35 Horror Movie Locations That Will Still Scare You Today

All across the country, you’ll find film locations that may still scare you years after the release of some of the most iconic horror movies of all time. Sports bars, barbecue joints, comic book stores and theme parks all played roles in some seriously scary movies, even scary movie spoofs. When you’re ready for a truly horror-fying road trip, here’s where to go.

Hocus Pocus may have more comedic elements than the average supernatural film, but this movie franchise (as of mid-2023, a third film in the series was said to be in development) has its share of scares, murders, curses and spells. Of course, the movie is about a trio of witches. The movie takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. While much of the flick is shot on a soundstage in Burbank, California, there are scenes that were filmed in Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts. One location, in particular, is Ropes Mansion, a Colonial Revival home that was featured in the trick-or-treating scene.

The Lost Boys is a 1987 supernatural thriller that starred a host of young notables, including Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman and Jami Gertz. The movie is set in the fictitious beach town of Santa Carla, California (actually, Santa Cruz). The vampire-theme film was shot at such popular spots as the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and Pogonip Open Space. One of the movie’s early scenes features Atlantis Fantasyworld, a comics store in Santa Cruz. The original shop was lost to an earthquake in 1989, but the re-built shop features plenty of movie merch, including mugs, posters and magnets.

There were a dozen movies in the Friday the 13th franchise, which features hockey mask-clad Jason, one of the most notorious horror movie slashers. The first film is set at Camp Crystal Lake, a fictional summer camp in New Jersey. At the start of the movie, camp counselor Annie stops in Crystal Lake Diner to ask for directions. The diner still stands today, but its real name is Blairstown Diner, and it’s located in Blairstown, New Jersey. Movie fans continue to flock to this small-town diner that’s open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

While The Shining wasn’t actually filmed at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, this historic hotel that dates to 1909 is said to be Stephen King’s inspiration for the movie’s Overlook Hotel. This alone has been enough to draw legions of fans to this small mountain town that serves as the primary gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The hotel even offers a one-hour guided experience called The Shining Tour. It’s also been rumored that the Stanley Hotel is haunted, so there’s that, too. The Overlook Hotel’s exteriors were actually shot some 1,200 miles at the Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon.

The 1975 thriller Jaws, a movie that Steven Spielberg directed and made him a household name, was largely filmed on location in Martha’s Vineyard. This sunny beach town in Massachusetts served as the fictional Amity Island, New York. The most famous in-town location may be Joseph Sylvia State Beach, which is where you’ll find the sandy shore where Jaws, the insatiable 25-foot-long great white shark, is spotted and soon hunted after taking several ocean-loving victims. Today, this 2-mile-long beach is a favorite with families thanks to its shallow waters, gentle waves, free parking and abundance of seashells.

The 1997 cult classic I Know What You Did Last Summer was primarily filmed in Southport, North Carolina, a picturesque coastal town located close to the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Several locations around town were featured in the movie, including the historic Amuzu Theatre, which served as Southport Community Theatre, and Fishy Fishy Café, which in the movie was Southport Muscle, a local gym. Howe Street was also used for some of the street scenes in the horror classic. Today, Fishy Fishy Café is a favorite for fresh seafood, colorful sunsets and refreshing craft cocktails.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a 1974 horror film with a budget of less than $150,000, went on to rake in more than $30 million at the box office (and much more in the years that followed). The slasher film introduced movie-goers to Leatherface, a deranged member of a family of cannibals who is known for murdering with his chainsaw. The low-budget flick was shot largely in east and central Texas, including at The Gas Station in Bastrop, Texas. While The Gas Station curiously does not sell gas, it does sell barbecue and operates as a horror movie museum. In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the location was transformed into The Last Chance Gas Station.

Now a private residence, the Potter Schoolhouse in northern California’s Bodega Bay was perfect for Alfred Hitchcock’s purposes in 1963. Migratory birds really do flock to it, though they don’t wreak avian vengeance on unsuspecting children as they did on the silver screen. The building’s owner told California Home & Design that when her parents bought the property, its roof was in tatters and a piano on the second floor was covered with bird droppings. She also reported that it’s haunted, which would, perhaps, make Hitchcock smile.

An ideal setting for Dr. Frank-N-Furter's devious dealings, this stunning Victorian Gothic country house sits on a sprawling 35 acres overlooking the River Thames in England. When it isn't being used as a film set, Oakley Court is a luxury hotel and event center that entertains its fair share of English royalty.

The 1990 psychological thriller, Misery, won Kathy Bates an Academy Award for her role as Annie Wilkes, a crazed fan who holds a novelist captive. The film was largely shot in Nevada and Northern California, including in the towns of Truckee, Reno and Genoa, which is home to the Genoa Bar & Saloon. This historic watering hole is touted as “Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor,” doing business since 1835. Just 30 minutes from South Lake Tahoe, this saloon is also Nevada’s oldest continuously operating bar. It’s even been featured in such movies as The Honky Tonk Man and The Shootist, as well as a Coors beer commercial.

A Quiet Place, the 2018 thriller that reflects life in a post-apocalyptic world, revolves around aliens that cannot see but have exceptionally good hearing. As the movie opens, audiences quickly learn that any and all sounds are not good. One of the most memorable movie scenes takes place on the Springtown Truss Bridge, a trestle bridge on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, a scenic 22-mile rail trail in Ulster County, New York. It’s here that one of the Abbott family’s children switches on a noisy toy and is killed almost immediately by a creature lurking nearby.

Interview with the Vampire chronicles a vampire named Lestat de Lioncourt who transforms a man named Louis de Pointe du Lac into a vampire. When Lestat first encounters Louis in Louisiana, he is living on a beautiful estate. Louis' home is actually Oak Alley Plantation on the Mississippi River in Vacherie, Louisiana. Once a sugar cane plantation, the estate is now open to the public and run by the Oak Alley Foundation. It is also protected as a National Historic Landmark.

The Mummy, a 1999 movie purportedly set in Egypt, was not actually filmed in Egypt due to political instability at the time. The hugely successful movie that centers around the unfortunate awakening of a mummified cursed priest with supernatural powers was largely filmed further west, in Morocco. Movie scenes featuring Cairo were shot at Jemaa el-Fnaa, a large open-air market in Marrakech, Morocco. It’s one of the primary cultural spaces in Marrakech and is well worth a visit for the spice vendors, snake charmers, monkey handlers and fortune tellers.

The 1983 sci-fi thriller, The Dead Zone, was based on a Stephen King novel of the same name and even inspired a television series starring Anthony Michael Hall in the early-2000s. The film purportedly takes place in Castle Rock, Maine, but in reality, filming took place in Canada. The greater Toronto area and the Niagara region, including Niagara-on-the-Lake, are prominently featured in the horror movie. Early in the movie, the lead character rides a roller coaster that was located at Canada’s Wonderland, an amusement park one hour north of Toronto.

In The Silence of the Lambs, Jodie Foster plays an FBI agent who enlists the help of a serial killer named Hannibal Lecter in order to catch another killer. During her investigation, she visits the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh to meet up with an entomologist. The museum is organized into 20 galleries and has exhibits on insects, mammals, botany, dinosaurs and fossils, gems, minerals, geology and several areas of anthropology.

In the sequel to the psychological thriller, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter moves his murderous spree abroad to Florence, Italy. Hannibal becomes a curator of a renowned library and lives in Palazzo Capponi, a Florentine palace that dates back to the 1400s and holds some of the city’s most impressive pieces of art. Across the Arno River, the movie's gruesome balcony scene at Palazzo Vecchio was inspired by real-life killings that took place here in medieval times.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, a box office smash, hit theaters in 1984 and introduced the world to Freddy Krueger, a cult slasher best known for his metal-clawed glove. This first movie was the start of a nine-movie franchise, and interestingly, features a high school more closely associated with rom-com teen movies, including Grease and Pretty in Pink. John Marshall High School, a public high school in Los Angeles, serves as the high school of the movie’s protagonists, including Tina Gray and Nancy Thompson. In real life, notable alums include actor Leonardo DiCaprio and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

The 75 steps at the end of M Street in Georgetown — more commonly known as The Exorcist steps — are a popular tourist location for movie buffs in Washington, DC. In the movie, Father Karras is possessed by a demon as he tries to save 12-year-old Regan. While the demon has control of Karras' body, he throws himself out a window and tumbles down these stairs to his death. The stairs were padded with rubber so the stuntman, who performed two takes, was protected from injuries.

The real-life House of the Seven Gables — built in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1668 — still stands today and is open for tours. Also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, the Jacobean/post-medieval structure was the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1851 novel and subsequent films, the most notable being the spooky 1940 Vincent Price thriller, The House of the Seven Gables. The home is one of the oldest surviving wooden houses in North America and is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of a playful young boy and Nathaniel Hawthorne's cousin, Susan Ingersoll.

In the 1957 horror movie The Undead, two psychics send a woman back in time to learn about her past. She awakens as a woman accused of being a witch in medieval times. The Spadena House, also known as the Witch's House, is located in Beverly Hills. It's also where — you guessed it — the witch lived. Its odd-shaped roof and color make it look like something out of Hansel and Gretel, providing the perfect setting for this movie. The house is privately owned and was also seen in the movie Clueless.

Look familiar? The grand, 11th-century Alnwick Castle played the role of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films, including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Scenes were shot outside and inside the castle, perhaps the most memorable being when Harry and his first-year pals receive their first broom flying lesson in the courtyard. Visitors to the castle today can take flying lessons (rather, broomstick training), in the same courtyard.

The 2002 supernatural horror movie The Ring was the first of three movies in the American theatrical franchise. (The movie is a remake of the 1998 Japanese film, Ring.) The movie was filmed primarily in Washington, including Seattle and Whidbey Island, but the Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon, was also a location in the movie. The historic 93-foot-tall lighthouse — the tallest lighthouse in Oregon — served as the mysterious Moesko Island Lighthouse in the film. The lighthouse also appeared in Hysterical, a 1983 low-budget horror movie spoof.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a 1978 sci-fi classic, takes audiences into a world in which gelatinous creatures from a far-away planet take over the bodies of humans on Earth. The movie is set in San Francisco and this horror film features plenty of iconic attractions, like the Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill and the famous steps on Filbert Street. While critics initially had mixed reviews about this remake of a 1956 film, which was set in Los Angeles, the movie’s star power, which includes Leonard Nimoy, Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, may have helped the movie rake in nearly $25 million (more than $110 million in today’s dollars).

"Say hello to my little friend." You've heard — or said — this line spoken by Al Pacino in the 1983 film Scarface at least once in your life. The film is set in Miami, but only a handful of scenes were actually shot in Miami. The majority of the movie was shot in Southern California, including Santa Barbara and San Diego. Still, there are film locations in and around Miami, including the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. World-famous Ocean Drive is also featured, including a building that was once home to a Johnny Rockets and served as the Sun Ray Apartments in the movie.

House on Haunted Hill — the 1999 remake — was shot in Los Angeles. The driveway was filmed in Griffith Park, which is home to the oft-photographed Griffith Observatory. The “house” in the movie title is not actually a house, but an abandoned insane asylum that is at the center of this supernatural thriller. The film also features a roller coaster called the “Terror Incognita,” which in real life is The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Islands of Adventure theme park in Florida.

The Invisible Man — the 2020 horror film — follows a woman who believes her controlling ex-boyfriend has become invisible and is now stalking her. The film is set in San Francisco, but was actually shot in and around Sydney, Australia, including at Martin Place, an open-air pedestrian shopping mall in Sydney’s Central Business District. The movie also features scenes shot at Potts Point and the Sydney suburb of Bangaroo, as well as at Headland House, which serves as the highly secure and very angular home of the lead character.

In The Omen, it's not hard to forget the scene from the orginal 1976 film in which a prest gets impaled by a lightning conductor. Ouch. This was filmed in London’s All Saints Church, an Anglican church located in Bishop’s Park on the banks of the River Thames.

Director James Watkins said he chose Gothic-style Cotterstock Hall in Northamptonshire, England, for The Woman in Black because "it looked like it had eyes." The only drawback? The place was in pristine condition. It took the production team four days to cover the house and grounds in ivy, weeds and moss before it was ready to play the role of the sinister Eel Marsh House. The seven-bedroom mansion, as photographed by Haakon Dewing, was put up for sale in 2014 and later sold to new owners in 2019.

The evil, human-eating mansion from Stephen King's thriller Rose Red was brought to life on the big screen in the form of Tudor Gothic-style Thornewood Castle. Similar to Rose Red (also, the name of the mansion), Thornewood was given as a gift from husband to bride. Unlike Rose Red, the story of the real home has a happy ending. Originally built in England at the beginning of the 16th century, the castle was bought by Chester Thorne for his wife Anna. It was then deconstructed, shipped in pieces by boat around Cape Horn and rebuilt in Lakewood, Washington.

There are 13 movies in the Halloween franchise, which got its start in 1978 and introduced horror movie fans to Michael Myers, a masked serial killer and one of the most well-known figures in the horror genre. In Halloween Kills, which was released in 2021, The Rusty Nail, a popular sports bar in Wilmington, North Carolina, served as Mick’s Bar and Grill. In town, you can also pose with Michael Myers — well, a wax resemblance — at the Museum of the Bizarre, which has all kinds of curious exhibits, such as a unicorn horn, a crystal skull of knowledge and loads of movie props.

In the 2010 remake of the 1941 film The Wolfman, the Talbot family lives on an estate called Talbot Hall. Members of the family become murderous werewolves. In real-life, Talbot Hall is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England. It is home to the Duke of Devonshire and his family. Thankfully, no members have yet turned up as werewolves. The estate has 35,000 acres and includes gardens, towers, stables and shops. The 11th Duke opened the estate to the public, granting unprecedented access to the stately property.

The Blair Witch Project is the story of three college filmmakers who travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, to shoot a documentary on the legend of the Blair Witch but are never heard from again. The film is supposedly the students’ lost footage and is very realistic. Too realistic. Some of the movie was shot in the real town of Burkittsville, which is located in Frederick County, Maryland. The rural town is a little more than an hour from Baltimore and has fewer than 200 residents.

John Carpenter’s 1980 cult classic, The Fog, features Adrienne Barbeau as a radio DJ whose sultry voice rolls across Northern California from her studio in a lighthouse on (fictional) Antonio Bay. Her perch in the sky gives her a front-row seat for the eerie miasma that seeps in from the Pacific Ocean to consume her town. It also becomes a trap when supernatural mariners begin emerging from the mist. There are (probably) no ghost sailors in Marin County’s Point Reyes Lighthouse, but it wouldn’t hurt to hold the hand rails as you climb the 313 steps to the top of the 153-year-old lighthouse.

Us writer and director Jordan Peele tucked a nod to The Lost Boys into the opening sequence of his 2019 blockbuster, as he told pop culture site, UPROXX. "We shot in Santa Cruz and the first scene of our movie is there. It’s the same beach, it’s the same amusement park. And it’s even 1986 … [T]here is a reference to The Lost Boys shooting by the carousel. They’re walking down the Santa Monica boardwalk and the mother says, ‘You know they’re shooting a movie over there by the carousel.’" Fair warning: Santa Cruz Boardwalk wears its Hollywood pedigree proudly, and you shouldn’t be surprised if the jumpsuited figures at its margins look rather familiar.