Twitter Just Realized These Two Halloween Classics Were Filmed at the Same Historic Home
It’s hardly a secret that film and TV production companies frequently use the same filming locations on different projects, which is why you might recognize, say, Reese Witherspoon’s character Madeline’s “Big Little Lies” house from “Hannah Montana” when watching your favorite series.
But when two Halloween classics happen to feature the same interior, it feels almost… spooky. One eagle-eyed Twitter user recently discovered that Allison from “Hocus Pocus” lives in the same home from “Scream 2” where sober sorority sister Cici (played in an iconic cameo by then-star of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Sarah Michelle Gellar) spent her Greek life days, and it turns out the home is actually pretty famous.
Twitter user @Adam_Jacob shared side-by-side shots after making the realization, showing off a photo of Allison coming down the stairs in her wealthy parents’ Salem home, as she’s looking to escape from their boring French aristocratic-themed Halloween party for more fun and mischief with Max and his younger sister. The same staircase can be seen in “Scream 2” during the scene when Cici, left on call in the sorority house to pick up any fellow sisters who need a ride home, receives the final phone call of her life.
The Victorian-style home, known as the Crank House, is located in Altadena, California, and it’s been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1997 thanks to its association with the early settlement of Altadena. Situated on the Fair Oaks Ranch, the home and ranch were most notably owned by businessman and rancher James F. Crank, and contained a vineyard, winery, and citrus orchards, according to state historical records. Crank and his family built the home in 1882, but according to blogs dedicated to Hollywood filming locations, he had to sell the home in 1910 due to financial struggles.
It’s unclear whether or not the Crank House is currently inhabited, however, it has had its fair share of scene-stealing moments on film. Aside from “Scream 2” and “Hocus Pocus,” fans will notice it as the terrible Trunchbull’s house in “Matilda” and as the Strong residence in “Catch Me If You Can.” With two and a half stories, seven bedrooms, and four bathrooms, the home reportedly measures 6,450 square feet and currently sits on over one and a half acres of land.
Although it’s reportedly tough to spot from the street thanks to tall gates, the exterior shots of Allison’s parents’ home in “Hocus Pocus” are from another location, according to a fellow Twitter user, who noted that the Ropes Mansion at 318 Essex Street in Salem, MA, which is open to the public for spooky and seasonal sightings to any fans of the cult Disney classic.