The film is set in New York, so all location shooting took place in the city itself and New Jersey. Some studio scenes were filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.

Filming Locations:

Destroyed House

In the Movie

Scene where Ray and his children hide in the basement of a house; the children are asleep, but then an explosion occurs outside. After the explosion and fire subside, Ray and the children come out of the basement and discover that part of an airplane—a wing with a turbine—has fallen onto their house.

In Reality

The scene was filmed at Universal Studios. The house is a specially built set that was destroyed and had airplane parts placed inside. The house was preserved and is now part of the studio tour.

Street

In the Movie

Scene where the ground shakes, people panic, and a church collapses. Ray runs with the crowd but encounters a giant tripod that shoots a laser beam at people, vaporizing their bodies. Seeing this, he runs home to get his children.

In Reality

The scene was filmed in a residential area of Newark. The church that collapses in the shot is St. Stephen's Church. The location was chosen deliberately—this church symbolizes the destruction of foundations, and its appearance was selected so that it would remind everyone of their own church in their neighborhood.

Mary's House

In the Movie

Scene where Ray Ferrier, after all the events, walks with his daughter in his arms and approaches his ex-wife's house, where, as it turns out, the surviving Robbie is already there. The family reunites after the nightmare.

In Reality

The scene was filmed in Brooklyn, New York. Ray's wife moved to a more prestigious area, which we see in the scene. The street was also chosen for the trees lining the sidewalks—their appearance provides a great picture for the final shot, where everything is fine and the main characters are saved.

Ray's House

In the Movie

Scene where Ray Ferrier is looking after his children at his house when something strange happens in the sky. He goes out to the backyard to look around and notices very unusual clouds in the sky, not natural, from which lightning is striking.

In Reality

The scene was filmed south of Jersey City. The houses are located in a predominantly working-class area. This emphasizes that Ray is not a wealthy man but lives decently. The location was also chosen for the Bayonne Bridge passing over the house, which makes the view from the backyard interesting.