One film- and TV-loving enthusiast has taken hundreds of photos of television and movie locations. He then compares the images with what they looked like on the silverscreen. Steve Peterson stated that he enjoys hunting for the right spots. His friends and families love seeing the comparison photos he posts to his Instagram @hollywood_irl account. His travels have taken him to Los Angeles (Chicago), San Francisco (San Francisco), Atlanta, Hawaii and Wilmington in North Carolina to trace the paths of his favorite actors. Although some locations are quite different from others, most of them look the same. Check out the film compared to real-life.
The twinkling Home Alone house where the McCallister family dwelled in the John Hughes classic is supposed to be located just outside of Chicago.
Steve captured the photograph in Winnetka in 2017. Steve stated that he was disappointed by the fact that it was “under construction” and featured a fence blocking view and security cameras.
Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia is famous for its bus stop benches scenes in Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks is the actor playing Forrest Gump and a feather falls at the foot of the bench in the first shot.
Actually, the bench Tom Hanks used to sit on was a prop from a film and has been restored in Savannah History Museum. However, the bench remains a favorite spot for photography. Steve captured this photo in July 2017.
American Horror Story: Murder House aired in 2011. It follows the Harmon family as they move from Boston into a restored house in Los Angeles. They are unaware of the haunting presence of the ghosts and victims who once lived there.
Steve captured a picture of the mansion during his 2020 trip to Los Angeles. It looks much more inviting in person with its well-maintained gardens and clever brickwork.
This Los Angeles house is immediately recognized by fans of the Back to the Future trilogy as Marty McFly’s home. He actually lived in Hill Valley California.
The home is nearly identical to that seen in the movie except for minor improvements to the front and windows.
An image from the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) shows Berlin’s Zeppelin Port Exterior.
Treasure Island Museum, San Francisco is where the actual zeppelin port was located. Film was digitally enhanced with the addition of signs, cars, flags, and towers. This photo was taken in 2018.
The property from the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, located at the fictional address of 1428 Elm Street in the fictitious town of Ohio.
It is actually a private house located in Los Angeles at 1428 North Genesee Avenue. Steve shot the photo above in 2016.
A still from the 1990 dark fantasy film Edward Scissorhands shows the retro-styled Southgate Shopping Center in Florida, where several scenes were filmed.
While the original design remains unchanged, there have been a few new vendors, including a Japanese restaurant and a sake bar. This photo was taken August 2017.
Michael Myers’s haunted house in Halloween (1978), which was shot in Haddonfield (Illinois).
Actually, the Halloween house can be found in South Pasadena. Steve stated that he discovered the location of Halloween in South Pasadena, California when he went to film it. Since its debut, the house has had a new coat of paint.
Pictured: The facade of Matthews’ home in a still taken from Boy Meets World (1990s). Boy Meets World used the house for exterior shots, and the remainder of the filming was carried out in the studio.
Here is what the house looked at July 2017 with more mature trees and shrubs in the yard. Although the show was set in Philadelphia’s suburbs, this house is in Studio City in California.
Screen capture of Pee-Wee’s colourful home in the adventure comedy Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985).
The house, which is located at 1846 Oxley Street in Arcadia, California, as pictured in September 2016. You can see the muted colors and it is much more vibrant in person.
A still from the 2001 science fiction film Donnie Darko showing the grand home of motivational speaker Jim Cunningham.
Donnie Darko was set in 1988 in Middlesex, Virginia, but was filmed entirely around Los Angeles. Photographed in April 2017 at Cunningham’s house, with no noticeable changes. You can find the mock-Tudor house at 4252 Country Club Drive, Long Beach.
Exterior shot of Randy’s Donuts Building as seen in Iron Man 2. Tony Stark is seen reclined in the hole for the donut.
Although the scene in Iron Man 2 cut to show characters eating inside Randy’s Donuts, this outlet in Inglewood, California, doesn’t have seating and is in fact a drive-thru. The image was taken September 2018.
In 1992’s Home Alone 2, Kevin visited Duncan’s Toy Chest. The filming location, however, was Chicago.
Pictured: The building that Duncan’s Toy Chest was created in Chicago by set designers. The Rookery Building is a landmark at 209 South LaSalle Street. Steve visited this spot May 2017.
A view of Molly Ringwald’s house from the classic 1984 John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles.
Sixteen Candles House in Evanston (IL), pictured May 2017, with the ivy removed.
Andie Walsh’s home, played by Molly Ringwald. Although the film was shot in Chicago, it was filmed in Los Angeles.
Steve visited Pasadena’s Pretty in Pink residence in September 2016. This showed that the surrounding garden was more mature.
Exterior shot of Scranton Business Park as seen in The Office’s U.S. edition.
The building as it looked in September 2016. The TV show is set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, but all of the filming actually took place within the Chandler Valley Center Studios, which is located in Panorama City, California.
Scene from American Pie, 1999. Jason Biggs plays Jim Levenstein in the scene. Filming was done in Los Angeles, though the movie was shot in East Great Falls (Michigan).
The Levenstein house pictured in September 2016 looking pretty much the same except for a repainted front door. It is situated in Long Beach.
A train zooms past downtown Los Angeles thanks to clever special effects in Inception, the science-fiction film of 2010.
Steve visited Inception in September 2016, when he was able to visit the scene. It’s located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles at South Spring Street.