Maps of Movies
12 Monkeys (1995)
Where 12 Monkeys says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
A time traveller from a ruined Philadelphia lands in a Baltimore asylum, and the film was shot in a Philadelphia prison, a boys' school and a train hall.
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Scenes and places
The prisoner underground
Cole, a prisoner, is chosen by scientists to travel back in time and collect information on the original strain of a virus that wiped out most of humanity. He keeps dreaming of a man shot in an airport terminal.
Set in Underground compound beneath the ruins of Philadelphia — A prison compound below the ruins of Philadelphia where scientists pick Cole for a time-travel mission.
A fictional future prison; no filming location is named in the sources.
Committed to the psychiatric hospital (1990)
Cole lands in Baltimore in 1990, is arrested and committed on Dr. Railly's diagnosis. Inside he meets Jeffrey Goines, who gives him a rapid-fire tour and a rant against consumerism.
Set in Psychiatric hospital, Baltimore — The hospital where Cole is committed after arriving in Baltimore in 1990.
A real prison building in Philadelphia stands in for the hospital, with a college campus sharing the shoot.
Filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia — Filming for the psychiatric hospital was done here. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Girard College, Philadelphia — Second site used for the hospital scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The wrong stop: a World War I battlefield
The scientists try again to send Cole to 1996, but he briefly turns up on a World War I battlefield. He meets José, another inmate from the future, before being shot in the leg.
Set in World War I battlefield — A battlefield where Cole briefly arrives and meets another inmate from the future.
No location or filming site for this scene is named in the sources.
Railly's lecture and the kidnapping (1996)
In 1996 Railly lectures on the Cassandra Complex. Afterwards she is kidnapped in her car and told to drive; the kidnapper is Cole, and she ends up treating his wounded leg.
Set in Lecture hall, 1996 — Where Dr. Railly lectures on the Cassandra Complex before she is kidnapped in her car.
The sources name no venue and no filming location for this scene.
The plan to run to the Florida Keys
Cole tells Railly he believes he is delusional; she admits she is no longer sure either. They decide to spend the days ahead together at the Florida Keys.
Set in Florida Keys — The island chain where Cole and Railly decide to spend their last days together. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A real island chain, only a destination in the story and not a filming site.
"We did it": the zoo break-out
On the way to the Keys, Cole and Railly learn that the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is an animal rights group led by Jeffrey. Its graffiti "we did it" refers to freeing the Philadelphia Zoo animals, not releasing the virus.
Set in Philadelphia Zoo — The zoo whose animals the Army of the Twelve Monkeys let out. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A real zoo in Philadelphia; the sources name no filming location for this scene.
The airport terminal
At the airport Cole records a message on the voicemail number, saying the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is a false lead. Railly recognises Dr. Peters from a newspaper photo, and Cole's old dream closes in.
Set in Airport terminal — The terminal from Cole's recurring dream, where the story comes together.
The interior was a historic train hall turned convention centre; the exterior was a real airport in Maryland.
Filmed at Pennsylvania Convention Center (former Reading Terminal), Philadelphia — Interior scenes of the airport terminal. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Baltimore-Washington International Airport — Exterior scenes of the airport. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Filmed at Senator Theatre, Baltimore — Scene not identified in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Philadelphia City Hall — Scene not identified in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Filmed at Abandoned motels, Camden, New Jersey — Scene not identified in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- James Cole — A prisoner in the future, picked to travel back in time and gather information on a deadly virus.
- Dr. Kathryn Railly — A psychiatrist who first treats Cole as a patient and then helps him.
- Jeffrey Goines — An outspoken critic of consumerism whom Cole meets in the psychiatric hospital.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the psychiatric hospital in 12 Monkeys really filmed?
- Where was the airport in 12 Monkeys really filmed?