Behind the Scenes of Filming in Everett, Washington for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Filming for David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me took place between September to November, 1991. The crew began with location filming in Washington state and concluded with scenes shot on sets and on location in Southern California. Scenes from the Palmer and Hayward homes were captured in Everett, Washington between September 23-29, 1991. Since I lost an auction for the annotated script by $50, I turned to newspaper reports and first-hand accounts to piece together when scenes were shot that week.

THE PALMER AND HAYWARD HOUSES IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON

The Palmer house is located at 708 33rd Street in Everett, Washington. The Dutch Colonial Revival home was constructed in 1925 for Fred C. Schoch (1877-1928), a former Iowan baseball player turned insurance agent for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. At the time of filming, Peter and Marilyn Pettersen owned the home. They were present when interior scenes were shot for the Twin Peaks pilot on March 7, 1989.

For filming of Lynch’s feature film in September 1991, Mrs. Pettersen cooked all the meals for the scenes in the Palmer’s dining room.

“Many of the scenes they shot were meals at the dining room table,” Pettersen told Daily Herald reporter Leslie Moriarty in an article from August 26, 1992. “They thought they were going to have to go out and buy food to make it look real. But I told them to forget that. I cooked all the food they used in the meal scenes.”

Today, the home is owned by Mary Reber (Mrs. Tremond in Part 18 of Twin Peaks: The Return). She has created a variety of tour packages showcasing this historic house, available on VisitPalmerHouse.com.

The Hayward House is located at 3316 Grand Avenue in Everett, Washington. Constructed in 1910, former lumber mill operator Harry W. Stuchell lived in this home until 1925. Decades later in 1973, John and Bertha May “Sue” Posel moved into the Stuchell house. They lived in the home with their 10-year old son Dave when scenes from the pilot episode were shot on March 10-11, 1989.

The family was also present in September 1991 when Lynch and crew returned to Everett for Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Only the exterior and front room was used at that time as other interior scenes were shot on a set in Southern California.

Both of these homes are private residences, so please no trespassing if you plan on visiting the area.

FILMING IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON ANNOUNCED ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1991 

An “FYI” article in the Daily Herald on September 6, 1991 announced filming at the Palmer house would begin on September 23. Pete and Marilyn Pettersen would again host David Lynch and his movie crew for a few days.

Laura lives

Laura Palmer is alive and well and living in Everett.

Just ask Pete and Marilyn Pettersen, who will host director David Lynch and a movie crew for several days beginning Sept. 23 as they shoot a new feature film about the popular television series “Twin Peaks.”

While the series focused on the character of Laura Palmer and who killed her, the movie will cover the period of time before Laura’s death, Marilyn Pettersen said

The Pettersen’s 1920s-era home on Everett’s Rucker Hill will be Laura’s home in the movie, said Marilyn Pettersen, who added that a portion of it will be re-created in Hollywood for more filming there.

She said Lynch even wants to buy her antique bed for the movie set because it was filmed previously for the television series. “I have mixed emotions about it because I’m pretty attached to it,” she said.

“They’re going to have to make me an offer I cant refuse.”

It’s important to note that the crew reconstructed part of the Palmer house on a set in Van Nuys, California. This set included the Palmer house’s second story hall and stairs with the ceiling fan, Sarah and Leland’s bedroom (how else did they get a white horse in the room?) and Laura Palmer’s bedroom. The bedroom at the actual house owned by Mary Reber does not have an alcove for a dresser.

Lynch must may have acquired Marilyn’s antique bed seen in the Twin Peaks pilot. The publicity image above from the Pilot episode shows part of Laura’s bed.

We only see part of the bed in the Pilot when Deputy Hawk is in Laura’s bedroom with Leland.

FILMING ON GRAND AVENUE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1991

Filming began on Monday, September 23 with scenes near or at the Hayward House on Grand Avenue. The Daily Herald ran a photo captured by Michael O’Leary on Tuesday, September 24 which showed David Lynch with Sheryl Lee and Moira Kelly. The photo’s caption read:

“‘Peaking’ at Everett / Director David Lynch oversees the shooting of the ‘Twin Peaks’ movie in Everett on Monday morning. Lynch stands in the 3200 block of Grand Avenue and talks with actress Sheryl Lee (who plays Laura Palmer) and Mora Kelly (Donna Hayward) after shooting the two walking down the sidewalk. The crew is expected to be in Everett most of the week in the Rucker Hill neighborhood.”

The article states they were filming scenes of Laura Palmer and Donna Hayward walking down the street. This would mean they most likely shot the scenes were Laura calls to Donna while walking past the front of her house.

The best friends would continue walking down the street. Notice how the sun is shines through the trees.

Most likely, the crew also captured this establishing shot of Leland Palmer parking his car outside the Hayward house for use later in the film.

The “Mike is the Man” scene was shot further down the street from the Hayward house, around 3400 Grand Avenue. This exchange was also most likely captured on the morning of Monday, September 23.

Donna and Laura continue walking down the sidewalk toward the direction of Doyle Park on Grand Avenue.

One may assume then the scene where Laura Palmer shows up sobbing at Donna’s house might have been shot in the afternoon of Monday, September 23.

One of the biggest clues that the scene was filmed later in the day is the sun’s position. In The Missing Pieces of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, we see an extended exchange after Laura leaves Donna at her front door. There are no shadows covering the sidewalk like the previous morning walk shots.

FILMING AT 708 33RD STREET ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1991

Filming moved the the Palmer house on 33rd Street on Tuesday, September 24. At some point, the crew captured establishing shots of the home (I detailed those shots in this Setting the Stage article).

For many years, behind-the-scenes photographs taken by Anthony Anderson on September 24, 1991 were once found in the back hallway at Twede’s Cafe in North Bend, Washington. I previously wrote about the curious neighbor who finds Laura Palmer crying under the bushes. But let’s take a look at other scenes may have been captured on that Tuesday.

The scene of Laura running from her house after finding BOB in her bedroom was filmed on Tuesday as it lead into the Curious neighbor scene.

Laura hid in nearby bushes just a house over from the Palmer house with her framed photo that the grandmother and grandson gave her outside the Double R Diner.

Laura watches her father Leland leave their home, get into his car and pull away down the street.

This is when the Curious Neighbor shows up to check on Laura who is crying uncontrollably. The neighbor looks awfully similar to Janice Hogan whom we see briefly in the pilot consoling Sarah Palmer. She doesn’t have a name in the script but based on her attire, I’m thinking it’s supposed to be the same person.

There is a shot of the Grandmother’s framed photo Laura leaves behind in the grass.

The “Birds in Hell” scene when Laura Palmer leaves her house the morning after her realization about BOB may have also been filmed on Tuesday.

They way the shadows fall seem similar to how they fall when she is running to hide in the bushes.

The scene between James Hurley and Laura Palmer under Leland’s watchful eye was most likely filmed after the Curious Neighbor scene.

James Hurley pulls up to the Palmer house on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. He’s completely in shadow compared to the scene of both Leland and Laura outside their home earlier in the day.

While James and Laura are talking, Leland steps onto his front porch to watch the young lovers.

In this behind-the-scenes photo taken by Anthony Anderson, you can see Ray Wise is wearing the same long-sleeved shirt as he pretends to attack James Marshall sitting on his motorcycle. Luckily, Anthony added the date of “9.24.91” to the photograph that confirms this scene was shot on that Tuesday.

FILMING AT 708 33RD STREET ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1991

Thanks to long-time Twin Peaks fan Dugpa, we have excerpts from the official shooting diary written Charlotte Fraisse and transcribed by Adam Harding. She places action on Wednesday, September 25 being filmed inside the home.

Wednesday, September 25 – 19th Day
Location: Laura’s house. This house, where the pilot was shot, is smallish, very clean, with white walls and white or pinkish beige curtains, little pink garlands painted over the windows and an unbelievable amount of knick-knacks. The floors are protected with large pieces of cardboard. The lady of the house retired graciously to her kitchen with the prop men. With David’s agreement, Mary Sweeney, the editor, shows us some rough cuts: school out, a dialog between Laura and the Log Lady and a scene with Bobby and Laura. These scenes are superb, very intense and I discover an unexpected Sheryl Lee. Enhanced, under remarkable lighting and direction, this actress with a clean-cut look, who could have seemed a bit too demure for the part, turns out to be a genuine Lynch heroine.

It’s unclear, however, which specific scenes were shot on Wednesday. There were a combination of daytime shots and nighttime shots left to capture. I’m guessing that several daytime shots were filmed such as Laura returning home before she finds missing pages from her diary and Laura returning home with the framed photo in her hand before finding BOB in her bedroom.

There was also a Missing Piece where Sarah runs into her mother carrying groceries before scurrying over to Harold Smith house.

Another Missing Piece may have been filmed on that Wednesday showing an exchange between Laura and her mother in the stairwell. Laura is wearing the same red sweater she wore when she met up with James outside her home. This scene might have been filmed on Tuesday.

Finally, there are some dining room scenes filmed during the day including a Missing Piece where Leland reminds Sarah and Laura of Johnny Horne’s birthday.

The morning after scene with Kellogg’s Raisin Bran cereal sans raisins was also shot during the day.

““It was Raisin Bran. But David didn’t think it looked right, so he had his guys pick the raisins out one by one,” Marilyn Pettersen recalls in a Daily Herald interview from August 26, 1992.

NEIGHBORHOOD TENSIONS RISE IN RUCKER HILL | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1991

By Thursday, five residents of the Rucker Hill area where Lynch’s team was filming were not happy. The Daily Herald’s Dale Folkerts ran a story titled, “Not all smiles at movie filming,” on Thursday, September 26 about the tension with a rare interview with Twin Peaks location manager Julie Duvic.

“There’s been trouble brewing under Twin Peaks. Laura Palmer’s walk through an old-Everett neighborhood, complete with movie crews, cameras, road closures and equipment trucks, has left a few neighbors wishing the movie character would … simply disappear.

Only a handful of neighbors have complained. Most are content to drive around this week’s disruptions, or stop and gawk from front lawns and sidewalks near the Rucker Hill filming. But the concerns have been great enough for a top Park and Recreation Department official to spend one evening as peacemaker, another city official to spend a half day following up, and Mayor Pete Kinch to propose changes before another movie company focuses its cameras on Everett.

The commotion surrounds the production of “Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me, Teresa Banks and the Last Seven Days of Laura Palmer.” a feature-length film to be released next spring. Crews arrived Monday in the quiet, established neighborhood southwest of Providence Hospital.

The crew initially planned to wrap up filming tonight, but now expects to continue through Saturday. David Lynch is the director. Cast members, including regulars from the series such as Kyle McLachlan (Special Agent Cooper) and Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), have been filming at several Northwest locations. The complaints in old Everett have common themes: traffic hassles and an attitude by the crew that residents are imposing on the production instead of the other way around.

Brooke Madsen said a police officer hired by the movie company had threatened her with a ticket for driving in and out so much. Traffic is stopped while cameras are rolling. But she has to get to work, movie or no movie, she said.

“I was just mad because I can’t get in my car and go where I want when I want.” Madsen said. “They Just think they can run the whole neighborhood and all of us should bow down to them,” Madsen said.

Julie Duvic, location manager for the Los Angeles-based Twin Peaks Productions, said she’s familiar with the concerns and has stressed the need for crew members to be courteous to neighbors.

“There’s no doubt about it, when a film company comes into town, there is some inconvenience to people,” Duvic said Wednesday night. “What you usually hear are the ones that yell the loudest, but they’re definitely in the vast minority.”

City officials said only about five neighbors raised concerns, but said their points were valid.

Duvic said some problems arise because of the hectic schedule of film making and the crew’s desire to get all the details right.

“They don’t mean to be rude, it’s the pressure of the moment,” she said.

Mike Perin, a Rucker Hill resident and former Everett police officer; said he’s found himself on the other side of police barricades during the filming – and he doesn’t like it. He said an officer blocked him from walking to a neighbor’s house Wednesday afternoon, even though the crew was working on another block.

“You can’t just arbitrarily stop people from walking down a public street unless it’s a public safety issue,” Perin said. The crew has also tried to quiet down neighbors and their children inside their own yards, he said.

“I haven’t been ‘shushed’ since it: was 6 years old,” Perin said. “And I didn’t like it then, either.”

Mayor Pete Kinch said this is the first movie company to film in Everett since he took office, and he and his staff believe some changes are needed. Neighborhood representatives should be notified, concerns should be aired and the city should have time before deciding on permits to look at the script to make sure the city is portrayed favorably.

But Kinch added: “They’re not going to come in and give the city veto power over the script.”

Overall, Kinch favors the promotional value for the city and the excitement for residents who are curious about motion picture making.

“It’s like Everett hitting the big time,” Kinch said. “That’s very exciting” Overall, the residents” excitement has outweighed the complaints, and the movie company has made changes to try to be more accommodating, Kinch said.

“Trying to please 100 percent of the people all the time is just impossible,” Kinch said. “But we keep trying.”

One neighbor who doesn’t mind the hassles is Snohomish County Treasurer Kirke Sievers. “I would have liked to have beeg notified this was going to happen,” Sievers said. “But I think it’s great. My kids love it. They go down there and watch everything they’re doing.”

Using the black and white photo from The Daily Herald, I’ve determined the crew was parked on Niles Avenue which is street behind the Palmer house.

This is how the street appeared in March 2025 according to Google Street View.

FILMING IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON FROM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 TO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1991

Filming was originally scheduled to wrap up on Thursday, September 26 but continued through Sunday morning, September 29. Without proper notes or a shooting schedule (hence why I’m bummed I didn’t win that auction with Script Supervisor Cori Glazer’s’ notes), I can only guess what was left to capture. There were several nighttime shots both inside and outside the Palmer house.

There were several nighttime establishing shots of the Palmer house.

We see Donna parking her car in front of the Palmer house along 33rd Street.

She will later follow Laura Palmer house the house after a tense exchange inside the living room.

Laura later sneaks outside the house at night to meet up with James Hurley.

In the Missing Pieces, Leland Palmer is seen parking his car along the street before Laura can make her escape.

He then slowly approaches the house looking at the spot where Laura was hiding in the bushes.

Once he enters the house, Laura runs to James and the two ride off down 33rd Street. This would be the final nighttime view of the area around the Palmer house in the 1992 film.

The Missing Pieces contains nighttime scenes between Sarah and Laura along with a rather humorous dinner scene where Leland Palmer teaches his family how to speak Norwegian.

Later in the film, Leland berates Laura for not washing her hands. If you notice, there is a bright light in the kitchen next door. This was probably added by the crew for the shot. A similar bright light is found in the “Where’s my axe?” / teaching Norwegian scene.

Laura washes her hands in the Palmer house bathroom, assuming the scene was filmed around the same time as the dining room scene.

There were three nighttime scenes in the living room including Laura preparing for a night out when confronted by Donna.

During a flashback, Leland is seen pacing in the living room while a fire roars in the fireplace. Mrs. Pettersen had to show the crew how to work the fireplace according to an August 26, 1992 interview in The Daily Herald.

“Crews were busy throughout the house, she says. Filming sometimes went on into the wee hours. Pettersen stayed in the house, and stayed up, in case they needed her.

‘That was a good thing too, because they would decide things on the spur of the moment,” she says. “Like when they decided to light a fire in the fireplace. They weren’t sure how to do it, so I had to show them.'”

The lighting outside the front window appears similar to the final living room scene when Sarah tells Laura “goodnight” as she passes through on the way up to her bedroom.

FILMING CONCLUDES IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON WITH A DONATION

The Daily Herald ran an epilogue to the filming in Everett, Washington on September 28, 1991. Written by Herald Staff, the short article mentioned that filming would conclude on Sunday morning, September 29.. As a token of appreciation, Twin Peaks Productions donated $1,000 (about $2,400 in 2026) to the Parks and Recreation Department for new playground equipment. This was an attempt to smooth over the challenges experienced with a week-long production in Rucker Hill.

Neighbors get $1,000 film balm

Twin Peaks Productions has offered a $1,000 thank-you to the Rucker Hill neighborhood used for location filming this week.

The Los Angeles-based film company plans to present a check today to the city of Everett to buy playground equipment. The equipment is for a neighborhood park that has been temporarily converted to the crew’s catered dining area.

“We wanted to do something for the neighborhood to thank it for the inconvenience,” location manager Julie Duvic said. “There are so many young families, it seemed appropriate.”

This week’s filming sparked complaints among a small number of neighbors about road closures, strangers walking between homes and cast members who were allegedly rude in requests to quiet down neighborhood activities during shooting. Although only a few complaints were received amid what Everett Mayor Pete Kinch called a positive experience, he proposed changing several city procedures before future filming in Everett.

Duvic and other crew members met with the neighbors and most concerns were resolved, she said. The crew plans to wrap up its shoot-ing early Sunday.

“We all love the neighborhood,” Duvic said. “It’s really lovely.”

Jim Shields, assistant director of Everett’s Parts and Recreation Department, said the money would go toward equipment purchases already planned for Rucker Hill Park.

One day I hope the production schedule or that annotated script will turn up. When that day comes, I’ll update this story with specifics. For now, I’m glad knowing the time frame the crew was filming in Everett, September 23-29, 1991.