Where “Halloween” was filmed
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
One of Halloween's greatest assets is its chilling autumnal atmosphere. With picturesque houses, sprawling lawns, and wide streets, John Carpenter's 1978 film feels as though it exists in any affluent suburb in the United States, which is part of why its terror feels so universal. Despite taking place in Haddonfield, Ill., Halloween was actually shot in California, primarily in South Pasadena and Hollywood, as well as a smattering of other nearby towns.
Here are the many places where Halloween was filmed nearly 50 years ago.
South Pasadena, Calif.
The majority of Halloween's daytime photography was shot in South Pasadena, Calif., just east of downtown Los Angeles and, predictably, south of Pasadena, the home of the Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade. The town makes a convincing stand-in for other areas of the country because its dense suburban trees help block out the L.A. sunshine — and there are several neighborhoods with very few palm trees to give away its coastal geography, which is a rarity in Southern California. However, since the film was shot over four weeks in the spring, the production team had to provide their own autumn leaves to scatter around each location.
The most iconic setting, the Myers house, lies at the heart of the town's charming Mission West Historic District. At the time of filming, the property required very little alteration to serve its purpose; built in the style of New England saltbox homes in the 19th century, it already had visible signs of wear when the location team stumbled upon it. Under threat of demolition in the years after Halloween, the house was transplanted down the street from its original location, so it now sits alone next to the Metro Gold Line train tracks. Though the structure itself is unmarked, there's a gallery out back where visitors can purchase Halloween-themed art pieces.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
Across the street from the Myers residence's current site lies the store where Michael acquires his mask and knife. In 1978, the blocky brick building was home to a frame shop that stood in for a hardware store; now, the building houses a couple of restaurants.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
A few blocks southeast, John Carpenter and co. shot the exterior of the Strode home, where Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) begins her neighborhood strolls. The house was chosen due to the convenience of its proximity to the other South Pasadena locations. The most recent homeowners are aware of the house's pop culture history — they have a small commemorative sign explaining the spot's role in the movie and even offer a few prop pumpkins so visitors can recreate the image of Laurie sitting in the yard as she waits for Annie (Nancy Kyes) to pick her up. The property was listed for sale in September 2023 for $1.8 million, meaning a lucky (and loaded) fan could soon call the Strode house home.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
Most of the scenes where the characters walk around Haddonfield were also filmed in the residential areas of South Pasadena, including the chilling shot where Michael disappears behind a large hedge near Annie's house. The greenery now bears a sign that says "Welcome to Haddonfield." These walking sequences have a creepy sense of isolation, as they never include any passers-by; since the film was made on a tight budget of around $300,000, barely any extras appear.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
Hollywood, Calif.
The two most important locations in the movie, however, were filmed on Orange Grove Avenue in West Hollywood, just north of Sunset Boulevard. These are the homes of Tommy Doyle (Brian Andrews) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), where most of Halloween's nighttime scenes take place. Two houses across the street from one another serve as the exteriors for the Doyle and Wallace homes, while two other properties on the same block were used for interior shots. The inside of the Strode residence was also filmed at a house on the same street. Despite looking massive in person, the production team stated that they didn't intend for the estates to communicate outlandish affluence — they just needed large sets so they could fit the crew and their equipment inside.
Additionally, the nighttime scene where Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens) drive toward the Smith's Grove sanitarium was filmed in the Hollywood Hills, though the facility's exterior was shot in Altadena, Calif.
Alhambra, Calif.
For the scene where Tommy Doyle drops his pumpkin while Michael Myers observes him at school, the production team used Garfield Elementary in Alhambra, Calif., just a few minutes away from the South Pasadena locations. The school's chain link fence has since been replaced with more robust metal bars, plus a new playground where the grassy courtyard once stood. Its lack of indoor hallways is one of the few visual clues that the movie was filmed in California — Illinois kids wouldn't walk from classroom to classroom in the snow — but it nonetheless adds to the overall tension, as it makes the setting feel more vulnerable to unwelcome outside visitors.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
Sierra Madre, Calif.
Upon his arrival at Haddonfield, Dr. Loomis visits a cemetery to discover that Michael's sister's grave has been desecrated. This scene was filmed at the Sierra Madre Pioneer Cemetery just east of Pasadena. The long-take sequence follows Loomis and a companion from the edge of the graveyard to the center, where they stop in front of a large tombstone that reads "Sinclair" — the resting place of John and Minnesota Sinclair, which is still easy to find today.
Compass International Pictures
Wesley Stenzel
City of Industry, Calif.
In a very brief scene, Dr. Loomis makes a call at a phone booth 73 miles outside of Haddonfield and finds an abandoned truck. With rolling hills and no major buildings in sight, the location certainly looks distant from the rest of the film's locations — but it's actually only a mere 23 miles away from South Pasadena.
Related content:
