Forrest Gump Point, where Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) led a group of runners to in the film Forrest Gump

Where 10 iconic '90s movies were filmed

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April 27, 2022
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Where 10 iconic '90s movies were filmed

Much like the actors and script, the shooting locations behind some of the most memorable '90s movies are equally paramount to a film's enduring quality. Often, the backdrop and setting of a particular scene can drastically affect the ambience of a film in wild and unexpected ways. Few might recall the record-breaking hurricane that threatened the cast and crew of "Jurassic Park" while shooting in Hawaii or the ice-cold waters that afflicted Kate Winslet with hypothermia during the production of "Titanic."

Many of the locations you can still visit today, like the boyhood home in "Goodfellas," where the actual owner is used to fans stopping by to take photos. Other notable locales, like many of the iconic Los Angeles locations in "Pulp Fiction," are no longer standing due to changes in ownership or other unforeseeable circumstances鈥攆or example, one character's apartment was destroyed in a natural disaster in 1994.

From "Forrest Gump" to "The Matrix," made a list of locations from 10 iconic movies from the 1990s. and Metacritic scores are provided for popular and critical context. Keep reading to learn more behind-the-scenes stories about the places that made the movies.

Goodfellas (1990)

鈥嬧- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 145 minutes

The mob movie that launched the careers of several of our favorite 鈥淪opranos鈥 cast members 鈥攎ainly in Brooklyn and Queens. Film fans will be disappointed to learn that, out of all the 鈥淕oodfellas鈥 filming locations in Astoria, the only building still standing is Henry鈥檚 boyhood home, where the owner is accustomed to fans stopping by for a photo. The other still-standing iconic landmark is the bar where they had the Christmas party: Neir鈥檚 Tavern, which dubs itself 鈥渢he most famous bar you鈥檝e never heard of.鈥 It almost closed in 2019, but is still open and lined with 鈥淕oodfellas鈥 memorabilia.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

- Director: Jonathan Demme
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Metascore: 85
- Runtime: 118 minutes

This iconic thriller was , despite being set in Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. The mental hospital where Anthony Hopkins was interned was a real infirmary but was demolished in 2011 even though it was registered as a historic landmark.

Another highlight in the film 鈥淔lashdance鈥 fans will recognize is where Jodie Foster鈥檚 Clarice Starling meets the entomologist; the scene was filmed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the same place where Alexandra Owens (Jennifer Beals) applies for a dance audition in the 1983 film. But the best trivia nugget is that portions of the film were actually filmed at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where .

Jurassic Park (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 127 minutes

. The bulk of production, however, was under real threat鈥攏ot from dinosaurs but from Hurricane Iniki, the largest hurricane in the state鈥檚 history鈥攚hich wrecked several of the sets and terrified the cast and crew. Apparently, if they would be OK, to which he replied, 鈥淚 think we might die, Laura.鈥

Besides that, much of the film was shot on a soundstage in Los Angeles鈥攅xcept for a foray into Red Rock Canyon State Park in California鈥檚 Mojave Desert, which was meant to be a stand-in for a Wyoming paleontological dig. 鈥淛urassic Park鈥 marked Steven Spielberg鈥檚 return to the island, where he previously filmed 鈥淩aiders of the Lost Ark鈥 on Kauai in 1980.

Forrest Gump (1994)

- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 142 minutes

is, of course, the bench where he tells his life story to participants with varying degrees of interest. Originally located in Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia, it now resides in the Savannah History Museum, where it will live on as one of the most famous benches of all time.

Another filming location forever memorialized is a stretch of road on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It has since been renamed Forrest Gump Curve, despite Tom Hanks only running in the location for about five seconds. Film buffs may also recognize the hospital where Hanks鈥 character recuperates alongside Lt. Dan, which was filmed at the Ebell of Los Angeles and has also appeared in other notable films like 鈥淭he Addams Family,鈥 鈥淎ir Force One,鈥 and 鈥淕host.鈥

Pulp Fiction (1994)

- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- IMDb user rating: 8.9
- Metascore: 94
- Runtime: 154 minutes

Quentin Tarantino was thinking big when making 鈥淧ulp Fiction.鈥 Originally, the director wanted to close Lankershim Boulevard for filming鈥攕omething that was wildly implausible at the time. (Though, 25 years later, he was able to pull off closing Hollywood Boulevard for 鈥淥nce Upon a Time... in Hollywood.鈥) 鈥淧ulp Fiction鈥 was shot in more than 20 locations across a range of Los Angeles neighborhoods, from South Bay to the Valley鈥攎any of which are no longer standing. in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Hawthorne Grill, which was originally an abandoned diner, was briefly reopened due to the film鈥檚 popularity but is now the location of an AutoZone.

In a , the film鈥檚 set decorator, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, recalled scouting the diner: 鈥淚t had so many great elements to it and the fact that it looked like it was a functioning diner and it looked like something happened; [the owners] left everything in place and just walked out of it. There were napkins and place settings on the tables. It was really odd.鈥

Clueless (1995)

- Director: Amy Heckerling
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 97 minutes

True to its setting, 鈥淐lueless鈥 was filmed in and around Los Angeles . The hectic schedule contributed to Alicia Silverstone getting severe stomach ulcers brought on in part by stress from long days of filming, an illness that . The film is largely a portrait of Beverly Hills life in the 鈥90s, and sadly, the mall where Cher blows off steam is a relic of another era; it closed in 2019 and now mainly houses offices for Google. 鈥淐lueless鈥 was also supposed to have a quintessential California eatery in the film: The scene where Tai and Dionne talk about Cher鈥檚 virginity was set to take place at a California Pizza Kitchen, but , feeling the jokes would negatively impact how customers viewed their food.

Titanic (1997)

- Director: James Cameron
- IMDb user rating: 7.9
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 194 minutes

The set used in James Cameron鈥檚 epic drama was and was located not in the chilly waters of the Atlantic, but at Rosarito Beach, near Tijuana on the coast of Mexico. The production did, however, also go to great depths for the film鈥攏amely, to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to capture shots of the original ship itself over the course of 12 dives. Despite being filmed in Mexico, cast members had to spend time in a massive water tank filled with water from the freezing Pacific Ocean. The water was apparently so cold, Kate Winslet鈥攚ho didn鈥檛 want to wear a wet suit that might affect her performance鈥 during shooting.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

- Director: Gus Van Sant
- IMDb user rating: 8.3
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 126 minutes

Despite the film essentially being an advertisement for the city of Boston, due to financial constraints, . The University of Toronto stood in for Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, though some scenes were shot at the colleges, which was a lucky break. Harvard is notorious for not allowing films to be shot on campus, but the university to make an exception. Other films that are 鈥渟et鈥 at Harvard but weren鈥檛 actually filmed there include 鈥淟egally Blonde鈥 (which is set almost entirely at Harvard but was actually filmed at the University of Southern California) and 鈥淧rozac Nation,鈥 which was actually filmed at Wheaton College.

The Matrix (1999)

- Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
- IMDb user rating: 8.7
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 136 minutes

The location of 鈥淭he Matrix鈥 is never explicitly stated, which is on purpose. , over five months, the city鈥檚 landmarks were kept out of shots in order for the setting to appear like a generic yet futuristic American city. Much of the film was shot on custom-built sets at Fox Studios, but a great deal of scenes was also filmed on location in the city, which wasn鈥檛 easily ignored by Sydney residents. While they were filming the scene with the Woman in Red, a driver was distracted by the woman, and , damaging his car. Guess she didn鈥檛 distract only Neo.

 

Fight Club (1999)

- Director: David Fincher
- IMDb user rating: 8.8
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 139 minutes

on more than 1,500 rolls of film鈥攖hree times the average鈥攂ut one of the most infamous locations was the 1906 Bristol Hotel in downtown L.A., which stood in for Marla鈥檚 apartment. At the time, the area was considered to be less than desirable, and cinematographer after being struck on the head by a beer bottle thrown down by a resident. The hotel, which closed in 2003, has since been renovated and opened as affordable housing units.

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