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The average moviegoer or TV viewer isn’t usually paying attention to signs that appear in Hollywood productions – and that’s understandable. Signmakers, however, automatically notice when their craft appears on screen, just as a jeweler would take notice of an opulent ring or bracelet that made it into the shot.

There have been numerous signs from the silver screen to make an indelible impression on viewers. As you’ll see in the images here, Hollywood’s memorable signage spans the decades, from the classic film Casablanca to the modern-day, smash-hit series Breaking Bad.

The Camp Crystal Lake sign marks the entrance to the setting where Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th movie series (1980-1982) carried out his horrifying series of murders. Each year, the New Jersey nonprofit camp – which is called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in real life – offers tours of the filming locations as a fundraiser for restoration projects.

In Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster Jaws (1975), a great white shark terrifies the small community of Amity Island. This inspires one dark-humored local resident to vandalize the island’s welcome sign for comedic effect.

Back to the Future Part II (1989) follows Marty and Doc Brown as they travel from 1985 to 2015. As illustrated by this digital sign, the movie forecasts a Jaws 19 movie, which is being promoted by a 3D holographic ad that “closes jaws” on Marty.

This Mexican restaurant sign is an Easter egg from Anchorman (2004), the satirical comedy starring Will Ferrell. Translation: “We spit in your food.”

Even if you’ve never seen any of the eight films in the Harry Potter series (2001-2011), you’ve probably heard of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and the Hogwarts Express. The fictional train station platform is where students of the Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry board the express each year to be taken off to school.

“Rick’s Café Américain” is the nightclub and gambling den owned by American expatriate Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart in the classic film Casablanca (1942). It would’ve been nice to see this sign in color, but we’ll just have to use our imaginations.

Los Pollos Hermanos – which translates from Spanish to “The Chicken Brothers” – was the fast-food joint that served as a front organization for Gus Fring’s meth distribution operation in the AMC series Breaking Bad (2008-2013). The building here is a real-life location of a Twisters branch in New Mexico, which has seen an increase in business due to its association with the show.

Set in the year 2019, Blade Runner (1982) doesn’t get much right in its portrayal of the future, though its representation of digital signage comes close. One of the movie’s standout shots is from the opening scene depicting a building-sized, OOH ad.

Adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, It (2017) tells the story of seven children who are terrorized by Pennywise the Dancing Clown. After a series of child disappearances, an ominous police board is placed outside the school as a reminder to kids that a town curfew has been instituted.

Citizen Kane (1941) examines the life and legacy Charles Foster Kane, a fictional character played by Orson Welles. While running for governor, Kane makes a campaign speech at Madison Square Garden with this prodigious poster serving as the background. Credit: RKO Radio Pictures, still photographer Alexander Kahle

Jurassic Park (1993) was filmed on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Kauai. The park’s gate was located on the latter, installed deep into the jungle in order for filmmakers to get the perfect shot.

Loyal viewers of The Simpsons (1987-present) know the animated classic has a knack for clever signs. The sign for the Krusty Burger fast food restaurant chain is one of the show’s most familiar ones and served as inspiration for the real thing (inset).

“There is never a sign more synonymous with horror than the one that adorned the front of Bates Motel,” writes Horror Land. The large sign, indicating that the motel is open, is an iconic image from Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Psycho (1960).

Pixar’s animated film Monsters, Inc. (2001) centers on an energy-producing factory of the same name, which supplies all of the energy for Monstropolis and is the place where scare students who graduate from Monster University aspire to work. Its logo is the “M Eyeball.”

14 Famous Signs from the Silver Screen

14 Famous Signs from the Silver Screen

The average moviegoer or TV viewer isn’t usually paying attention to signs that appear in Hollywood productions – and that’s understandable. Signmakers, however, automatically notice when their craft appears on screen, just as a jeweler would take notice of an opulent ring or bracelet that made it into the shot.

There have been numerous signs from the silver screen to make an indelible impression on viewers. As you’ll see in the images here, Hollywood’s memorable signage spans the decades, from the classic film Casablanca to the modern-day, smash-hit series Breaking Bad.