Favorite Holiday Movies

What are some of your favorite holiday movies? Are they the classics, like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Christmas Story”? Do you prefer the more modern comedies like “Bad Santa” and the “Home Alone” series? No matter your style of film, you are bound to be curious about the many different places in which the scenes were filmed. The following are some of the more noteworthy that were shot in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

 “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Many of the locations that were used for filming “It’s a Wonderful Life” have since been torn down. However, the ranch-style house on Viro Road in La Canada Flintridge is still standing there. It even looks much the same as when it graced the silver screen in 1946. Another location that was used was the Beverly Hills High School, for the Charleston dance contest. The town’s setting was on Balboa Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard, in Encino.

National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation”

This film may have been set in Chicago, but it was filmed nearly completely in LA. Specifically, it was filmed at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. When Clark goes to a store and receives a lingerie show, they were using Bullocks Wilshire in Koreatown. Today, this building has been turned into a law school. Frank Shirley’s house was filmed at the Mattison Boyd Jones house on 727 West Kenneth Road in Glendale. Next time you are around the area, be sure to drive past or stop at these spots where one of your favorite holiday movies was filmed.

  

“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”

 

The non-cartoon version that was released in 2000, featuring Jim Carey, was filmed almost entirely at the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles. Each year during December, the lot holds a “Grinchmas Celebration” on specific days. Since many other family movies have been filmed there, including Harry Potter, it is an excellent place to visit if you are ever around Los Angeles.

 

“Surviving Christmas”

 

This movie featuring Ben Affleck may not be a classic, but it is one of the finest modern Christmas films. It was filmed in both Chicago and Los Angeles. One of the more noteworthy spots was the University High School at 11800 Texas Avenue in Los Angeles, which was the setting for Doo-Dah’s play. The end scene at Cindy’s Restaurant was actually at 1500 Colorado Boulevard. The scene at “Poor Don’s Treeland” was filmed at Meinke’s Garden Center.

These and thousands of other film locations in the Los Angeles area can be found and booked through All Pictures Media Film Locations.

L.A. Film Locations – Horror Flicks

Have you ever wanted to know where your favorite scary movies were filmed? Some of the sets are fairly obvious and you can visit them at any time, while other locations are more on the private side or disguised to make it seem as though it is someplace entirely different. Read on to learn about the places that were used for these 5 horror movies.

Roadtrip Motel - All Pictures Media Film Locations

Poltergeist

This iconic Steven Spielberg film from 1982 was set in a fictional community called Cuesta Verde. In actuality, the home that was used is in Simi Valley, specifically on Roxbury Drive. Though a real house was featured in much of the movie, a six-foot scale model was made for the scene in which the home imploded. The house still stands today and it looks exactly like it did in Poltergeist.

Some of the other spots that were included are the following: University of California at Irvine; the Holiday Inn (Thousand Oaks); Rustling Oak Drive, Calabria Drive, Calmfield Avenue, Gleam Court, Kanan Road, and Shadycreek Drive in Agoura Hills.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

This 1984 film, directed by Wes Craven, became a cult classic that spawned seven sequels and a reboot in 2010. The original “Nightmare” was filmed mainly on one residential street that is located in Hollywood. Today, the houses used for Nancy's and Glen's homes look almost identical to their screen counterparts. If you were to see it even after all of these years, it would likely bring back eery memories of the frightful scenes. They are both located on North Genesee Avenue.

Some other locations that you can see in the film are as follows: Mulholland Drive; Venice Beach; Milwood Avenue; John Marshall High School; John Burroughs Middle School; the Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Library; Lincoln Heights Jail (for the boiler room scene).

Carrie

This film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name was filmed in just a few locations. The prom scene that nearly everyone knows about was shot at the gym of the Pier Avenue Junior High School that is in Hermosa Beach. Only some of the scene filmed, while interior shots for the massacre scene were done at the soundstage at Culver Studios. This school closed in 1975, and today it is the Hermosa Beach Community Center. The appearance of this building was kept mostly the same as it was in the film.

Halloween

Though the supposed Illinois residence in which Michael Myers killed his sister in this film looks convincing, it was really an abandoned house that serves as an office building today. It also was moved a few blocks north. However, true horror fans should recognize the building. This is on Mission Street in South Pasadena.

On the other hand, Laurie Strode's house is an actual home at this time. The owners excitedly welcome fans who visit, and even allow them to pose in the very place where Jamie Lee Curtis' character stood to wait for her ride. The family gets more into it by leaving foam pumpkins in front of the house all year round. It is located at 1115 Oxley Street in South Pasadena.

Child's Play 2

This 1990 movie brought more of the fun and creepiness of the original “Child's Play”. The main character Andy went to live with a foster family that reside in a two-story home in South Pasadena. The real location for this house is on Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

Other locations featured in the film include the following: Pier S Avenue on Long Beach; Palmetto Street in Los Angeles; Mutt & Jeff's Liquor on East Holly Street in Pasadena; Milan Avenue in South Pasadena.

It can be fun to look up the LA filming locations for the movies that you love. For more information about this and more, visit All Pictures Media Film Locations.

Los Angeles Filming Locations Are Important

When it comes to Los Angeles Filming Locations, you may be surprised to learn that many times, scenes are not even shot in studios or private locations. There have been numerous instances of scenes being filmed right on the streets of L.A., or in restaurants, hotels, schools, beaches and other locales around the area that fit the needs of the movie.

Malibu Beach House - All Pictures Media Film Locations

Real vs. Fake

For instance, the Creative Artists Agency building has been used for several movies, such as the 2011 film “The Green Hornet”. This is located in Century City, and it has a nickname of “The Death Star” since it is one of the more powerful agencies in Hollywood. It is here that Britt Reid's father's newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, has its setting.

While the crew shot the exterior of the CAA building, many of the interior scenes needed to be done in a more authentic spot. The L.A. Times was ideal for the printing press room and some other newspaper atmosphere scenes.

A Creepy Biopic with Familiar Locations

“Hitchcock” is a dramatic film with a variety of locations throughout Los Angeles. The beginning of the movie is a scene with Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 thriller “North by Northwest”. This was not actually filmed at the United Artists theater in Chicago, but at the Orpheum Theater on South Broadway. They did change the sign to accommodate the name, but it is clearly still a Los Angeles location. The interior of this theater re-appeared later on, for the opening night scene of “Psycho”.

Another place that was used in filming “Hitchcock” may be familiar to many people. The famous writer's home was set at a house that is on North Alpine Drive, which is also where the Kennish family in “Switched at Birth” lives. Nothing is quite as it seems here, because the Volkswagen carrying Mrs. Hitchcock to her house actually drove down a street that was a couple of miles from the house.

There was no cheating when it came to one location. Yes, the studio in the film is the same one that distributed “Psycho” - Paramount Studios. However, in real life the movie actually was made at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Interestingly, the same restaurant was in two different scenes. This is Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard. It is the oldest restaurant in all of Hollywood.

A Simple Recipe for a Suspense Thriller

It doesn't take a great deal of action in diverse, wild locations to make a good movie. In fact, some of are filmed in only one or two major locations. The logical reasoning behind this is that it keeps the budget low, but that may not be the only – or even the main – reason for doing so.

For example, the 2013 thriller “The Purge” includes just one key location. This is a single family home on Iverson Road in Chatsworth. It is inside of a safe, gated community.

The fact that this film is about a family under siege in their house made it possible to keep costs down, and it also only took 20 days to shoot it. The spacious, beautiful home was the perfect setting for such a terrifying psychological thriller.

A Final Note on L.A. Film Locations

There are many considerations that go into the choosing of different film locations, especially when that is in Los Angeles. Privacy concerns, atmosphere, budget, lighting, and the specifics of each scene must be taken into account. It can sometimes take several days to decide on a location and get it locked down for use. You really have to appreciate all of the work that is involved for creating these amazing movies. If you would like to learn more about great filming locations in the Los Angeles area, visit All Pictures Media.