Today marks the 30th anniversary of Wes Craven’s Shocker, released on October 27, 1989. Five years after A Nightmare On Elm Street, Craven attempted to create a new Freddy franchise with Horace Pinker. Instead of the dreamworld, Pinker travels through electronic transmissions, bodies and eventually into television programs. The film wasn’t a hit with critics or fans, so any attempts at a new franchise were quickly dashed. Be sure to check out my article on Shocker for Horror's Hallowed Grounds in this month’s HorrorHound magazine!
The film opens with Jonathan Parker at football practice, shot at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium, 1100 North Grand Avenue in Walnut, California. Since filming, the stadium has undergone major renovation
After practice, Jonathan and Alison are teleported 40 miles west as they walk home past the former site of the Sam Levy Department Store, located at 1311 Sartori Avenue in Torrance, California.This spot is just a few blocks from Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s house.
The pair teleports again to South Pasadena [03] as Jonathan finds himself in front of his family’s house at 2012 LeDroit Drive. This house is just a block over from the iconic scene where Michael Myers hides behind the bush in Halloween.
After the family funeral, Jonathan and his dad meet at the bar, located at 2907 Main Street in Santa Monica.
Pinker has been hiding out at the Dewey Hotel, which still exists as apartments at 721 South Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
Jonathan’s house is at 1720 Oxley Street in South Pasadena. Oxley Street is also home to Laurie Strode in Halloween, just six blocks away.
Although on the DVD commentary Craven claims Alison’s funeral was shot at the same one used in Elm Street, it was filmed at Inglewood Park Cemetery at 720 East Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California. This cemetery is home to several famous people including Ray Charles, Betty Grable, Cesar Romero, Johnnie Cochran, and Robert Kardashian.
Using his psychic connection to Pinker, Jonathan tracks down the next murder to the apartments located at 1223 El Prado Avenue in Torrance. In the movie, the street signs show this at the corner of Maddalena and Wagner, a nod to Marianne and Bruce respectively.
After surviving the electric chair, Horace jumps into a civilian’s body and quickly causes a cop car to crash into a convenient gasoline truck. Located at Hansen Dam Park, this exact spot was used in Halloween II where Dr. Loomis forces the deputy to turn the car around.
Now in the body of a police officer, Pinker shows up at Jonathan’s home, chasing him through the alleys behind his house.
The chase continues a couple blocks north in Garfield Park at 1000 Park Avenue in South Pasadena
The chase moves 10 miles southeast to Legg Lake Park, located at 750 Santa Anita Avenue in South El Monte, California.
We return to Jonathan’s house…
When Pinker jumps into Lt. Parker’s body, he chases Jonathan to the television station. Located in the heart of Hollywood, this is the back alley for the Jimmy Kimmel Show and the El Capitan Theatre at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard.
And finally some behind-the-scenes shots. Although this attempted Krueger re-invention didn’t hit the mark for audiences, Craven would be much more successful in rejuvenating his original film with New Nightmare just five years later.
