We all have, at one point or the other, been intrigued by movie locations only seen on big screens. At times, it feels like those locations are not real or at least not part of this world. One man went on an expedition to figure out just that satisfying our curious minds.
Let’s take a look at what Paul found out on his quest.
Credit: thennowmovielocations.com
1. Stand By Me
The bridge is located in Burney, CA.
“To this day it’s still my favorite location I’ve visited, for a multitude of reasons. It being one of my favorite movies was certainly a huge factor. But also the fact that I visited it in 2001 (only a couple of years after the house had been moved) and the area was still very similar to how it was seen in the film. At the time, there still weren’t many online sources showing where movies or television shows were filmed.”
2. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
3. Big Trouble In Little China
4. Back To The Future
He continued, “I always thought how fascinating it would be if I could ever visit where they happened, the exact places I’ve seen on the television screen countless times. So in 2001, when I was driving from Kentucky to California, I decided to take a detour while driving through Texas and track down a location from one of my favorite films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It turned out to be an experience I’ll never forget and well worth the 200-mile detour. It was around 2009 that I started visiting movie locations more frequently. As for the ‘Now’ images, they’re all my own. I’ve personally traveled to every one of the locations I’ve posted a comparison photo to. I’d say I’ve visited well over 1000 locations.”
5. Disturbia
6. Night Of The Comet
7. Cat’s Eye
8. Back To The Future
Paul became intrigued after he started visiting movie locations. “How neat would it be to stand in the exact same spot of one of your favorite scenes from one of your favorite movies you’d seen on the screen countless times? And since I couldn’t be there when it was shot, I figured this was the next best thing.”
9. Halloween II
10. Back To The Future
11. Jaws
When Paul started documenting the locations he visited on his website, it was primarily for the purpose to store them and be able to look back at them, similar to a scrapbook. The man never started posting with the intent of becoming famous or gaining mass recognition. “Almost everyone collects something, whether it be baseball cards, comic books, vinyl records, etc. I collect movie locations and for me, it’s all about the memories. Since it’s not a physical possession, documenting all of the locations I’ve visited and looking back at them whenever I feel the need allows me to instantly remember that particular moment in time when I was there and the experience I had. I like to say that I collect memories, not things.”
12. Home Alone
13. Rocky
14. Married With Children
15. Cast Away
16. Star Trek: The Original Series
17. Forrest Gump
18. Fright Night Part 2
19. The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
Roberto Clemente Playground at 1800 Wallace Street, in North Philadelphia
Isn’t it fascinating when you look at these pictures? To see movie sets on screen and off screen is an entirely different experience. We have Paul to thank for it. Some of these remain intact as they were seen in their respective movies, some have changed with time. Nonetheless, they are giving us major nostalgia.
