Honestly, walking onto a movie set 20 years later should feel weird, right? But for Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, returning to the world of Anna and Tess Coleman felt more like a family reunion. When Disney finally dropped Freakier Friday in August 2025, fans weren't just looking for the body-swap jokes. They were looking for the house. The school. The vibes of the 2003 original that basically defined a generation.
Most sequels ditch their roots for cheaper soundstages in Georgia or London. Not this one. Director Nisha Ganatra made it clear that Los Angeles wasn't just a backdrop; it was a character. But there’s a bittersweet layer to the Freakier Friday filming locations that most people don't realize.
The production wrapped in August 2024, and just months later, the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires tore through some of the film's most iconic spots. It makes watching the movie feel a bit like looking at a time capsule.
The Coleman House: A Bittersweet Return to the Palisades
If you've seen the 2003 film a hundred times (guilty), you know the Coleman house. It’s that gorgeous, sprawling property in the Pacific Palisades. The address is 732 Chapala Drive.
The production team actually went back there. They didn't build a replica on a backlot. They used the real deal. Jamie Lee Curtis has been vocal about how vital it was to shoot in the original house to maintain the "DNA" of the story. In the sequel, Tess still lives there, though the interiors have been updated to reflect twenty years of life.
"The movie is a love letter to Los Angeles and the original movie," Curtis told Deadline. "We shot in the original house and we shot all over the city."
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The heartbreaking part? This house is gone now. The 2025 wildfires destroyed the property shortly after filming finished. In a strange twist of fate, the production team ended up giving their detailed location-scout photos to the homeowners to help with their insurance claims and FEMA aid. It’s a heavy thought while you're watching the movie—realizing that the "home" we see on screen no longer exists in the real world.
Anna’s New Life in South Pasadena
Anna Coleman is all grown up. She’s a mom herself now, and her home reflects a different side of Southern California. While Tess stayed in the Palisades, Anna's house is located at 1318 Stratford Avenue in South Pasadena.
It’s a classic, tree-lined street that feels very "Old Hollywood." Fun fact: it’s actually just a few blocks away from the house used in the original Halloween, which is a neat little easter egg for Jamie Lee Curtis fans. The opening shot of the film, however, was captured on Bushnell Avenue, a street that has appeared in everything from Back to the Future to Teen Wolf.
High School Nostalgia and New Grounds
The sequel introduces us to a new generation—Anna’s daughter Harper (Julia Butters) and her soon-to-be stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons). Naturally, this means a return to school.
Palisades Charter High School (15777 Bowdoin Street) makes its return. This school is legendary in film history, having served as the location for the original Carrie and Saved by the Bell. Just like the Coleman house, this iconic campus was heavily impacted by the 2025 fires, making these scenes some of the last high-quality footage of the school as it used to be.
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For the younger kids, the production used Dorris Place Elementary School at 2225 Dorris Place. If it looks familiar, it’s because it’s been in RoboCop, Lucifer, and about a dozen other shows. It has that quintessential "LA school" look that producers love.
Echo Park and the Record Parlour
One of the coolest parts of the new movie is how it explores different neighborhoods. Anna is now a manager for a pop musician named Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), so the vibe is a bit more "indie" than the first film.
- Echo Park: You'll see several scenes filmed around the lake, specifically near the Lady of the Lake statue. It captures that slightly gritty, very hip Eastside energy.
- The Record Parlour: This is where things get nostalgic. Jake (Chad Michael Murray) is back, and he’s managing a record shop. These scenes were filmed at the real Record Parlour at 6408 Selma Avenue in Hollywood. It’s one of the few locations you can actually go visit and browse for vinyl yourself.
Malibu and the Beach Sequences
Since the movie involves merging two families, there’s a lot of "forced bonding" time. This took the cast out to the coast. Most of the beach and surfing sequences were filmed at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu.
It’s a rugged, beautiful stretch of sand known for its sea caves. The production used "surf doubles" for some of the more intense water scenes, but the chemistry between the leads on the sand is all real. Lindsay Lohan mentioned in an interview with Elle that filming in Malibu felt like a "full circle moment" for her, especially since she spent so much of her early career in that area.
Where the Wedding Drama Happens
The climax of the film centers around the wedding of Anna and Eric (Manny Jacinto). While the first movie had that iconic rehearsal dinner at the Sunset Tower Hotel (which, by the way, makes a quick cameo in the sequel too), the new film branches out.
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The pickleball scenes—because of course there are pickleball scenes in 2025—were filmed at the Altadena Town & Country Club (2290 Country Club Drive). It’s a gorgeous, vintage-feeling club that perfectly fits the "Tess Coleman aesthetic."
Why the Locations Matter for the SEO Crowd
If you're looking to visit these spots, you've gotta be respectful. Many are private residences. But for the public spots like Echo Park or the Sunset Tower, it’s a great way to spend a weekend in LA.
The reality is that Freakier Friday filming locations serve as a bridge between the nostalgia of the early 2000s and the modern, diverse landscape of Los Angeles today. Director Nisha Ganatra specifically chose spots in Downtown LA and the Eastside to show a version of the city that isn't just glitz and glamour.
What to do next:
- Check out the Record Parlour: If you're in Hollywood, go to 6408 Selma Ave. It's the most "interactive" location from the film.
- Drive through South Pasadena: The Stratford Avenue area is beautiful for a weekend stroll, just remember people actually live there.
- Support Fire Relief: Since many of these iconic filming locations were destroyed or damaged in the January 2025 fires, consider looking into local LA recovery funds. It’s the best way to honor the city that hosted this "love letter" of a movie.
Watching Freakier Friday is a bit of a bittersweet experience now. You see the beauty of the Palisades and the history of the Coleman house, knowing it’s all changed. But that’s sort of the point of the movie, isn't it? Things change, families grow, and even if the house is gone, the stories stay.