Experiment In Terror - Across The Bridge
Then ... The movie opens with a view of the double-deck San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, accompanied by a hauntingly edgy Henry Mancini theme.
... and Now, the same view today, taken from Yerba Buena Island (map) looking towards San Francisco.
The camera closes in on Kelly Sherwood (Lee Remick) as she drives across the bridge into San Francisco to her home, which, as we will find out, is at the base of the Sutro Tower, the huge antenna mast near Twin Peaks visible in the photo above to the right of the bridge on the horizon. The tower, however, was yet to be built when the movie was filmed.
Then ... Below, Kelly's open convertible has just entered the bottom of the frame on the top deck of the bridge as traffic at bottom right filters in from Yerba Buena/Treasure Island. Note that the upper deck in 1962 was two-way, 3 lanes in each direction. The lower deck back then had both car lanes and rail lines of the discontinued Key System shuttle train.
... and Now, this recent photo shows the present configuration of the upper deck - 5 lanes one-way westbound into San Francisco, converted in 1968, by which time the lower deck had been cleared of the rail lines to make way for one-way eastbound car traffic.
Then ... From the bridge, the camera takes in the sparkling city - the iconic Ferry Building is at lower right.
... and Now, the same view today is a crush of Financial District highrises.
Kelly arrives at her Twin Peaks home and eases her 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 Sunliner convertible into the garage.
She gets out of her car and freezes as the garage door suddenly and inexplicably closes. Gasp! - an attacker grabs her from behind and, wheezing asthmatically, he threatens to kill her and her younger sister if she doesn't cooperate in stealing $100,000 from the bank where she works. (Watch this scene unfold here).