Midnight in the Garden of Evil: "Halloween" Film Locations

The house that was used as Michael Myer's house for John Carpenter's 1978 classic horror film "Halloween", starring Jamie Lee Curtis as babysitter Laurie Strode, is 10 minutes from where I work. I went for a visit this week, but first let me tell you about the house that was used for the Strode's house, because it is the most fun to visit.

The house at 1115 Oxley Street, South Pasadena, CA, sits on a corner and has a garage/apartment addition added to the back:

Here is the view from the corner. The house is kind of obsured by a big tree that hangs over the sidewalk. But take note of those low columns by the sidewalk, they come into play later.

As you walk along one side, under that tree, you see an open porch. With pumpkins. And a sign.

So you sneak up to take a closer look at the sign:

And the sign says: "YES this is the scene with Jamie Lee Curtis from the 1978 Halloween. You may borrow the pumpkin. Have a good time." There is also a photo of Jamie Lee holding a pumpkin while sitting one of the low columns near the sidewalk. It's an more panoramic version of this photo:

So I did what any sensible person would do, and took a pumpkin to the column to have my picture taken.

Hats off to the homeowner for accomodating fans in this manner! 33 years of horror fans stalking the house, and he still cares enough to set out pumpkins. (I don't really know how long the current owner has lived there, but I do know that he is an author of books for young adults.)

Now on to Michael Myers' house. Here's how the circa 1888 house looked in the movie:

Here's how it looks today:

It is now called The Century House, and is protected as a cultural landmark.

It now serves as an office building, mainly for several financial firms. I didn't feel like I'd be welcomed to open the door to take interior pictures, so I didn't.

The house was about to be torn down to make way for a new development, when someone bought it for a dollar and had it moved a block or so to 1000 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA. The full story can be read on this site.The new location is at an intersection and just a few yards behind the Metrolink railroad tracks. It doesn't have the best view, but with the train station just diagonally across the street, the occupants can come to work by train. That train station (Called "Mission") also makes it a quick and easy stop for sightsee-ers who come by train from Los Angeles.

Also at this same intersection is the brick building that was a hardware store in the movie. It's now a restaurant.

The fictional Haddonfield High School from the movie is actually South Pasadena High School:

Rob Zombie re-made "Halloween" in 2007 and used a different house for the Myer house. This house is on a street just behind the train station. It's got signs in the windows saying that it is state property and no trespassing allowed, but I took a look in the window anyway.

As you can see, it looks nice, with modern paint schemes. This house was also used for "My So-Called Life".
Perhaps this house was not spooky enough, or perhaps the John Carpenter version of the film resonnated more, but it's the first Myers house that continues to receive the most attention. Someone even made a cake of the first Michael Myers house. Here it is, complete with Michael hiding: