Ellen Burstyn

Requiem For A Dream (2000)

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The 2000 Darren Aronofsky film “Requiem for a Dream” was shot around Brooklyn, New York, with Coney Island serving as the primary backdrop of the film. This apartment building served as the home of Sara Goldfarb, played by Ellen Burstyn.

LOCATION: 3152 Brighton 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11235

Early in the film, Sara’s son Harry, played by Jared Leto, takes her television to a pawn shop. Harry is seen walking with Tyrone, played by Marlon Wayans, down the Coney Island Beach Boardwalk.

LOCATION: Near 602 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224 (GPS coordinates: 40°34’24.0″N, 73°58’39.3″W)

They walk past the former Thunderbolt roller coaster in Luna Park, Coney Island. The original wooden roller coaster seen in the film ran from 1925 to 1982, until it was demolished in 2000 shortly after filming took place. A new steel rollercoaster, still using the Thunderbolt name, opened in 2014.

LOCATION: Near Bowery St & W 15th St, Brooklyn, NY 11224 (since remodeled)

The store of Mr. Rabinowitz, played by Mark Margolis, has since been demolished. A different building now stands in it’s place. This is what the area looks like now.

LOCATION: Near 825 Surf Ave STE 2, Brooklyn, NY 11224 (now demolished)

Harry and Tyrone sit at Pete’s Clam Stop, where Harry has a fantasy about taking a cop’s gun.

LOCATION: 1320 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224

Harry has another fantasy about Marion, played by Jennifer Connelly, standing at the end of a pier, looking out toward the water. This scene was filmed at Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier. After the pier suffered damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it was remodeled, with steel rails and a raised viewing platform added, making its present appearance different from what was seen in the film.

LOCATION: Pat Auletta Steeplechase Pier, Riegelmann Boardwalk, Brooklyn, NY 11224

Near the end of the film, Sara’s friends visit her at a hospital, where they are shocked at her appeared. They sit on a bench crying at 3197 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235. There is no bench at the actual location.

The Exorcist (1973)

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One of the most famous filming locations in the United States is the house and stairs from the 1973 William Friedkin film, “The Exorcist.” In the film, Chris MacNeil, played by Ellen Burstyn, lives with her daughter Regan, played by Linda Blair. Located in Georgetown, Washington, DC, the area gets a continuous stream of visitors every day, taking photos and walking the stairs. In reality a yard exists between the house and the stairs, so the filmmakers added a facade left wing onto the property, as well as an extended roof, in order to accommodate the needs of the story to be closer to the stairs. Only the exteriors were filmed here, with the interiors filmed at the former Ceco Studios in New York (460 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019).

LOCATION: 3600 Prospect St NW, Washington, DC 20007

The iconic stairs are located just to the left of the house, at the intersection of 36th St NW / Prospect St NW.

LOCATION: Top of the stairs are at 36th St NW / Prospect St NW, Washington, DC 20007, while the base of the stairs is next to 371 36th St NW, Washington, DC 20007

Here is the top of the stairs where you first approach from the street, which is also seen in the film.

Here is a view of the bottom of the stairs. Quite a lot of pedestrians and fans of the film pass through, so it was a slight challenge getting clean photos with no one in the shots.

Here is a view of the full staircase. The same stairs appear in the film “Ghosted,” where the characters visit specifically because of it’s famous filming location status.

On the wall to the right of the stairs is this plaque, noting the stairs as an historic filming location, commemorated on October 30, 2015.

Related articles: To Live And Die In L.A. (1985)