"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is one of my favorite films and I was wondering if anyone knew where I may find out exactly in what town the movie was filmed. Please reply if you can help me, thanks..

A good deal of the film down in movie back lots in Los Angeles.

Was any of the town real? I'd really like to know what town it was replicating, if so..

According to the commentaries on the Laserdisc version of the film, the whole town was constructed on a movie lot. Bradbury says he became very attached to it, and was sad when it all had to be taken down.

Unusually for a film, many of the indoor scenes were filmed inside the actual buildings made for the film. In other words, those were not just facades.

- Phil

[This message has been edited by philnic (edited 05-11-2004).]

I thought it was mostly done at Main Street, USA, at Disneyland, based on Walt Disney's hometown. I understood the big thing was that the town was ALREADY built and they'd save on sets.

Why, oh why is that commentary not on the DVD? GRRRR!!!

Following dandelion's message (above), I went back to listen to the commentary again. Here is what Ray says:

"The town square in the film was built from the bottom up. It was on the backlot. It existed for ten years, was finally torn down. But you can imagine the feeling I had the first day I came out to the studio and walked into the middle of my own home town where I had been as a child... It was a beautiful piece of work, and I regretted it terribly when it finally disappeared."

On first listen, I had assumed Ray was saying it was built from the bottom up SPECIFICALLY for Something Wicked. However, I can see that what he actually says is consistent with what dandelion says. It would be interesting to know if anyone has spotted the same town square being used in any other movies, either from before or after Something Wicked.

I have double-checked the other things from my earlier post, and can confirm that many of the interior shots were filmed inside the actual buildings. The interior of the library was built on a sound stage, as was the interior of the school. And both the interiors AND exteriors of the boys' houses were alo built on a sound stage. They effectively built two complete houses, complete with bedrooms, parlours, etc inside a soundstage!

- Phil

philnic:
The set was used in other film projects....think I knew which one years ago...but have since forgotten. But it was used in other projects, that's for sure....

Ooopps! There's that Harry Potter again...

And that line, "Something Wicked This Way Comes"... is not only used in the trailer of the new Harry Potter movie... but blazes across the top of a full page ad for the movie in today's Chicago Tribune.