Set-Jetter & Movie Locations and More: October 2013

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With 2013 being the 35th anniversary of my all time favorite, Halloween, I wanted to update my filming locations for the series, which have been scattered throughout my blog. I will update these pages as I add new locations and cast or crew.

The first horror movie I ever saw was "Halloween" on the NBC broadcast in 1981. And I use the word "saw" very loosely as I was scared to death and could barely watch it. The movie affected me so much that the fear eventually turned into fascination and became the cornerstone for my love of movies. To this day, I cite it as my favorite movie of all time. The first time I was able to visit the locations was in late 2001 when I was in LA with my family for the Rose Bowl. Seeing the Doyle and Wallace houses and walking the streets of "Haddonfield", especially at night, was absolutely unreal to me.

For other locations from the Halloween series, click on the link below:

Below are some of the locations for the film. I typically revisit some of the locations if I'm in the area, so you'll see the houses in various states. First up, the movie opens with the famous steadicam shot of the Myers house. As fans know, the South Pasadena house was moved from its original location and now adjacent to the "hardware" store. The back third of the house was also permanently removed as part of the move.

UPDATE October 2013: On the 35th anniversary of the movie, I made my first visit to the Myers house at night!

UPDATE November 2013: Some more shots during the Horror's Hallowed Grounds Tour....

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A couple interior shots....

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Next we move to 1978 to see the escape of Michael Myers from Smiths Grove, which is actually just the road around the Hollywood Reservoir...

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The establishing shot of Haddonfield intersection in South Pasadena....

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Our first visit to the Strode house, also in South Pasadena and a couple blocks from the Myers house...

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Laurie crosses the street, which is a few blocks north of the Strode house...

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Next up is Laurie's classroom where she spies the Shape across the street. This is shot in Garfield Elementary in Alhambra, which will also double as Tommy's school in the next scene....

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Tommy encounters some bullies after school and is followed by the Shape...

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The area next to the railroad where Dr. Loomis makes a call has changed the most of all the locations. But here is the spot...

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Next up is the exterior of the high school. The school has changed quite a bit, not much is recognizable....

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The first part of the walk home where the girls round the corner and cross the street....

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They stop and see the Shape drive by, but comes to a screeching halt when Annie yells at him...

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And they are back on their way....

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Next we move back to the street from the opening shots of Haddonfield....

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Lynda's house, also used during the opening credits of Mama's Family....

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Laurie spies the Shape hiding behind a bush...

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Annie goes home and Laurie is scared by Sheriff Brackett by his house...

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We move back to the Strode house, where it has apparently rained, and Laurie watches some trick or treaters next door...

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Ready for a night of babysitting, Laurie sits on the corner waiting for Annie. Fans who have visited this location know the owners are very gracious to fans and sit out a pumpkin for them to use in pictures.

UPDATE October 2013: After a special screening of Halloween next door, we stopped at the Strode house for some night shots...

UPDATE November 2013: After learning her sign has been stolen many times, I made her brand new ones!

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When Laurie looks right, she is actually looking up at the correct view...

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However, when she looks left, she is actually seeing 15 miles to the west to the corner of Genesee and DeLongpre in West Hollywood. The house on the corner is actually Dennis' house from John Carpenter's Christine and will appear later in the film....

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I love Laurie's waddle to Annie's car....

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Quick detour to the cemetery in Sierra Madre to find the gravestone is missing for..... Judith Myers. The grave for Sinclair is the easiest way to find this spot. (I updated this location with newer pics from a November 2013 visit.)

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Once they start driving, they are actually back in Alhambra...

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The pot is good for Annie's eyesight as she spots her dad in South Pasadena from driving in Alhambra....

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The hardware store....

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UPDATE October 2013: I have been looking for this next location for many years. The scene is the second half of the drive to the Doyle & Wallace houses and was shot by Debra Hill in the back of the car. Annie and Laurie discuss going to the dance, and Laurie says she would rather go with Ben Tramer. I knew this scene was shot on the last day of filming, so I assumed it would be around the South Pasadena area as that is where the last scene (and first scene in the film) was shot. I had only one house number 2015 to go by and I searched high and low for miles all around South Pasadena. Then one day I decided to check in Burbank, and there it was. I have been past this street so many times, it kills me that this missing location was right under my nose for so long!

The street still has an indented middle gutter and the houses still look the same. I actually visited the street at dusk, the same time of day they shot the scene. And even more importantly, I visited this location on October 31, 2013, 35-years since the release of the film, so this has probably been my most important Halloween visit yet. For fans, this road is Parkside Avenue in Burbank. She drives from South Parish Place to South Keystone Street, where she turns right and heads up to the light.

This route is used for both the car interiors as well as the exterior pan at the end of the scene. First up, here are some houses scene during the car interior shots...

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(The area right in front of her is the back of Walt Disney Studios)

And the pan of the street for the exterior shot....

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My first-ever attempt at a location video. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2UAKKY4VtM for a full-screen version....

And we're to our final locations for the film. We'll skip ahead a bit and start with the corner we saw a bit earlier in the film. Dr. Loomis spots the Smiths Grove station wagon on Genesee Avenue, the house behind him is the one we saw earlier, also used as Dennis' house in Christine. Near the end of the film, when he sees the two children running, he is back in front of that house, seemingly looking at the Doyle house, which is actually a few blocks over. Below are some shots of the house which you will see has been updated and re-landscaped over the years.

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To the left of that house is an area Dr. Loomis walks while looking for Michael....

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Next we'll stop by the Wallace house. It went under dramatic reconstruction in 2001 (see photo during my first visit), so there is not too much recognizable from 1978. This house recently showed up on Scandal along with the Doyle house across the street.

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The interiors of the Wallace house were shot a few houses up and across the street at this house...

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After discovering her dead friends, Laurie runs next door to this house, but they offer no help. Rumor has it that this house was used for the interiors of the Doyle house.

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(Rumor also has it this house next to the Doyle house was used as interiors as well.)

And finally, the Doyle residence, a fan favorite as it has hardly changed at all in the past thirty-five years. Although I go to LA many times a year, I stop by this house every time as part of my tradition, so you'll see quite a few weight changes over the years!