Friday, December 12, 2014

Of Unknown Origin (1983)

I am currently reading the book They Came From Within: A History Of Canadian Horror Cinema by Caelum Vatnsdal, so I've been on a bit of a Canadian horror kick lately.  I've already covered locations for several of the films mentioned in the book, including Black Christmas (1974), The Gate (1986), Killer Party (1986), Happy Birthday To Me (1981), Ghostkeeper (1982), Prom Night (1980), Night Of The Demons 3 (1997), and My Little Eye (2002), but now I can add one more to the list...






Of Unknown Origin (1983) is a modern spin on Moby Dick, featuring a man (Peter Weller) and a rat squaring off in a New York City brownstone.  In the movie, Montreal, Quebec fills in for New York City. 



Place Ville Marie
Place Ville Marie
Place Ville Marie
Place Ville Marie



According to the book They Came From Within, the office building where Peter Weller's character works was the Alcan Aluminum company office.  Since it was a functioning business, the Of Unknown Origin crew were only allowed to film there on Sundays.  The current Alcan Aluminum office in Montreal is located at 1188 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, just around the corner from the brownstone featured in the movie.  However, the exterior featured in the movie appears to be the Place Ville Marie, formerly the Royal Bank Tower. 
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Coordinates: 45.501128, -73.568303 (Office Exterior)
Visible on Street View: Yes
Links:



Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion
Drummond mansion replica



It was difficult for the crew to find a brownstone location for filming in Montreal.  They ended up finding the beautiful Drummond mansion, a red sandstone Victorian mansion built in 1891.  In the early 1900s, it was the family home of Huntley Redpath Drummond.  Shortly prior to the filming of Of Unknown Origin, it had been an ex-drug rehab house.  The house had fallen into disrepair, and by 1990 was considered uninhabitable.  Around 2007, the house was fully restored, and appears to be on the market for $3.3 million.  In the film, Peter Weller's character has a miniature replica of the house in his basement, which gets destroyed during the big finale. 
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Coordinates: 45.500675, -73.578825
Visible on Street View: Yes
Links:

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Giver (2014)

Haven't done a post in a long time, figured I might throw one together really quick.




I watched The Giver (2014) this afternoon.  A majority of the movie was filmed in South Africa, the notable exception being the film's final scene...



Brighton, Utah
Brighton, Utah
Brighton, Utah
Brighton, Utah



The cabin from the ending of The Giver is located in Brighton, Utah, just east of Salt Lake City.  In reality, the cabin is a vacation rental, situated between a lake and a ski resort (Silver Lake and The Brighton Ski Resort, respectively), so you could even spend a weekend there if you're so inclined.  The vacation rental listing even mentions that it was featured in The Giver as a selling point. You can see pictures of the property, including the stunning interiors, in the listing link below. 
Location: Brighton, UT
Coordinates: 40.601707, -111.587743
Visible on Street View: No
Links: