If you’re a big fan of scary movies, then we have news for you: Some of the most famous horror movies in cinematic history were filmed at locations you can still visit today. From a quiet town in New York’s Hudson Valley (where a headless horseman is said to roam) to a campsite in New Jersey that served as the backdrop for Friday the 13th, read ahead for five spooky places you can travel to and recreate a scene from your favorite scary movie.
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Sleepy Hollow Although the movie Sleepy Hollow was mostly filmed on production sets, the story that inspired the film, Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” is based on a very real place. Located in New York’s Hudson Valley, Sleepy Hollow is a village just outside of Tarrytown filled with quiet carriage roads, rolling fields, and thick forests—where locals say you’ll find a headless horseman chasing after dangerous criminals into the wee hours of the night. Come for one of the town’s famous cemetery tours—and see where Irving is actually buried—but stay for the IG-worthy Sleepy Hollow welcome sign. |
1428 Elm Street
If you’re a fan of horror films, then the address “1428 Elm Street” will likely spark great joy. While the address where Freddy Krueger lurked in Nightmare on Elm Street is fictional, the house itself still stands in Los Angeles , not Springwood, Ohio, at 1428 N Genesee Ave. Today, the house looks shockingly similar to how it did in 1984, back when the movie was originally filmed ,and perhaps even more surprisingly, sold for over $2 million (despite all the hardcore Kreuger fans that stop by for pics.)
The Timberline Lodge
If the words “Red Rum” mean anything to you, then you’ll want to check out this legendary filming location. Nestled on a mountain in Mount Hood, Oregon, The Timberline Lodge served as the setting for the exterior shots of the Overlook Hotel in 1980’s The Shining—about a family that goes crazy while trapped alone inside a ski resort. The Timberline Lodge offers year-round skiing and activities inspired by the film, so scary movie lovers can visit anytime of year.
The Exorcist Steps
In one of the final scenes of the 1973 supernatural thriller The Exorcist, a priest flings himself from a window onto the stone steps below in order to free a young girl from demonic possession. The stone steps, dubbed the “Exorcist Steps” by locals, are still intact today in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C., where they connect M Street NW with Prospect Street NW and make for a perfectly appropriate photo op for All Hallows Eve.
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Camp Crystal Lake
No scary movie setting roundup would be complete without Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th. Located in northwestern New Jersey, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco served as the campgrounds where Jason unleashed havoc on unsuspecting camp counselors in the 1980 horror classic. Today, it’s a private camp for boy scouts that you can visit if you schedule a private tour—but snapping a pic of Sand Pond—aka Crystal Lake—is visible from off the grounds, and every bit as scary. |
A spooky setting is essential in any scary movie. Star in your own favorite horror film this Halloween by visiting one of these legendary filming locations for fun.
