Early on in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy The Mask, Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) is shown entering an auto repair shop with the intention of picking up his Honda Civic. Though he’d only brought it in for an oil change, Ipkiss is informed that his brakes are shot and that he needs a new transmission. After insisting on a vehicle for the evening, the crooked mechanics working at the shop stick him with a beat-up old loaner car. You can check out the scene in question right here:
On his way home from the Coco Bongo nightclub, the car predictably breaks down, leaving Ipkiss stranded on the side of the road. A little while later, Ipkiss transforms into the Mask and decides to pay the mechanics who screwed him over a visit. He returns to the shop wielding large car parts and seeking revenge. “Hold onto your lug nuts, it’s time for an overhaul,” Ipkiss tells the men before cartoonishly violating them off-screen:
The ‘Mask’ Auto Repair Shop Has a Surprising ‘Ghostbusters’ Connection
The interior scenes featuring the repair shop were filmed inside the decommissioned Fire Station No. 23 in downtown Los Angeles, which closed in 1960. However, The Mask was far from the first movie to utilize this location. In fact, ten years earlier, it was famously used in another classic comedy that you’ve probably seen before. Take a look at this clip from the original Ghostbusters, and pay close attention to the walls and the stairs in the background once they slide down the pole toward the end:
That’s right, Fire House No. 23 served as the interior for Ghostbusters Headquarters as well—though exterior shots were filmed at Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 8 in New York City. Additionally, the Los Angeles firehouse, of course, popped up once again in the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II. Dozens of other movies have reportedly used it as well. Some of the more popular titles shot there include Big Trouble in Little China, Police Academy 2, Flatliners, and Lost Highway.
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