With all due respect to seasonal classics like Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice, this is a list dedicated to the truly nerve-wracking Halloween flicks.
Travelers looking to embrace the spooky season can’t go wrong visiting these iconic horror movie locales.
The Myers House, South Pasadena, California – Halloween (1978)
Few films capture the vibe of spooky season quite like John Carpenter’s Halloween and the 1978 masterpiece owes much of its spine-tingling atmosphere to the Myers House, which can be found today at 1000 Mission Street in South Pasadena, California.
“Luckily for Halloween fans, South Pasadena identified the historical significance of ‘The Century House’ and has named it landmark #34 in their list of local properties, forever preserving it as a piece of history,” according to The Myers House NC, a life-size replica of the house that visitors can experience in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado – The Shining (1980)
Books have been written and documentaries have been made about Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining. While not a filming location for the 1980 classic, this singular work was born from King’s lonely stay at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. (Photo Credit: Adobe/Jordon K Dopp)
Home to the hair-raising Room 217, the hotel sits on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park and currently offers an hour-long theatrical tour experience for $30 per person.
Leatherface’s Family House, Kingsland, Texas – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a groundbreaking movie within the horror genre, marketed as a film based on true events that frightens and downright shocks viewers to this day.
Visitors looking to embrace the chaos of this classic can head to the Lone Star State to see Leatherface’s family home for themselves.
“The original house where Leatherface’s (Hansen) family lived stood in Round Rock’s Quick Hill during the filming,” Visit Austin points out. “In 1998, the structure was moved 60 miles away to Kingsland, to be a part of the Antler’s Inn complex, where it is now the Grand Central Cafe.”
The Conjuring House, Burrillville, Rhode Island – The Conjuring (2013)
The creepy New England farmhouse that inspired the beloved The Conjuring franchise is located in Burrillville, Rhode Island, about a half-hour outside of Providence.
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and the famous Perron family are long gone but the property remains and will actually open for bidding this Halloween.
“Over our 50 years of conducting real estate auctions, we have sold many famous properties, including Susan B. Anthony’s birthplace, Myles Standish’s childhood home and Foxboro State Hospital,” JJManning Auctioneers president Justin J. Manning told PEOPLE. “However, this auction is already receiving more attention in one week than all of those others combined.”
He adds, “We expect builders, developers and fans of the supernatural to compete for this prized property.”
Although this house inspired the film, the movie was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina and does not feature the allegedly haunted farmhouse.
7 White Pine Canyon Rd, Park City, Utah – Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster’s 2018 horror hit Hereditary used the private residence at 7 White Pine Canyon Rd in Park City, Utah, for its haunting exterior shots of the Graham family’s house.
This spot is a must-visit for any scary movie-loving travelers venturing to the Salt Lake City region this fall.
112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York – The Amityville Horror (1979)
There are haunted houses, and then there’s The Amityville Horror house. This unmistakable Dutch colonial revival property at 112 Ocean Avenue is where Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family before the infamous Lutz family moved in a year later only to report paranormal experiences.
The Long Island house still exists, but the address has been changed amid renovations to discourage visitors.
Manhattan, New York – Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
New York City can generate many feelings, but those in search of a spooky sensation need not look any further than The Dakota. The building served as the location for the fictional Bramford in Roman Polanski’s psychological horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, and can be found at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.
Upper West Side neighborhood in Manhattan, New York. (Photo Credit: Adobe/Tupungato)
London, UK – 28 Days Later (2002)
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later sparked a franchise that continues more than two decades later. But it all began in London, with filmmakers revealing normally busy parts of the city, such as Westminster Bridge and Piccadilly Circus, completely vacant and desolate in the wake of a virus outbreak.
Freeling House, Simi Valley, California – Poltergeist (1982)
The 1982 classic Poltergeist centers on the Freeling family that moves into a haunted house in the suburbs and that famous house can be found at 4267 Roxbury Street in Forest Hills in the Simi Valley north of Los Angeles, California.
The iconic four-bedroom abode went on the market for nearly $1.2 million last year.
“The exterior of the house is immediately recognizable from the film, which focused on a suburban family whose home was invaded by ghosts that abducted their young daughter, played by Heather O’Rourke. According to the property description, ‘the formal dining room leads to the infamous kitchen where fans of the movie will love to see it’s still in its original form,'” states Equity Union.
Blairstown, New Jersey – Friday the 13th (1980)
Horror movie buffs visiting the Big Apple might consider taking a brief road trip to Blairstown, New Jersey to tour some of the filming locations for 1980’s Friday The 13th.
The fictional Camp Crystal Lake was actually Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in nearby Hardwick, but visitors to Blairstown can check out the stone arches on Main Street and stop into The Blairstown Diner before swinging by Moravian Cemetery in nearby Hope Township.
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