San Fernando

Carrie (1976)

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The 1976 horror classic “Carrie,” directed by Brian De Palma, was filmed in Southern California. Early in the film, Carrie, played by Sissy Spacek, is seen walking home from school along E Santa Paula St toward N 6th St in Santa Paula, California. Most of the trees lining the street have since been removed.

LOCATION: N 6th St / E Santa Paula St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

A boy riding a bicycle begins to tease Carrie when she uses her telekinetic powers to knock the boy off his bike.

The home of Sue Snell, played by Amy Irving, could be found in Pacific Palisades. However, it has since been heavily remodeled and no longer appears anything like how it did in the film.

LOCATION: 773 Amalfi Dr, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (heavily remodeled)

Carrie’s house has likewise long since been demolished. It could be found in Santa Paulo. The house next door, which could be seen in the background of some shots, still matches up.

LOCATION: 122 N 7th St, Santa Paula, CA 93060 (now demolished)

Later in the film, Tommy, played by William Katt, is seen approaching from here as he arrived to pick up Carrie.

Several of the high school scenes were filmed at Palisades High School. The girls are seen playing volleyball on the basketball courts. The same school was used in the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Saved By The Bell,” as well as many more productions.

LOCATION: 15777 Bowdoin St, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

The girls are also seen out on the football field of Palisades High School.

Later in the film, Carrie’s classmates play a horrific prank on her as they head to a slaughterhouse to collect some pig’s blood. These scenes were filmed in the city of Vernon. The same building and mural appears in “Zabriskie Point” and the 1977 film “Angel City.”

LOCATION: 3049 E Vernon Ave, Vernon, CA 90058 (near the intersection of Bandini Blvd / S Soto St)

The murals have since changed a bit, so these are approximations of the areas seen in the film.

A second high school was used for the scene where Freddy, played by Michael Talbott, asks to join the prom committee. This scene was filmed in San Fernando.

LOCATION: 576 N Maclay Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340

Carrie is seen entering a drug store, which can be found in Santa Paula.

LOCATION: 910 E Main St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

The boys stop in the building next door to rent some tuxedos.

LOCATION: 910 E Main St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

The exterior gym scenes were filmed at the Hermosa Beach Community Center. While a few brief shots of the interior are seen in the film, all of the interior prom scenes were filmed on a set at Culver Studios (9336 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232).

LOCATION: 710 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Carrie tells Miss Collins, played by Betty Buckley, that she has been invited to prom.

The iconic shot of Carrie leaving as the gym is engulfed in flames was filmed here at the Hermosa Beach Community Center.

Related articles: Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

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The 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” starring Michelle Yeoh, was filmed in Southern California. In the film, Evelyn Wang, played by Yeoh, owns this laundromat, where she lives in an apartment overhead with her family. The building can be found in San Fernando, however, the second level apartment was a visual effect added by the production and does not actually exist.

LOCATION: 260 S Meyer St, San Fernando, CA 91340

The IRS building where the family meets with Deirdre Beaubeirdre, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, can be found in Simi Valley. The same building appeared in the 1992 film “Sneakers.”

LOCATION: 400 National Way, Simi Valley, CA 93065

Menace II Society (1993)

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The 1993 Hughes Brothers film “Menace II Society” takes place in South Central Los Angeles, where much of the film was likewise shot. In the opening scene of the film, Caine and O-Dog, played by Tyrin Turner and Larenz Tate, get into a confrontation with the owner of a liquor store and things take a violent turn. The location remains a liquor store today.

LOCATION: 5121 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

The Watts Towers can be seen in an early establishing shot of the film. The Watts Towers have appeared in many films, including “Colors,” “La La Land,” “Ricochet,” “CB4,” “Good Times,” and “Melinda,” as well as the TV shows “Six Feet Under,” “Dragnet,” “Southland,” “Dark Skies” and more.

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LOCATION: 1727 E 107th St, Los Angeles, CA 90002

Caine attends Jordan High School, which is located near the home of his grandparents in the film.

LOCATION: 2265 E 103rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90002

Ronnie, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, lives in this home. The film’s climactic scenes take place here.

LOCATION: 2809 7th Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90018

Caine lives with his grandparents at the Jordan Downs Housing Community in Watts. Jordan Downs was a low-income housing community known for poverty and crime. The area is currently under major redevelopment, with many of the original buildings already demolished. New, mixed-income housing and retail stores are being built in its place. This isn’t the exact building featured in the film, but a very similar one that was still standing at the time of our visit. The whole area is marked private and heavily patrolled by security, so we don’t encourage visiting.

LOCATION: 9800 Grape St, Los Angeles, CA 90002 (soon to be demolished)

The graduation party scenes were filmed at this home.

LOCATION: 2181 Cambridge St, Los Angeles, CA 90006

The gas station where the car jacking scene takes place still stands, but it has long since been shuttered and abandoned.

LOCATION: 4200 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

The intersection where the car jacking takes place is made to appear right near the gas station, but it’s actually just down the road.

LOCATION: 3423 W 43rd Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Caine is injured from the car jacking and winds up in Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, which has been heavily remodeled since filming took place.

LOCATION: 1680 E 120th St, Los Angeles, CA 90059

Caine and his crew seek revenge for the car jacking at the Jungle Chicken restaurant. The building is actually located in San Fernando and somewhat surprisingly still stands today, albeit fenced off and abandoned.

LOCATION: 107 S Huntington St, San Fernando, CA 91340

A-Wax, Caine and O-Dog attempt to steal a car from an underground parking garage in Hollywood. When attempting to exit, they’re met by police officers.

LOCATION: 1800 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (facing Franklin Pl)

Caine hooks up with Ilena, played by Erin LeShawn Wiley, ultimately impregnating her. After Caine blows off taking any responsibility, it prompts Ilena’s cousin to intervene, ultimately leading to the film’s violent climax. Ilena lives at this house.

LOCATION: 4920 11th Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90043

GLOW

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The TV series “GLOW” tells the real life story of a 1980s women’s wrestling promotion called the “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.”  The show, starring Alison Brie, was primarily set around the San Fernando Valley in Southern California for the first two seasons, before shifting to Las Vegas for the third season.

The exterior of the gym where the ladies train can be found at the San Fernando Masonic Lodge.  The angle shown is from the back of the building.  There is a gate on the front side preventing vehicle access to this area.  There is also fencing along the back.  However, there is an alley running behind the property, allowing for views of the location.  The interior of the gym was a set built on a sound stage.

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LOCATION: 1112 N Maclay Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340

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The diner the girls frequent is Cadillac Jack’s in Sun Valley.  It is no longer an active restaurant establishment, instead it is used solely as a filming location or event space.  The building is actually part of the same property as the hotel used in the show and located directly beside it.  The restaurant has been used in countless productions, including “Grease 2,” “The Whole Ten Yards,” the TV shows “Vanderpump Rules,” “MacGuyver” and dozens more.  It has also been featured in many music videos, such as CeeLo Green’s “Forget You” and Mandy Moore’s “Candy.”

It should be noted that this location, including the hotel, has gained reputation in recent years for disliking unsolicited visitation.  Cones block off most of the entrances.  Due to the filming history, as well as the unique look of the property, it often attracts interest from the general public.  We had no issues when we visited, but there are numerous comments online from others with more unpleasant experiences.   If you do visit, keep in mind that they have apparently become sensitive about the issue and be careful not to trespass.

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LOCATION: 9457 San Fernando Rd, Sun Valley, CA 91352

The girls attend a party at the house of the producer Bash.  This was filmed at the Circles on the Point mansion in Malibu.  The 1994 film Bruce Willis film “Color Of Night” also filmed here, as well as the TV series “Jean-Claude Van Johnson.”

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LOCATION: 29377 Cliffside Dr, Malibu, CA 90265

The Dusty Spur motel where the girls reside is actually the Pink Motel in Sun Valley.  It’s part of the same property as the diner on the show and sits directly beside it.  It is not an operational motel, rather a set used for filming or special events.  As mentioned earlier, according to many online comments, the property is not receptive to public visitation these days, preferring only professional clients.  The motel property has been featured in countless productions, including “The House Bunny” and “Drive” (interiors only), as well as the TV shows “Westworld,” “Dexter” and “The O.C.”

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LOCATION: 9457 San Fernando Rd, Sun Valley, CA 91352

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The gang tries to secure sponsorship from Patio Town.  This was filmed at the back entrance of an actual patio store in Studio City.

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LOCATION: 11055 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

The girls celebrate securing sponsorship by grabbing some burgers at Foster’s Freeze.  The same location was used in “Pulp Fiction,” whenever Butch crosses paths with Marsellus and gets into a car collision.

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LOCATION: 2760 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Carmen’s house, where they wrestle in the back yard, can be found in the Pico Union neighborhood of Los Angeles.

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LOCATION: 1234 Fedora St, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Seeking additional funding, the girls attend a fundraiser at Bash’s mother’s house.  The home, found in Pasadena, was also famously used in the sitcom “Benson,” as well as in the films “American Gigolo” and “Monster-In-Law.”

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LOCATION: 1365 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106