Pacific Electric Lofts, 610, South Main Street, Gallery Row, Historic Core, Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90014, United States of America
Alexandria Hotel, 501, South Spring Street, Gallery Row, Historic Core, Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90013, United States of America
Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506, South Grand Avenue, Historic Core, Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90071, United States of America
Scene: (Mills runs out to his car in the rain where he then receives Cliffs Notes from officer.)
Alexandria Hotel, 501, South Spring Street, Gallery Row, Historic Core, Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90013, United States of America
JO Pass Trail, Tulare County, California, United States of America
Sierra Highway, Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California, 93534, United States of America
Scene: (West of 110th St. West and South of Ave G)
Decatur County, Kansas, United States of America
California
David Fincher’s grim serial-killer thriller unfolds in a rain-soaked, unnamed city of decay – deliberately anonymous, and filmed in Los Angeles disguised beyond recognition, before the story breaks out into the sun-blasted desert for its shattering finale.
Where was Se7en filmed?
Se7en was filmed in Los Angeles, made to look like an anonymous rainy city, with the finale in the Mojave Desert.
Every Se7en location, explained
1
The anonymous city – Los Angeles
The unnamed, decaying city was Los Angeles in disguise, using downtown’s historic lofts and hotels under constant rain.
2
John Doe’s building – the Alexandria Hotel
The killer’s apartment block used the historic Alexandria Hotel in downtown LA.
3
Police headquarters
The detectives’ world used downtown Los Angeles lofts and civic buildings.
4
The desert finale – the Mojave
The devastating ending, with its power-line field, was filmed in the Mojave Desert near the town of Mojave.
Planning a visit
Downtown Los Angeles‘s historic core – the lofts and hotels Fincher disguised – is walkable, while the film’s desert finale used the stark Mojave north of the city.
Se7en Fun Facts
1
LA in heavy disguise Fincher shot in Los Angeles but drenched it in rain and gloom to create an anonymous, nameless city.
2
'What's in the box?' The film’s desert finale delivered one of cinema’s most devastating endings.
3
A famously dark look The film’s near-black cinematography was groundbreaking and much-imitated.
4
Pitt insisted on the ending Brad Pitt reportedly pushed to keep the film’s uncompromising finale.
5
A Fincher landmark The film established David Fincher as a master of dread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Se7en set in a real city?
No – it’s a deliberately unnamed, anonymous city, filmed in Los Angeles.
Where was the desert ending filmed?
In the Mojave Desert, near the town of Mojave, California.
Can you visit the locations?
Yes – downtown LA’s historic core is walkable, though disguised in the film.
