A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

 

Springwood, Ohio seems like a peaceful town.  But like every town, it has its secrets.  Fred Krueger was a child killer who was burned alive by the victims' parents after he was released on a technicality.  Now the teenagers on Elm Street are having nightmares of the crispy creeper, who dons a green and red sweater and has made a glove out of blades.  After some of her friends are killed by Fred in their dreams, Nancy Thompson makes it her mission to take him down.

Director Wes Craven delivers a horror masterpiece at a time when the genre was in a downturn.  A Nightmare on Elm Street was praised by critics and made a killing at the box office.  Freddy Krueger joined the ranks of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees as a horror icon, being at his most chilling in the first installment.  Craven drew on personal accounts for the film, including naming the villain after a school bully.  Teenagers being killed in their dreams was a frightening alternative to the usual slice and dice fanfare.  Several sequels were released before the decade's end, with Freddy meeting his ultimate demise in 1991.  The franchise had beautiful poster artwork and a haunting score.  Wes Craven would later help revive the horror genre as the director of Scream (1996).

Location: The Boiler Room 

Address: 421 N. Ave 19, Los Angeles, CA

Lincoln Heights Jail

For some great interior shots, check out Then & Now Movie Locations

Location: The Alley

Address: Milwood Court & Electric Court, Venice, CA

Location: Springwood High School Exterior

Address: 3939 Tracy Street, Los Angeles, CA

John Marshall High School

Location: Tina's House

Address: 620 Millwood Avenue, Venice, CA

Location: 5th Precinct Police Department Exterior

Address: 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Nancy Walks to School

Address: 1622 Glyndon Avenue, Venice, CA

Location: Rod's Arrested

Address: Glyndon Avenue & Morningside Way, Venice, CA

Location: The Cemetery

Address: 204 N Evergreen Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Evergreen Cemetery

Location: The Katja Sleep Institute

Address: 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA

American Jewish University

Location: The Bridge

Address: Linnie Canal Court, Venice, CA

Court C

Location: Glen's House

Address: 1419 N Genesee Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Location: Nancy's House

Address: 1428 N Genesee Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

2003

2023

Related Locations:

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985); A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors; A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

Locations Visited: April 2003, June 2023, June 2024

Locations Master List

Desperate Housewives (2004-2012)

Wisteria Lane seems like the idyllic street to live on with its beautiful houses, well-manicured lawns and eternal sunshine.  But beneath the surface is an endless parade of mysteries, secrets and lies.  The intrigue kicks off with the suicide of Mary Alice Young after she receives a threatening note.  Her friends Susan Mayer, Bree Van de Camp, Lynette Scavo and Gabrielle Solis deal with the aftermath as well as their own issues of divorce, infidelity and motherhood.  Subsequent seasons typically involved a new neighbor moving onto the lane and the mystery surrounding them.  

Desperate Housewives was a smash hit upon its debut as viewers and critics were in unison.  Created by Marc Cherry, who was a writer and producer on The Golden Girls (1985-1992) and later created The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (1994-1995), the series was pop culture phenomenon and was nominated for several awards.  Unfortunately the show peaked early and none of the seasons seemed to live up to the first one.  There were some highlights however, like the tornado episode and Carolyn Bigsby's supermarket shootout.  

Location: Wisteria Lane
Address: Universal Studios - Colonial Street, Universal City, CA

Universal Studios Hollywood's Colonial Street backlot is one of the busiest in the entertainment industry.  Portraying Anywhere, USA, it is constantly being used for movies, television series and commercials.  Unfortunately for filming location enthusiasts, it is often off limits on the backlot tour because of its high demand.  During my last five trips to Universal, I was unable to see the houses, spotting the dreaded orange cone coming up the hill from Amity Island.  Fortunately, my desperation subsided over the summer and was finally able to take a ride down the street.  These aren't exactly matched up since they were taken from the tram...

The Young House

1999

2024

This was also The Cleaver House from Leave It Beaver (1997).

Susan Mayer's House

The Van De Kamp House

The Solis House

The Scavo House

Edie Britt's House

This was later Renee Perry's House...

Mike Delfino's House

This was also Katherine Mayfair's House...

Mrs. Huber's House

Karen McClusky's House

Betty Applewhite's House

This was later Bob Hunter & Lee McDermott's House...

Location: John Rowland's House
Address: Universal Studios - Elm Street, Universal City, CA

One house that is not on Colonial Street is where a gardener who tends to all the bushes resides.  The studio tour trams are too big to go down Elm Street, another residential backlot street, so this area is not generally seen by the public...

Locations Visited: January 1999, June 2024

Locations Master List