Horror has some of the most recognizable locations in pretty much all of cinema, and this list is here to prove it. While a lot ofhorror filmsrely on far-out locations in fantasy andscience fictionsettings, that doesn’t always ring true. In fact, there are plenty of locations from famous horror films that you could go out and visit right now if you had no other obligations.
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Most of these locations are in the United States, given where most movie production is based, but they span multiple states. Whether you love supernatural horror or you’re a bigger fan of down-to-earth and grounded stories of terror, there’s something for you here.
10The Myers House
Although the childhood home of murderous shape Michael Myers is said to exist in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, it actually exists on the west coast. The house used for the shooting of the first two films, and some sporadic films to follow, is actually located in Pasadena, California. While it’s current residents are chiropractors and not at all in the same line of work as the star of John Carpenter’sHalloween, the mystique is still there. That is if you can overlook that it’s been moved from its original location.
9The Stairs From The Exorcist
The stairs featured in William Peter Blatty’sThe Exorcistare prominently featured throughout the duration of the film, and the distinctive appearance of the stairs is a good reason for it. Even if you haven’t seenThe Exorcist, the length and degree of incline are intimidating. The movie features them at their most important during the climax of the film, with Father Karras hurls himself from the house’s window. The stairs can be found in Washington, D.C. in Georgetown.
8Elm Street
Yet another case of a Hollywood film being shot with the veneer of a Midwestern town covering up a location of Pasadena, California. Although the film takes place in Springwood, Ohio, no such town exists.
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Instead, it’s actually pretty close to whereHalloweenwas shot. While Elm Street doesn’t have all of the iconic surroundings that The Devil’s House inHalloweenhas such as the hedge Michael hides behind, fans flock to it, much to the chagrin of the current owners.
7The Sawyer House
Despite the marketing campaign that took place during the release ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the story isn’t based on real events. That being said, it was filmed in a real house and not in a Hollywood studio, most likely due to the film’s restrictive budget. The Victorian-style house was built in the early 1900s and then sat vacant until it was moved to its current location, in Kingsland, Texas, still true to its namesake. It sat empty for years after the filming of the macabre movie.
6The Overlook Hotel
The Overlook Hotel is a character all its own in Stanley Kubrick’s chilling adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Shining. The hotel is home to dead twins, a spectral bartender, and ahost of other demonsthat the Torrance family faces throughout the duration of their winter stay. The hotel in reality, is named The Timberline Lodge, in Mount Hood, Oregon. As for the hotel used as the inspiration for the novel and in the made-for-tv miniseries that King prefers, the Stanley was used, which is in Estes Park, Coloradso.
5Bates Motel
The Bates Motel, made famous by what is still one of the most gripping of Alfred Hitchcock’s works, is located in a theme park. The location fromPsycho, a film based on a novel by the horror andWeird Taleswriter Robert Bloch, is located at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California.
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While you can’t actually enter the hotel (which looks more like some type of budget inn), you can drive past it and hear some trivia during the studio lot tour, which is a ride at the park. Along with it, you can see the city hall fromBack To The Futureand part of the set fromJaws.
4The Bramford
The Bramford really lives up to the reputation of the apartment building it was based on, which is located in Manhattan, New York City. The Dakota, The Bramford’s real-life counterpart, has frequently been noted for its high degree of exclusivity, going out of its way to reject the applications of notable celebrities. It’s an absolutely beautiful Victorian-style building, which is also noted for the frequent complaints of ghostly phenomena within its halls.
3Monroeville Mall
The MonroevilleMallis the central location in which George A. Romero’sDawn Of The Deadtakes place. It’s located in you guessed it, Monroeville! In the state of Pennsylvania, a group of rag-tag survivors made their final defense against thezombie hordethat began its reign of terror in the classic filmNight Of The Living Dead.
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Unlike tons of other malls featured in movies from the 70s and 80s, this one remains fully operational and open to the public.
2Buffalo Bill’s House
Yet another Victorian-style structure featured in a horror film was the house of serial killer Buffalo Bill, the main antagonist of the riveting horror thrillerThe Silence Of The Lambs. Not only that, but it’s also located in Pennsylvania, and as of October of 2020, it’s up for sale! At three stories, it’s quite a good buy! Since the interior shots of the film were actually done on a studio lot, it doesn’t come with the weird pit in the basement, but that’s probably a good thing.
1The Poltergeist House
The house from Tobe Hooper’s haunted-house classicPoltergeistis actually in Simi Valley,California, where a lot of the movie was shot. While the house isn’t (as far as we know) built on Native American burial grounds, the frighteningly eerie and grotesque events of the film might have put off a few buyers. Someone must have gotten past the fact that a guy tore his face off in the bathroom though because it’s currently owned by a family who’s made it their home.
