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Would these spooky sets give you the creeps in real life?
The exterior of the historic Timberline Lodge served as The Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.Photo: George Rose/Getty Images
While nothing is quite as frightening as the villains in scary movies, often their settings can come very close. Directors such as John Carpenter and Wes Craven have long had a knack for choosing locations, particularly houses, that provide the perfect backdrop for murder and mayhem. Many of the homes, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, are either famous in their own right or iconic thanks to their time on the big screen. As Halloween approaches, AD looks back at the filming locations from some of the most popular horror movies of all time—including one spot you can stay the night, if you dare.…
Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
House on Haunted Hill
Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Ennis House in Los Angeles has been featured in many Hollywood productions, from Blade Runner to the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The 1925 landmark made one of its earliest and best-known appearances in William Castle’s 1959 film House on Haunted Hill, where it was used as the exterior of the titular home.
Photo: MGM Studios/Getty Images
Poltergeist
In the 1982 movie, the Freeling family moves into a home in a California development only to find that it is haunted by ghosts. The exteriors were shot in a split-level house in Simi Valley, California, which was most recently plucked off the market a few months after it listed in 2024.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The Amityville Horror
While the real-life home that inspired the book and 1979 movie is in Amityville, Long Island (and currently on the market), the film was shot at a colonial-style home in Tom’s River, New Jersey.
Photo: Tony Hoffarth
Halloween
Michael Myers terrorizes Haddonfield, Illinois, in John Carpenter’s 1978 movie. The homes of both Myers and protagonist Laurie Strode, whose home is shown here, are located in South Pasadena, California.
Photo: Warner Brothers/Getty Images
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s 1973 horror flick brought William Peter Blatty’s novel about the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl to the big screen. The film takes place in Washington, DC’s Georgetown neighborhood, including several sites at Georgetown University, and a brick house in the area was used for the exterior shots of Chris and Regan MacNeil’s home. (The famous Exorcist steps are located nearby.)
Photo: Tony Hoffarth
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven introduced the world to Freddy Krueger and the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio, in the 1984 slasher film. Character Nancy Thompson’s home at 1428 Elm Street is actually located in Los Angeles.
Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Ghostbusters
The 1984 supernatural comedy followed a group of parapsychologists played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis ghosthunting across the Big Apple. City landmarks including Columbia University, the New York Public Library, City Hall, and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church appeared in the film, but the most iconic location is the Hook and Ladder Company 8 Firehouse, which served as the Ghostbusters’ headquarters. The firehouse, located at the corner of North Moore and Varick Streets in Manhattan, is now a popular tourist destination. You can stop by the Tribeca building’s exterior, but bear in mind that it’s still a working firehouse.
Photo: Don Kelsen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Lost Boys
Located near the Pacific Coast Highway, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk has served as a filming location for many movies, including Harold and Maude, Dangerous Minds, and The Sting II. The setting is perhaps best known for its role in The Lost Boys, the 1987 vampire movie. The amusement park was also featured in Jordan Peele’s 2019 psychological horror movie Us.
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Tobe Hooper’s 1974 slasher movie was filmed, naturally, throughout the Lone Star State. The gas station featured in the film is located in Bastrop, Texas, and is now a horror-themed barbeque spot. Most of the movie was shot at a farmhouse near Round Top, Texas. The house was later moved to Kingsland, Texas, and is now a restaurant and pub at the Antlers Inn called Hooper’s.
Photo: George Rose/Getty Images
The Shining
Stephen King was inspired to write the classic 1977 horror novel after staying at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. When director Stanley Kubrick brought the King’s Overlook Hotel to life in the 1980 movie, he chose the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon to serve as the snowy, spooky exterior. The hotel’s interiors were created on a soundstage, the design of which was inspired by the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park.
Elizabeth Stamp is a freelance lifestyle and design writer and editor based in Los Angeles. For AD, she reports on everything from cutting-edge architecture to far-flung destinations to the homes of the royal family. She previously worked on staff at Architectural Digest and ELLE DECOR and has contributed to CNN ... Read More