With the leaves turning and the temperatures dropping, it really feels a lot like Halloween. Although your typical seasonal scares, like haunted houses and costume parades, might be on hold this year, you can generate your own frights with any classic horror film.
Music, such as John Carpenter’s iconic soundtracks, and creepy forms, like Scream’s Ghostface costume, are key to generating long-lasting frights. However, horror movies would be nothing without their spooky destinations. This Halloween, turn off the TV and head to one of the USA’s top scary movie filming destinations.
Salem, Massachusetts
When considering classic spooky spots, there’s nowhere more iconic than Salem. Home to the historic Salem Witch Trials, many movies, such as Hocus Pocus (1993) and, more recently, Hubie Halloween (2020), have set and filmed portions of their stories in this historic town.
The real Salem, Massachusetts, offers tours year-round about the sites involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Also of interest to film fans is Salem’s Pioneer Village, America’s first living history museum, where Hocus Pocus’s opening scenes featuring Binx as a human were filmed.
The Dakota – Upper West Side, NYC
Steps away from Central Park, the Upper West Side’s The Dakota is known as the site of John Lennon’s death in 1980. However, its horror history started 12 years earlier when it was home to the evil cult featured in the movie Rosemary’s Baby (1968).
Since it’s known for its exclusivity, it’s unlikely you’ll get to explore the apartment building’s interior yourself, but it’s the gothic exterior that captures film’s creepy ambiance.
The Blairstown Diner – Blairstown, New Jersey
The Blairstown Diner was featured in the original Friday the 13th (1980) movie. Although the look of the diner has changed since the movie was filmed, it remains fully operational today and offers to-go orders, allowing you to safely enjoy your horror fix while visiting New Jersey.
Every Friday the 13th is celebrated as a Blairstown National Holiday, where locals and fans gather to honor the horror franchise.
Seneca Creek State Park – Burkittsville, Maryland
Set in the fictional Black Hills Forest, The Blair Witch Project (1999) was filmed in Maryland’s Seneca Creek State Park. This found-footage film centers around a group of friends who investigate the legend of a witch who supposedly kills those who visit the forest. However, real visitors have nothing to fear as the legend was entirely made up for the movie.
Hikers can explore multiple trails while visiting the park. Therefore, be sure to strap on your boots and grab your cameras to create your own version of Blair Witch (we just wouldn’t suggest camping there overnight).
The steps from The Exorcist – Washington, DC
This towering staircase in Washington, DC may seem daunting, but any horror fan will likely recognize these steps from the climax of 1973’s The Exorcist. Here, the priest falls after being possessed by the very demon he attempted to exorcise.
For those visiting, the stairs serve as a shortcut between Canal Road and Prospect Street NW, leading to the home featured in the movie.
Devil’s Kettle – Grand Marais, Minnesota
The lore behind Devil’s Kettle – the mysterious waterfall that plays a key role in Grand Marais, the Minnesota town in Jennifer’s Body (2009) – is quite fascinating. For years, those who stumbled upon Devil’s Kettle waterfall along Minnesota’s North Shore watched the falls plunge into solid rock. However, no one knew where the water disappeared to.
In the movie, the weapon that transforms Jennifer into a boy-thirsty demon washes up downstream. But if you tossed a stick into the real Devil’s Kettle, hoping to see it magically appear far away, you’d be disappointed. The mystery was debunked a few years ago when a hydrologist discovered the Kettle empties right below where it flows in.
The falls can be accessed by a 2-mile out-and-back hike along the Superior Hiking Trail.
The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado
After author Stephen King stayed in room 217 at the Stanley Hotel, this popular Colorado accommodation served as the main inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in The Shining (1977). Although the ghost twins and rivers of blood are fictional, legends say that The Stanley is actually haunted.
However, Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 movie adaptation wasn’t filmed here; the exterior of the film’s Overlook Hotel was shot at The Timberline Lodge in Mt Hood, Oregon, and interior shots were filmed at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, California. Although King was not happy with Kubrick’s film, he revisited The Stanley to film his 1997 miniseries.
The home in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Kingsland, Texas
You can now dine in the original Victorian home from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Originally located and filmed in Round Rock, Texas, the white home was moved to Kingsland in 1998.
Now called Grand Central Café, you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very place that introduced Leatherface. After your eerie experience, you can view memorabilia from the film or visit the bar for themed cocktails. If that’s not enough, you can also eat and drink at the original gas station from the film in Bastrop, Texas.
Laurie Strode and Michael Myers’ homes – South Pasadena, California
The actual Halloween franchise takes place in the fictional Haddonfield, Illinois, but the real street where Michael Myers terrorized for decades is located in a South Pasadena suburb. His childhood home, although moved from its original location, is now a chiropractic office and a California landmark. You can also walk in Michael’s footsteps to Laurie Strode’s house down the street.
Rosenheim Mansion – Los Angeles, California
From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to American Horror Story: Murder House, this iconic California mansion is featured in numerous spooky TV series.
Designed by architect Alfred Rosenheim in 1902, the home was built in the Country Club Park Los Angeles neighborhood that soon became known as Billionaire Row. Although there’s nothing particularly scary about the home’s history, a large addition has been built to facilitate filming inside the mansion.
Note: This is a private residence that does not offer tours.
