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Quiz: Can You Name the ‘90s Movie From the Fictional Town?

Can you get a perfect score?
Jim Carrey in ‘The Truman Show’
Jim Carrey in ‘The Truman Show’ | Paramount/Getty Images

Over the years, we’ve fallen in love with fictional towns. We’ve also gotten acquainted with fictional towns we vow we’d never visit. How well do you remember ‘90s movies based on their fictional towns? We have a quiz that is sure to take you down memory lane:

How did you do? If you scored 8/8, you’re a ‘90s movie expert. There were some towns that we’d forgotten about while putting this list together. Now it’s time to rewatch the movies!


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Why Fictional Towns Are Used in Movies

What’s the point in creating a fictional town when there are so many great town names already out there? Well, in some cases, it’s about setting the movie in a way that doesn’t lead to problems with people saying, “Well, that doesn’t look like where I live.” This is more common with the smaller towns when filming can’t happen there. Supernatural fans know that there are often times when Canadian locations were used, and they looked nothing like the location they were supposed to be!

It can also be to help create a thematic mood. The town becomes its own character, and that’s so much easier to do when it’s a fictional place.

There is also the benefit of creating a lore or legend around the town. If a real place was used, then you’ve got the problem of real historical facts. Just look at any movie that uses the town of Salem. While ‘90s classic Hocus Pocus did a great job of capturing the spirit of the Massachusetts city during fall, it also takes many creative liberties with the real history.

There are, of course, also legal reasons to avoid real town names. Not everyone sees the fun in having their own being used as a place for a movie, especially if it’s a spoof or a horror setting.

Beyond the ‘90s, there have been so many iconic fictional movie towns over the years, from Haddonfield, Illinois in the Halloween franchise to Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz. The locations become so synonymous with the movies, you can even often find them on merchandise.

Love to test your movie knowledge? We’ve got daily trivia challenges, so make sure you check out the Mental Floss quiz page for more.


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