Posted in Northern California Fun Facts March 29, 2023 by

Almost Nobody Knows That Parts Of The Iconic Movie “I Know What You Did Last Summer” Were Filmed In This Tiny Northern California Town

Here’s some movie trivia for you: The 1997 slasher movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer, was partially filmed in Bodega Bay and surrounding coastal areas. This rocky and often foggy coastline is the perfect backdrop for an action-packed horror movie.

The teen scream thriller from the 90s, I Know What You Did Last Summer, was filmed in California and North Carolina. The Northern California scenes were filmed in Bodega Bay.
jiri ron/Google Images
The picturesque and often foggy coastal town is a little over an hour north of San Francisco. Bodega Bay has a population of around 1,000 people. Northern Californians love this area for its harbor, seafood restaurants, and rocky beaches.
Located on the Sonoma Coast, this small town was also the filming location for several other major movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds was filmed in Bodega Bay.
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The famous ending scene from The Goonies was filmed on Goat Rock Beach in Bodega Bay.
This R-rated movie tells the story of four teens that get into a fatal accident on a dark road and decide to dump their victim’s body into the sea. Exactly one year later their victim returns with revenge on his mind.
Fernanda Barsalobra/Google Images
The opening scene when the car accident occurs takes place in Jenner, just 20 minutes north of Bodega Bay. The Kolmer Gulch ravine, north of Jenner, is another location where the opening scenes were filmed.
In addition to Bodega Bay, other California film locations include Nick’s Cove in Marshall, Fort Ross, Carmet, Timber Grove, Campbell Cove, Goat Rock Beach, and Portuguese Beach.
Nick's Cove/Google Images
The beach scene where the group sits by a fire is also filmed along the Sonoma Coast at Schoolhouse Beach.
I Know What You Did Last Summer revived the slasher genre. After the film’s release, it was #1 at the U.S. box office for three consecutive weeks.
Edward C/Google Images
This film kicked-off the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise and was followed by two other films: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer.
Although Southern California is home to the movie industry, Northern California has been the setting for a number of movies and television shows. The most famous movies filmed in Northern California are Jurassic Park II and Return of the Jedi.
JM L/Flickr
In addition to those blockbusters, other popular movies have been shot in Northern California: Mrs. Doubtfire was shot in San Francisco; Pollyanna was shot in Santa Rosa; and parts of The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan were filmed in Napa Valley.

Have you visited the enchanting town of Bodega Bay or any of these other filming locations? Tell us in the comments.

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Address: Bodega Bay, CA 94923, USA