WHERE DID THEY SHOOT THAT MONSTER MOVIE?

In the film and TV industries, location shooting is the term used when filming one or more scenes in a natural setting as opposed to that of a soundstage or other studio-controlled environment. Locations may include local and national parks and other natural settings, as well as man-made cities and structures such as office buildings and private homes.

The main advantages of location shooting are its cost-effectiveness and realism. While films of the 1930s and 1940s re-purposed sets from other productions (ex. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA set from Universal's Stage 28 used for several more films and the Inca temple in James Whale's 1940 jungle adventure GREEN HELL, used one year later for an Egyptian temple in THE MUMMY'S HAND), location shooting was employed when a more natural and authentic visual was called for and was generally less expensive than modifying and rebuilding studio sets.

One of the most unique natural landscapes used by Hollywood cinematographers is Vasquez Rocks. Located at 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Santa Clarita, CA near the city of Agua Dulce, Vasquez Natural Area and Nature Center has been used as a filming location since the 1930s.

Following are three Universal horror pictures that incorporated location shooting as a part of their production.

DRACULA (1931)

The famed cinematographer and director Karl Freund was behind the camera for the Tod Browning-directed DRACULA. In the opening scene, we see the coach wending its way towards a village to drop off its passengers.

The first three images show a combination location and matte shot. The rocks in the foreground are from a spot at Vasquez Rocks. The atmospheric background is a matte painting.

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This shot inside the coach (likely done on a Universal soundstage) shows the passengers inside, including Renfield, played by Dwight Frye. The woman shown second to the right is Carl Laemmle's niece, 21 year old Carla Laemmle, who speaks the first words of dialogue in the film.

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I consider myself very fortunate to have met Miss Laemmle. She was quite frail at the time and would pass away not long afterward on June 12, 2014 in Los Angeles at the age of 104. After my visit, I couldn't believe that I had just talked with the woman who had spoken the first lines in DRACULA!

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Images 6 and 7 are of the coach on its way through Borgo Pass. They are both combination location shots and matte paintings. Image 6 was only seen in the Spanish language version of DRACULA.

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FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

The mountainous and rocky landscape seen during the climax of James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN was built on a massive soundstage in Universal's Stage 12. While the scene was not shot on location, it is reported that the design was influenced by the environs of Vasquez Rocks. One shot in particular has been referred to as being directly inspired by a specific locale (see images 11-12).

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WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)

Vasquez Rocks was used extensively in the opening scene of this film for Dr. Glendon's (Henry Hull) Tibetan camp and the lair of the werewolf.

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NOTE: The subject of film locations will continue as an occasional feature on this blog. Several of what I believe to be reputable online and print sources were used to collect information for the details contained here. Since production or promotional stills don't often clearly depict location shots, screen grabs will often be used to better illustrate the topic.