At the end of Kathryn Bigelow’s new film A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, the world is on the brink of nuclear war. Government operatives flee to the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, a self-sufficient bunker in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Like much of A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, Raven Rock is very real, an “underground Pentagon” built at the height of the Cold War to preserve the continuity of government in the event of a nuclear strike. In Bigelow’s film, that time has come. 

Raven Rock is just one of the many locations that found their way into writer Noah Oppenheim’s script, some of them disguised with omnipresent government acronyms. “We use acronyms more than we probably use proper nouns on any given day in the military,” Daniel L. Karbler, the film's technical advisor and former chief of staff of the US Strategic Command, tells Netflix. “Because you get so used to it, it just becomes part of your lingo, part of your day-to-day language.” 

Below, we guide you through the many need-to-know locations of A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, streaming now on Netflix.

Where did A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE film?

Production built three sets in New Jersey, representing the White House, United States Strategic Command, and Fort Greely in Alaska. 

Exterior shots for the Alaska sequence were filmed in Iceland with limited time that added to the film’s urgency. “Just arriving and then them being like, ‘We’re running out of light. Please hurry up and get in your costume and let’s shoot this,’ kind of just gave me this sense,” Anthony Ramos tells Tudum. 

Another sequence featuring Greta Lee was filmed on location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. “I shot my scenes in Pennsylvania, at the actual 161st Battle of Gettysburg Anniversary reenactment,” Lee tells Netflix. “It was 100 degrees, there were cannons firing and it wasn't clear to the public that we were even shooting a movie. It all felt very guerrilla and I was totally blown away by Kathryn’s demeanor — she was just so even-keeled about everything.”

What are some key locations in A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE?

Raven Rock Mountain Complex

• A secure underground military facility located in Pennsylvania designed to serve as an alternate government command center in the event of a national emergency.

The White House

• The Oval Office: The primary workspace of the President of the United States.
• Situation Room “Watch Floor”: A secure, 24/7 operations and intelligence center within the White House Situation Room (SITROOM) that provides the president and senior staff with real-time information, crisis management support, and secure communications during national and international events.

Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC)

• A highly secure facility located deep underneath the White House that serves as a secure communications center during national emergencies and crises.

United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) 

• Department of Defense combatant command that oversees the command and control of US strategic forces, including nuclear and missile defense operations.

Marine One

• Call sign when a US Marine Corps helicopter is carrying the President.

49th Missile Defense Battalion, Fort Greely, Alaska 

• Military base that operates and maintains Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missiles designed to detect, track, and destroy incoming ballistic missile threats.

The Pentagon

• Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and the Office of the 
  Secretary of Defense (OSD)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• US government agency responsible for coordinating disaster response, preparedness, mitigation, and recovery for both natural and man-made disasters.