Where was Invasion of the Body Snatchers filmed?
1978
City Locations
Northern California: San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill, Filbert Steps, Transamerica Pyramid
Location Types
American, House, Hospitals/Medical, Buildings/Offices, NatureScapes
Location Styles
Americana/Anywhere America, Cubicles, Factory/Manufacturing, Federal Building
About Invasion of the Body Snatchers
In the opening Invasion of the Body Snatchers film scene, a group of creatures leaves their planet and moves to Earth. Upon their arrival, they disguise themselves as tiny pods adorned with rose-hued flowers. Elizabeth Driscoll is enchanted by the flowers and brings one home with her. The following morning, she notices her boyfriend Geoffrey is acting very strangely.
Her colleague Matthew tells her to stop by to see David Kibner, a psychiatrist who is in town to promote his new book. Elizabeth and Matthew travel to the bookstore, and en route, they are stopped by a hysterical pedestrian who tells them danger is ahead. The pedestrian is chased by a mob and killed in a hit-and-run.
Jack Bellicec makes a call to Matthew, asking him to come to investigate a body found in his home that resembles him. Matthew tries to warn Elizabeth and is shocked to discover a partially formed duplicate of her. Matthew is able to successfully rescue Elizabeth and calls the police.
Elizabeth suspects the flowers are involved. She studies the bloom for clues. A few acquaintances share that they have also been duplicated, and Matthew and his other friend nearly suffer the same fate as they slumber that evening. Matthew again phones the authorities but soon realizes that the police force has also been duplicated.
Matthew kills his clone and escapes. The Pod People chase after Matthew and his friends. The duplicates begin to scream when in the presence of a human. Jack and Nancy distract the Pod People, allowing Matthew and Elizabeth to escape.
Matthew and Elizabeth hide in the health department, taking a hefty dosage of speed to keep from falling asleep. Duplicates of Jack and Kibner attack them and inject them with sedatives. The speed in Matthew’s system allows him to flee with Elizabeth. He murders Jack’s duplicate and traps Kibner’s in a refrigerated locker.
Matthew and Elizabeth find Nancy who has discovered that hiding her feelings puts her under the radar of the Pod People. This works well until Elizabeth sees a dog-human duplicate and screams in horror. Matthew and Elizabeth find passage on a truck taking plants to Pier 70.
Matthew tells Elizabeth he loves her and fights to keep her awake. Music in the area distracts him, and the two notice it is coming from a nearby ship that contains pods packed for traveling overseas. Elizabeth drifts off to sleep and is duplicated. Matthew runs from her duplicate into a warehouse where he destroys the building in a fire. Many plants and Pod People are killed.
Matthew goes back to work with the duplicates. He heads towards City Hall and comes across Nancy. She smiles and calls to him. Matthew points in her direction and screams the unique Pod sound, signaling to Nancy that she is now the only human in a world full of Pod People.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers Locations
Filmed in 1978 in the United States, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a cult classic horror movie that is beloved by many. With an all-star cast that includes such actors as Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Brooke Adams, and Donald Sutherland, the film version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was produced by Walter Wagner based on a novel by Jack Finney that was published in 1955.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers was released during Christmas in 1978. It was an instant commercial success, earning almost $25 million in revenue. However, the critics had mixed feelings about this remake.
The primary filming locations for Invasion of the Body Snatchers are found in California and include such well-known attractions as the Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill, Filbert Steps, and Transamerica Pyramid. Many of the best scenes from Invasions of the Body Snatchers were filmed in San Francisco and the surrounding areas.
Love watching classic horror films? If so, why not plan a trip to visit the filming locations for Invasion of the Body Snatchers? You’re sure to have a blast!
Fun Fact:
The 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a remake of the original that was filmed and released in 1956.
Matthew and Elizabeth are warned of danger scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Eddy & Leavenworth Streets, The Tenderloin, San Francisco, California, USA
In this Invasion of the Body Snatchers scene, Matthew and Elizabeth are in a car en route to Dr. Kibner’s book presentation. Matthew shares a humorous story with Elizabeth, asking her if she has heard it before. He gets partway through before she laughs and says yes, she has heard it previously. He chuckles and asks if she would like to hear it again.
Suddenly, a man heads straight for the windshield of Matthew’s car, causing him to hit the brakes to avoid hitting him. The man is screaming, “Help! Help! They’re coming. They’re coming. Help! Help! They’re coming. They’re coming! Listen to me, listen. Please, please. You’re next. You’re in danger! Please listen to me. Something terrible. You’re next. They’re already here! You’re next! They’re coming!”
Having warned them, the pedestrian runs in the opposite direction of the vehicle and is hit and killed by a car.
There are many public transportation options with routes that can take you right to the film shoot spot. You can board bus lines 14R, 31, 38, or 38 R or take the train route LTD f. BART service lines green, red, and yellow offer routes with stops near this destination. You can also take Light Rail lines M or N.
Matthew is called to look at Jack’s duplicate scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Clement Street, San Francisco, CA
Jack and Nancy are at his apartment, and Jack is visibly rattled. Blood is coming from his nose, and he is quite agitated. He hears a knock at the door and calls out, “Who is it? Who is it?" Nancy goes to the door and tells him it is Matthew. They let Matthew into the apartment. The following conversation takes place between the three characters.
Nancy: Jack, would you let him look at it?
Matthew: You found a body.
Nancy: Would you let him look at it? I thought it was Jack.
Matthew: Is that him?
Jack: Yeah.
Matthew: What kind of joke is this?
Jack: It’s no joke.
Jack pulls back the sheet to reveal a partially formed human body.
Nancy: What is it? What the h*ll is it?
Matthew: Keep calm, Nancy. Keep calm.
Nancy: Is it contagious?
Matthew: Did any of your customers see this?
Nancy: No.
Jack: It would ruin us. That’s all we would need.
This particular Invasion of the Body Snatchers production location was constructed in an old storefront on Clement Avenue. To visit the site where this scene was filmed, you can take bus lines 1, 18, 38R.
Elizabeth’s double disappears scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
720 Steiner Street, Hayes Valley, San Francisco, California, USA
Back at this apartment, Matthew tries to show Jack and a police officer the remains of Elizabeth’s double. The two men enter the apartment and go out into the garden where Matthew indicates the double is laying. They point out that all that is there are some leaves and a pot. The double has disappeared.
Matthew: It was there, David. I swear to G*d it was there. Officer, there was a body in there. There was a duplicate of Elizabeth Driscoll, and it’s been taken away.
Police officer: Elizabeth Driscoll is a missing woman.
Matthew: No, no, she’s not missing.
Police officer: Where is she?
David: She’s okay. She’s at Matthew’s.
Matthew: Don’t tell them where she is!
Police officer: Then there’s no missing body?
Matthew: There is a missing body, and he’s taken it away!
To get to the site of this Invasion of the Body Snatchers action scene, take bus line 22 or the BART routes green or yellow.
Elizabeth pushes to get the flowers tested at the lab scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Department of Public Health, 101 Grove Street, Civic Center District, San Francisco
Elizabeth is in the lab at the health department trying to persuade her superiors to allow her to run some tests on the flowers. She is convinced that the flowers are somehow linked to the strange duplicates and disappearances they have been seeing in the area. She pleads with Alan, her superior, in the following conversation, one of the best scenes in Invasions of the Body Snatchers:
Elizabeth: I think this is our problem. I think it is affecting people.
Alan: How?
Elizabeth: Look, Alan, I have already said I am going to do all the testing. You don’t have to lift a finger. Can I?
Alan: You’ve been consistently late, Elizabeth, and you’re behind in your work. So, I’ll do the test for you.
Elizabeth: Thank you.
Alan: It will take 48 hours.
Elizabeth: Alan, 24!
Alan: I can’t understand why you’ve become so emotional about a little flower.
When it comes to ways to get to this Invasion of the Body Snatchers film set, you’re spoiled for choice with options. Bus routes 130, 14R, 49, 5, and 7 all offer service to the Civic Center region. Other options include the train line LTD 5, Bart routes blue, green, red, and yellow, and the Light Rail’s line M.
Elizabeth and Matthew try to take a taxi to the airport scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Robert C Levy Tunnel (Broadway Tunnel), San Francisco, CA
In this Invasion of the Body Snatchers scene, Matthew and Elizabeth are racing down Broadway. They stop to hail a cab to take them out of the city. The following conversation continues between Matthew and the cab driver.
Taxi driver: 610 proceeding south to airport. Carrying two passengers. Type H. Repeat Type H. Some night, eh?
Matthew: Yeah.
They notice two motorcycles gaining on them then passing the taxi.
Taxi driver: Where exactly are you heading?
Matthew: I said the airport.
Taxi driver: No, I mean, which airport?
Matthew: United.
Taxi driver: You got business out of town?
Matthew: No, we’re not leaving. We’re meeting someone coming in from Boston.
They drive into an area with a heavy police presence. Sirens are blaring. A police officer approaches a car, but before the taxi driver can tell him about the passengers, Elizabeth and Matthew are gone.
To visit the Robert C. Levy Tunnel, travel west on California Street, making a left onto Davis Street. Take a right-hand turn onto Pine Street, continuing onto Larkin Street on the right. Make a right onto Broadway and continue straight to enter the Robert C. Levy Tunnel.
The final scene in Invasions of the Body Snatchers
San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
In the final scene of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a dead-eyed Matthew is sitting in his office. He carefully cuts out an article from a newspaper and folds it to save for later.
He leaves the building and follows a group of scientists walking uniformly down the hall. In the next shot, we see Matthew walking down the street while ominous music plays in the background. He hears a voice.
Nancy: Matthew? Matthew?
Matthew turns around to face Nancy. She smiles at him, and he opens his mouth, points his finger at her, and the Pod People scream emanates from his lips. Nancy, horrified begins to yell, “NOOOOO! NOOOOO!!!!” as she realizes that she is the only human left in a sea of Pod People.
To get to San Francisco City Hall, you have lots of options for public transportation. Choose from bus routes 101, 14R, 49, 5, and 5R, the train line LTD 5, BART routes blue, green, red, or yellow, and Light Rail lines M or N.
Conclusion
A cult classic horror movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers has earned itself quite a following throughout the years. Though most of the scenes in this popular film were shot in San Francisco, the landscape is quite varied as the main characters travel throughout the city in an attempt to escape their demise at the hands of the Pod People.
If old horror movies are your fave film genre, then a trip to visit the Invasion of the Body Snatchers filming locations might be just what the doctor ordered!