Brian De Palma was born in New Jersey, and he's lived in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area. But his movies have taken in the sights all across the country, the world, and even Mars. (Or at least Mars-via-Vancouver.) De Palma is a peculiar brand of tourist, though—he sees cities through the eyes of stalkers and/or murderers. Look, over that victim's shoulder, it's the Superdome! In celebration of De Palma's latest, The Black Dahlia, we invite you to see the world the De Palma way—split-screen optional.
Los Angeles!
As seen in: Carrie (1976), Body Double (1984), The Black Dahlia (2006)
The hot spots: Most of L.A. gets explored in Body Double, which swerves from Tail Of The Pup hot-dog stands to Beverly Hills shopping malls (complete with glass elevators, perfect for voyeurs). You'll see B-movie sets and adult bookstores, beachfront motels and Los Angeles River aqueducts. Or if you're in the mood for suburban ennui—served with a bucket of pig's blood—swing by Carrie for a tour of tract homes, high-school locker rooms, and slaughterhouses. (All the same thing, really.)
Don't miss: John Lautner's "Chemosphere," that crazy house on a pole where claustrophobic actor Craig Wasson crashes for a few days in Body Double. It's got a great view of the Valley. And of Melanie Griffith masturbating.
The Bay Area!
As seen in: Casualties Of War (1989), Raising Cain (1992)
The hot spots: The nutzoid serial-killer thriller Raising Cain visits a low-rent motel and an arid police station with a ridiculously fancy lobby—De Palma is big on filming police stations—but mostly, it takes place in the pleasantly sunny side of Palo Alto. It's full of playgrounds, shops, resort hotels, and three-story stairwells where kidnapped children are dangled and dropped.
Don't miss: The lush, green San Francisco park where Casualties Of War's Michael J. Fox gets forgiven by a young Asian woman for all the things he did wrong in Vietnam. Pack a lunch and bring your own sins.
Vietnam! (as played by Thailand)
As seen in: Casualties Of War (1989)
The hot spots: De Palma hits the standard Pacific Rim high points: mountains, jungles, rice paddies, thatched villages, and the like. But he also finds a bridge, high above a river, on which he stages one of the movie's most dramatic scenes. If you're a bridge-lover (or a train-station devotee, for that matter), hang around De Palma. He'll show you where to go.
Don't miss: The Viet Cong tunnels running under the jungle like an ant farm. Arrive at the right time and you'll see Michael J. Fox's legs, dangling like ant bait.
Europe!
As seen in: Obsession (1976), Mission: Impossible (1996), Femme Fatale (2002)
The hot spots: In Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise and his IMF cronies did the most globe-hopping of any De Palma characters, though most of their time in Europe is spent in hotel rooms, ballrooms, and (of course) the Liverpool train station. One notable exception: the cobblestone streets of Prague, where a mission goes awry, and where Cruise later flees after blowing up a tank of water at the Akvarium Restaurant. (Note: If you visit the Akvarium, you will get wet.) A better bet is to spend time in France with Femme Fatale sociopath Rebecca Romijn, who'll take you from the Cannes red carpet to Parisian sex shops. You'll also see some De Palma stand-bys: a grand cathedral, a noir-ready French police station, and, of course, a bridge right by the Eiffel Tower, where the twisty plot reaches its head.
Don't miss: The lovely cathedral in Florence, where Obsession's Cliff Robertson meets his wife, Geneviève Bujold—and, after she's kidnapped and murdered, another woman who looks just like Geneviève Bujold. Unfortunately, the church is currently out of its supply of Geneviève Bujolds. Blame Robertson for being a Bujold-hog.
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