoung52

LOCATION: 12117 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91390

Roy is summoned to Phoenix to identify a body and is taken to the Phoenix City Hall. These scenes were filmed at the Maricopa County Courthouse in Phoenix. The entrance Roy is seen entering can be found on the west side of the building, facing what is now the courtyard area.

LOCATION: 125 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85003

Corpse Bride (2005)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

Some props from the 2005 Tim Burton / Mike Johnson film “Corpse Bride” can be found on display at Warner Bros. Studio as part of their studio tour. Here are miniatures of the characters in the film, along with some behind the scenes photos of the filmmakers using them in the film.

LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Dennis The Menace

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The TV series “Dennis the Menace,” which ran from 1959 to 1963, was set in a fictional neighborhood located at the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California. The Warner Ranch lot was separate from the main Warner backlot and was not open to public tours. The entire ranch was demolished in 2023, with sound stages taking over the space.

The Mitchell house was the original home exterior featured on the show, although it had some remodeling. It was one of the few original sets on the ranch, having survived previous fires on the grounds. It has since been demolished.

LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)

The Wilson house was located next door, but the original set was lost in a fire in 1970. It was eventually rebuilt and this was how the facade appeared up to the time of demolition.

LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)

The Elkins house was likewise burned in the 1970 fire and rebuilt. Here is how it appears prior to demolition. The same facade was used in the 1970s TV series “The Partridge Family” and the film “The Monster Squad.”

LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)

Related articles: Dennis The Menace (1993)

Us (2019)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 2019 Jordan Peele film “Us” was shot around Santa Cruz in Northern California, as well as several spots around Southern California. The film’s opening, set in 1986, was shot at the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk. “Sudden Impact” and “The Lost Boys” also famously shot on the boardwalk, with characters in this film even referencing the latter. As the parents of Adelaide Thomas walk past this area, they mention a movie is being filmed nearby.

LOCATION: 400 Beach St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Young Adelaide roams away from her parents and heads out onto the beach. She sees the Vision Quest building right in this spot. There is no actual Vision Quest building, it was a set built by the production.

The same location is seen again in present day later in the film, when an adult Adelaide, played by Lupita Nyong’o, returns with her family. She sees the building again, which is now called Merlin’s Forest.

Adelaide’s son Jason sees a strange man standing with his arms outstretched, facing away from him near the end of the boardwalk on the beach.

The Wilson family stays in this vacation home, located in Pasadena. Identifying the home was no easy task. The house is part of North Kinneloa Ranch, a private, gated community in Kinneloa Mesa in Pasadena. There is no house number visible in the film. There is no street view of this neighborhood or real estate photos of the house available online. Even satellite views offered very little to go on, due to heavy tree coverage. Eventually, in spite of the many obstacles, we managed to identify the correct location. The home is actually a composite of a couple locations. The back portion facing the lake was filmed at Lake Gregory in Crestline.

LOCATION: 2256 Villa Heights Rd, Pasadena, CA 91107

Back in Northern California, when Adelaide’s family first heads to the boardwalk, they see a man being loaded into an ambulance. He’s holding the same sign as a man she saw on the boardwalk in her childhood. The location really is near the boardwalk, which is straight ahead at the end of the road.

LOCATION: 207 Riverside Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

The house where Josh and Kitty Tyler, played by Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss, live can be found in Calabasas. While it is located on a public road, the home is not really visible from the street. It can be found at 854 Malibu Meadows Dr, Calabasas, CA 91302.

Later in the film, Adelaide is driving with her family and brakes suddenly when she sees a car on fire in the middle of the street. A masked boy stands in front of their vehicle.

LOCATION: Near 1163 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Here is the reverse view, where Jason is taken.

The Wilson Family’s “Craw Daddy” boat can be seen on display the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour.

LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

Red’s jumpsuit from the film can be found on display at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

LOCATION: 6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

To see our “Us” location page, click here.

Related articles: Nope (2022)

My Stepmother Is An Alien (1988)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1988 comedy “My Stepmother Is an Alien,” starring Kim Basinger and Dan Aykroyd, was filmed in Southern California. Steven Mills, played by Aykroyd, works as a scientist at this building, where he sends radio signals to space. The same building, found in Westlake Village near Thousand Oaks, was featured in the film “Demolition Man.”

demolitionman10

LOCATION: 1 Baxter Way, Westlake Village, CA 91362

demolitionman11

Celeste, played by Basinger, first arrives on Earth at the beach front property of Ron Mills, played by John Lovitz. The property, which was also featured in the TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” can be found in Hermosa Beach.

beverlyhills90210-3

LOCATION: 3500 The Strand, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

The Mills house where Steven and Celeste live can be found in Studio City. The same house was featured in such films as “A League of Their Own,” “Candyman” and “Adams Family Values.” It is also located next door to one of the houses used in the film “Catch Me If You Can.”

LOCATION: 4222 Agnes Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

The front of the property has since been lined with tall hedges, obscuring the view from the street.

Celeste, unaware of how to prepare breakfast, sneaks out in the middle of the night to a diner, where she orders everything on the menu. This scene was filmed at the former Johnie’s Broiler in Downey.  The restaurant has a unique history, having appeared in many other films, such as “Heat,” “Short Cuts,” “License To Drive,” “The Game,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “One Hour Photo” and many more.  In 2007, the building was demolished.  However, Bob’s Big Boy purchased the property years later and rebuilt it based on the original blueprints and even some of the same materials.  So what stands now closely resembles what was seen in the film.

heat21

LOCATION: 7447 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241

heat22

Ghost In The Shell (2017)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the 2017 live action adaption of the classic manga “Ghost In The Shell,” Major Mira Killian, played by Scarlett Johansson, rides this motorcycle as she searches for Hideo Kuze. The motorcycle is a custom Honda, inspired by the original manga. It could be found on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California, which ran an exhibit entitled “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles Of Science Fiction and Fantasy” from May 2019 through May 2020.

LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Sister Act (1992)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the opening of the 1992 comedy “Sister Act,” a flashback scene is shown at “Saint Anne’s Academy” in 1968. A young Deloris, Goldberg’s character, is seen misbehaving in a Catholic school. The building can be found in Reno, Nevada.

LOCATION: 310 W 2nd St, Reno, NV 89503

An adult Deloris is now a singer in Reno, Nevada. Early in the film, the famous Reno Arch is prominently featured.

thewizard4

LOCATION: 345 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89501

After witnessing a murder, Deloris goes to a police station. They agree to put her under witness protection until she can testify in court.

LOCATION: 50 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89501

The exterior of the church where Deloris becomes a nun is the St Paul’s Catholic Church, which can be found in San Francisco.

LOCATION: 221 Valley St, San Francisco, CA 94131

The Music Box (1932)

/ filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1932 Laurel & Hardy film “The Music Box” won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject. The stairs from the film still exist in Los Angeles. Named the “Music Box Steps,” they can be found in the neighborhood of Silver Lake. For those interested, the film can be found online for free.

LOCATION: Music Box Steps, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (between 923 / 935 N Vendome St, Los Angeles, CA 90026, at the intersection of Del Monte Dr / N Vendome St)

The idea for the film came about when a writer for director Hal Roach passed by the stairs and thought it would be amusing to see Laurel & Hardy try to carry something heavy up them. The property on the right existed at the time of the film, but the area to the left was just empty land.

The median in the road on the right can be seen in the film.

The stairs consist of 131 steps.

At the top of the stairs is not a house, as depicted in the film. Those scenes were shot on the Hal Roach Studio lot. At the real location, there is another street at the top of the stairs. Both the top and bottom of the stairs have a street sign for the Music Box Steps.

At the base of the stairs, there is a plaque commemorating the film. However, it has become worn and faded, making it difficult to read. According to the plaque, the same location location was also featured in the lost 1927 Laurel & Hardy short film, “Hats Off.”

The stairs can either be accessed from N Vendome St at the bottom or Descanso Dr at the top.