There’s nothing quite like visiting the real-life locations where your favorite horror movies were filmed. It is one thing to watch The Shining from the comfort of your couch, but it is an entirely different experience to stand in the exact spot where Jack Torrance lost his mind!
The following list will help you plan your next horror movie location travel. From eerie mansions to cemeteries and frightening woods, these horror movie filming locations bring the chills of the big screen to life. Ready to be scared?
The Overlook Hotel in The Shining
Let’s start with the Timberline Lodge, where the movie’s exterior shots were filmed. The vacation cottage’s imposing presence and snowy surroundings perfectly capture the tense, isolated atmosphere of The Shining’s Overlook Hotel. When visiting the Timberline Lodge, fans of the movie immediately recognize the establishment’s exterior design. It is fascinating to see how this place can conjure up the same sense of dread and isolation that you feel when watching The Shining.
The lodge offers various activities that delve into its history. Remember to check for the nearby hiking trails, which add to the wilderness and seclusion that define the Overlook Hotel.
Now, since The Shining was a novel published by Stephen King in 1977 before being turned into a movie, why not visit the place that inspired the author for the Overlook Hotel? This place is the Historic Stanley Estes Park Hotel, whose story began in 1903 when inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley settled in the valley.
The hotel has drawn legions of fans in Estes Park, a small mountain town that serves as the primary gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Historic Stanley Estes Park Hotel offers a one-hour guided experience called The Shining Tour. You can also enjoy three more exciting tours in this beautiful Colonial Revival-style establishment.
By the way, the Stanley Hotel is considered one of the most haunted places in the United States. Just saying…
The Exorcist Steps
Few horror movies have had as lasting an impact as The Exorcist. Among its many terrifying moments, one of the most iconic occurs when Father Merrin faces the demon on the eerie, shadowed stairs leading up to the house where 12-year-old Regan, possessed by an evil force, lives with her mother.
These stairs, located at 3600 Prospect Street NW, Washington, D.C., are known as the “Exorcist Steps”. They are narrow and incredibly unsettling, especially if you’ve seen the movie. When walking up these steps, you feel the chill that comes with this experience, knowing what happened in this classic horror movie. Just standing in front of them is enough to send shivers down your spine.
The place was recognized in 2015 as a District of Columbia landmark and an official tourist attraction by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The Woods in The Blair Witch Project
The dense woods of Maryland take center stage in The Blair Witch Project, a film that terrified audiences with its found-footage style and creepy vibes. The movie was shot in Seneca Creek State Park, where the forest is as daunting as the one you saw on the screen.
When visiting the park, you’ll find several hiking trails that lead deep into the woods. It is easy to get lost in their dense foliage, just like the characters in the movie. The park’s natural beauty is undeniable, but a lingering feeling of unease awaits the visitors familiar with the film.
As you walk through the trails, you might be looking over your shoulder and expect to see strange stick figures hanging from the trees or hearing distant whispers in the wind.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: the Cemetery, the Gas Station, and the Creepy House
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a 1974 independent American horror film that raked in over $30 million at the box office with a slight budget of around $140,000.
Fans of the movie remember Leatherface, the mentally disabled member of a family of deranged cannibals, known for murdering with his chainsaw. The flick was shot largely in east and central Texas, where tourists can visit a few famous spooky places related to the movie, such as the cemetery, the gas station, and the family house.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s cemetery scenes were filmed at the Bagdad Cemetery in Leander, Texas. While the movie tombstone featuring defiled corpses was, in fact, a prop, the taller grave marker situated behind that gruesome tableau is still standing in the cemetery.
The gas station, which is part of the movie’s opening scene, was transformed into a gift shop, an overnight cabin and a barbecue joint called W.E. Slaughter Barbecue, where horror fans can find great food and horror movie trinkets. The place receives good reviews on Trip Advisor and is featured on The Texas Bucket List’s website.
As for the family house, its original location stood in an area known as Quick Hill, in Round Rock, Texas, but the structure was moved 60 miles away to Kingsland, Texas, to be a component of the Antler’s Inn complex where it is now called the Grand Central Cafe.
The Plantations of Interview With the Vampire
Based on the novel of the same name by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire chronicles the life of a vampire named Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) who turns a mortal named Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) into a vampire, in 1791.
One of the main movie’s landmarks is Louis’s estate and two sites were used to recreate it: the Oak Alley Plantation on the Mississippi River in Vacherie, Louisiana, and the Destrehan Plantation, just a 25-minute drive from New Orleans’s French Quarter.
Once a sugar cane plantation, the Oak Alley Plantation is run by the Oak Alley Foundation and open to the public. Visitors can join group tours on-site and are encouraged to allow a minimum of 2 hours to explore the grounds and exhibits.
As for the Destrehan Plantation, it was established in 1787 and remains the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley. Key scenes of Interview With a Vampire shot inside the plantation included the parlors and one bedroom. Now, just like the Oak Valley Plantation, the Destrehan Plantation offers guided tours, one of which is perhaps more interesting than the others, at least for paranormal lovers: the Haunted Plantation Tour.
You can also book cottages on the estate for overnight stays.
The Scream House
Scream is an American murder mystery and meta-slasher franchise that includes six films (and a seventh in active development) and a television series. Fans have in mind the original movie’s legendary Stu Macher’s house at 261 Turner Lane, set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California.
In real life, the house is called Spring Hill Estate and is located in Tomales, California. Beyond its role in Scream, the estate has a rich history, reflecting its prominence in Hollywood’s storied past. Its use in the film has given it a special place in pop culture, especially among horror fans. For information about official events and tours, click here.
The Night of the Living Dead’s Cemetery
The original Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 horror classic directed by George A. Romero. The film is widely recognized for its impact on the zombie genre and its innovative approach to horror.
The Evans City Cemetery, located on Franklin Road in Evans City, Pennsylvania, serves as the backdrop for the movie’s iconic opening scene. With its old gravestones and secluded setting, the cemetery is still a notable site for horror enthusiasts. As you wind along the gravel paths among the tombs, a sense of unease creeps over you.
The Fog’s Point Reyes Lighthouse
Fans of the 1980 cult horror film The Fog, directed by John Carpenter, are quite familiar with the Point Reyes Lighthouse. This historic and picturesque monument is located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California.
It actually sits at the westernmost point of the peninsula, overlooking the turbulent waters of the Pacific Ocean, on a rugged and windswept cliff, which makes for dramatic and scenic views. The location is known for its strong winds and foggy conditions, adding to the lighthouse’s historical importance in aiding navigation.
In The Fog, the Point Reyes Lighthouse sets the scene for some of the movie’s most suspenseful moments. Fans will remember that famous sequence where DJ Stevie, stationed at the tower, witnesses the ominous fog engulfing the nearby town.
The site is managed by the National Park Service, which offers periodic tours and educational programs.
Bangor, Maine: Stephen King’s Sanctuary
Bangor, Maine, is where Stephen King, one of the most prolific and influential authors in the horror genre, has lived since the late 1970s. The city has been a great source of inspiration for many of King’s books and as a filming location for their on-screen adaptations. Its small-town atmosphere, historical and architectural features, as well as surrounding natural landscape all contribute to the settings and mood in the author’s stories.
Here are the 10 places every Stephen King fan must visit while in Bangor. You can also join a 2.5-hour, narrated, bus-driven tour to visit various locations where the author has lived and worked, as well as places that have inspired his stories.
Friday the 13th and Camp Crystal Lake
Friday the 13th is another classic horror movie that first hit theaters in 1980. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, the movie, which has spawned numerous sequels, has become famous for popularizing the slasher film formula.
Friday the 13th would have been nothing without Camp Crystal Lake, a summer destination that was shut down due to a tragic drowning incident. The story kicks off when a group of teenagers arrives to reopen the camp, only to be stalked and murdered by a mysterious killer. The suspense builds as the campers are picked off one by one.
Crystal Lake Tours is a bucket list item for Friday the 13th fans. It is a collection of extraordinary experiences including guided tours, canoeing excursions, movie screenings, and more. These events are held at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick, New Jersey, the primary filming location of the original Friday the 13th.
Whether you’re a seasoned horror fan or just getting into the genre, visiting these famous horror movie filming locations is an unforgettable experience. Not only do you get to walk in the footsteps of cinematic legends, but you also get a firsthand taste of the spooky atmospheres that made these films iconic. So grab your camera, pack your bags, and prepare for a journey into the heart of horror history. And remember: sometimes, the scariest places are the ones that look perfectly normal in daylight!
