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Most of us have probably at some point wanted to explore the universe we’ve seen in a movie or TV show in real life. Sometimes it seems as if characters live in parallel realities and those movie locations don't exist in our world. Of course, with the help of special effects and editing, some locations look nothing like those in actual life. However, the places that do still seem magical when one sees them with their own eyes. 

Let us introduce you to Paul Slattery (or Paul S.), the man that revealed what houses, buildings, parks, and streets in popular movies and TV shows look like in real life today. He satisfies the curiosity of all movie fans by making incredible compilations of film locations then and now.

If you wonder where each picture was taken, the addresses for every single location are listed on Paul's website.

More info: Instagram | thennowmovielocations.com | Facebook

Bored Panda contacted Paul to learn more about this hobby of his. Paul introduced himself as a big movie nerd and it's impossible not to notice it looking at these comparison pictures. The man revealed that ever since he was a young child, he has loved movies and horror movies in particular.

"I always thought how fascinating it would be if I could ever visit where they happened, the exact places I've seen on the television screen countless times. So in 2001, when I was driving from Kentucky to California, I decided to take a detour while driving through Texas and track down a location from one of my favorite films, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It turned out to be an experience I'll never forget and well worth the 200-mile detour. It was around 2009 that I started visiting movie locations more frequently. As for the 'Now' images, they're all my own. I've personally traveled to every one of the locations I've posted a comparison photo to. I'd say I've visited well over 1000 locations."

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    #3

    Home Alone

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    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Watching American movies how many of you thought that the average American family had houses like this?

    TheVioletDragon
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And now in europe we live in a tiny apartment barely the size of our old downstairs. Five people, one dog and the occasional visitor. We don't nees as much space as we realized

    Nadya Raymond
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Seeing this house from eyes of another country I thought all Americans lived like tjis

    Big Blue Cat
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Anyone else think that the house is ugly big lump of bricks? No? That's totally fine, people have different aesthetics. But that's what I always thought when I was a kid. Not the size of the house but that it doesn't look like a home. I’ve dreamed of a big house, sure, but it doesn’t look like that monster. Loved the movie though.

    Don't Look
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    North of chicago. The property taxes alone are likely $10k a year.

    TheVioletDragon
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Haha, I lived in the US for many years and nobody had houses like this. Those who were lucky to live in a house like me had one about on ethird the size of this ome

    Rebekah Krause
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As JPkaiser2 Above stated it’s in Winnetka Illinois, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. I guess the fact that they were all taking a trip to Paris together for Christmas with the adults in first class should’ve been a clue what their social status was, even so on my trips to other countries people have literally asked about “home alone“ and if that kind of home was common!

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    Paul continued, "I launched my website in 2011 but with new social media platforms constantly becoming available, you're always looking for new ways to present what you do to more people who may have the same interests. My friend Gina actually suggested that I should start an Instagram account and she helped me kickstart it."

    Paul started visiting movie locations because they were something that had always intrigued him. "How neat would it be to stand in the exact same spot of one of your favorite scenes from one of your favorite movies you'd seen on the screen countless times? And since I couldn't be there when it was shot, I figured this was the next best thing."

    When Paul started documenting the locations he visited on his website, it was primarily for the purpose to store them and be able to look back at them, similar to a scrapbook. The man never started posting with the intent of becoming famous or gaining mass recognition. "Almost everyone collects something, whether it be baseball cards, comic books, vinyl records, etc. I collect movie locations and for me, it's all about the memories. Since it's not a physical possession, documenting all of the locations I've visited and looking back at them whenever I feel the need allows me to instantly remember that particular moment in time when I was there and the experience I had. I like to say that I collect memories, not things."

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    #6

    Back To The Future

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    They say you never forget your first and for Paul, the most memorable place he visited was the primary location from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) where the majority of the film was shot, in Round Rock, Texas.

    "To this day it's still my favorite location I've visited, for a multitude of reasons. It being one of my favorite movies was certainly a huge factor. But also the fact that I visited it in 2001 (only a couple of years after the house had been moved) and the area was still very similar to how it was seen in the film. At the time, there still weren't many online sources showing where movies or television shows were filmed."

    #8

    Back To The Future

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    #11

    Cast Away

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wish Paul S. would of let us know the general location of these. The Castaway crossroads above are in Canadian, TX

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    #12

    The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Roberto Clemente Playground at 1800 Wallace Street, in North Philadelphia, not West!

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    #18

    Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

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    Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

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    #31

    Back To The Future Part III

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    #32

    Honey I Blew Up The Kid

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    #37

    Poltergeist

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    Julia Atkinson
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I can't bring myself to watch it now knowing that the actresses who played the daughters died untimely deaths

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    #41

    A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

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    #51

    Hereditary

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This movie was great. The cemetery (which actually is a cemetery) is Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy, UT.

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    #52

    A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

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    Cujo

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    Kathryn Baylis
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not much changed, though trees are taller, and I think there might be a couple more houses.

    #56

    Halloween 6: The Curse Of Michael Myers

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    Children Of The Corn

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    Stephanie Finley
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While on a Roadtrip we stopped there and took photos recreating scenes!

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    #59

    Drive

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    Nicole A
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The movie is only 10 years old. How much did they expect concrete aqueducts to change in that time?

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    #63

    Con Air

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    Nazda Pokmov
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Nothing changed except all the props went back to the Prop Warehouse in Hollywood.

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