We have seen plenty of cases where movie sets have allegedly become haunted for one reason or another, such as Poltergeist and The Exorcist. However, some directors chose to film in an already haunted location. We'll look at fifteen movies that were shot in allegedly haunted locations before a movie camera was ever on set. Does the atmosphere make their films better? Are any allegedly haunted locations best left alone? We'll have to see how it all unfolds!
1. Paris Catacombs - As Above, So Below (2014)
[Source: Legendary Pictures/Brothers Dowdle/IMDb]
The Paris Catacombs are one of the most famous haunted sites in the world, and they're usually off-limits. The film crew needed special permission from the French authorities to shoot in the catacombs; they were the first movie to do so. As Above, So Below is filmed as a found footage movie from a documentary crew exploring the Paris Catacombs. Sadly, the movie did not perform well, but it gives you a look inside the Paris Catacombs. You may want to avoid this movie if you believe in second-hand haunting.
2. Eastern State Penitentiary - 12 Monkeys (1995)
[Source: Atlas Entertainment/Classico Entertainment/IMDb]
Unlike our first movie, 12 Monkeys only has a portion of the movie shot at Eastern State Penitentiary. The film's premise centers on a deadly virus that wipes out most of humanity, believed to have been released by the Army of the Twelve Monkeys. A prisoner is sent back in time to find the original virus so it can be returned to the future, and their scientists can develop a cure. For a post-apocalyptic thriller, the crumbling remains of Eastern State Penitentiary served as an excellent backdrop for a world in shambles. The scenes shot in Eastern State Penitentiary involved Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt incarcerated in a mental institution.
3. The Stanley Hotel - The Shining (1997)
[Source: Lakeside Productions/Warner Bros. Television/IMDb]
Stephen King was famously disappointed that Stanely Kubrick didn't film any parts of the first 1980 The Shining movie at the Stanley Hotel, his inspiration for the Overlook Hotel. So, in 1997, they filmed another The Shining three-part television miniseries at the Stanley Hotel. The second adaptation is not bad by any means, but it couldn't compete with the first iconic movie by Stanley Kubrick. The Stanley Hotel's room 217 is said to be the most haunted place in the hotel and that was kept intact in the 1997 miniseries, but in 1980's The Shining, the room number was changed to room 237.
4. Wavery Hills Sanatorium - Death Tunnel (2005)
[Source: Dax Productions/IMDb]
Death Tunnel was filmed at Waverly Hills Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis sanatorium. Waverly Hills opened in 1910 due to a tuberculosis outbreak in the area, but it closed in 1961 after advancements in treating the disease. While it was in operation, a recorded 63,000 people died. Such a terrifying backdrop could be used to terrifying ends for making a horror movie, but Death Tunnel was not destined for horror movie greatness. The plot involved a group of college coeds where the boys attempted to haze the girls by locking them in an abandoned sanatorium. The plan went awry when the spirits in the hospital began to interfere.
5. The Pine Barrens - Fallen (1998)
[Source: Turner Pictures/Atlas Entertainment/IMDb]
The Pine Barrens in New Jersey is the famous home of the Jersey Devil, but it also harbors the ghosts of a black dog, a blonde woman, and a boy. Portions of Fallen were filmed here, although the film was mostly set and shot in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Denzel Washington plays a police detective who is trying to track down a believed copycat serial killer committing a string of occult murders. While the movie initially underperformed at the box office, it has since gained a cult following. It's definitely worth a watch, especially if you enjoy supernatural thrillers mixed with cops and demons.
6. Casa Loma - Crimson Peak (2015)
[Source: Legendary Pictures/Double Dare You Productions/IMDb]
Interestingly enough, most of the set for Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak was made in a studio, but a few scenes were taken in real-life places. One such portion of the movie was the ballroom scene, filmed in the Casa Loma ballroom in Toronto, Ontario. For a haunted house, Casa Loma is an incredibly popular filming location! Portions of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, X-Men, Twitches, and other movies and TV series used it as a backdrop. While no deaths have been documented at Casa Loma, some famous ghosts include the lady in white, original owner Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife Lady Mary, and a tunnel ghost known as Mr. Happy. We guess they're not scary enough to keep filmmakers away from the beautiful Canadian castle!
7. Pennhurst Asylum/Pennhurst State School and Hospital - American Fright Fest (2018)
[Source: Cineville/Aldamia Entertainment/IMDb]
Overcrowded and understaffed, Pennhurst was a nightmarish place while it was in operation, and it remains an unsettling place to this day. (Even though several of the buildings were demolished by 2020.) The area of Pennhurst was a self-sufficient community with more than 30 buildings, including a firehouse, a barbershop, a farm, and a hospital. American Fright Fest was filmed in several areas of Pennhurst, which, by all rights, should have brought a fantastic atmosphere to the movie. However, this mediocre horror movie couldn't deliver on its script or acting, leaving audiences disappointed.
8. RMS Queen Mary - Raw Force (1982)
[Source: Ansor International/IMDb]
The RMS Queen Mary may be the world's most haunted ship, but it's also a surprisingly popular filming location! It remains docked outside Long Beach, California, so we guess that makes sense if you need an ocean liner in your movie, given the distance from Hollywood. Originally built as a passenger liner in 1936, the ship was converted into a troop ship transporting soldiers in WWII. Yet, for all the ship's haunted history, relatively few horror movies have been filmed there. The RMS Queen Mary was used in some scenes in Raw Force, a bizarre 80s martial arts action horror movie. Other movies and shows filmed there include Baywatch, Batman Forever, Anchorman, Ferris Bueller, and more.
9. Thornewood Castle - Rose Red (2002)
Rose Red is our second Stephen King miniseries filmed in a haunted location. The film series includes influences from The Haunting and the Winchester Mystery House (which we'll encounter later). In the film, a psychology professor takes a team of psychics to a massive mansion named Rose Red in an attempt to gather scientific data that proves the presence of paranormal phenomena. What better setting for a haunted house movie could there be other than an actual haunted house? The reported ghosts at Thornewood Castle appear to be more mischievous than anything else, known for throwing a phantom party and turning off lights and candles.
10. Burg Eltz - The Ninth Configuration (1980)
[Source: The Ninth Configuration Company/IMDb]
The Ninth Configuration is the second movie in the "Trilogy of Faith"—The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III. It's not technically a traditional sequel but more of a spiritual successor. The movie is about a psychiatric institution for Vietnam War veterans and the relationship between an unorthodox psychiatrist and his patient. The iconic Burg Eltz or Eltz Castle is used as an exterior backdrop for the asylum, seen prominently in the movie. The most haunted room in Burg Eltz is reported to be the Countess Room, which belonged to Agnes. She had been promised in marriage to the Knight of Braunsberg, but after an unwanted kiss at a castle festival, she publicly slapped him, and he stormed out. The knight returned to storm the castle with his fellow knights, and Agnes died defending it, wearing her brother's armor. The Countess Room still contains the armor that she had died in.
11. Corvin Castle - The Nun (2018)
[Source: New Line Cinema/Atomic Monster/The Safran Company/IMDb]
Corvin Castle lies in Hunedoara, Transylvania, one of the largest castles in Europe. Due to its massive presence, it's also an iconic filming location for quite a few movies. One such movie is The Nun, part of The Conjuring franchise. Only parts of the film were shot in and around Corvin Castle, including its vast exterior. We can already picture Valak roaming its halls in the guise of a nun. Corvin Castle itself has a lengthy history, starting with its construction in 1440. It may have once housed Vlad the Impaler in his exile and was a source of inspiration for famous author Bram Stoker. Plenty of conspiracies and betrayals have wandered its halls, only adding to the legendary structure that is Corvin Castle.
12. Detroit Masonic Temple - Hostel: Part III (2011)
[Source: Stage 6 Films/RCR Media Group/Next Entertainment/IMDb]
A Masonic Temple seems like a strange filming location for one of the movies in the Hostel franchise, but this is no ordinary temple. Detroit's Masonic Temple is the largest in the world, with three ballrooms, a gymnasium, banquet halls, and other recreational areas. We noticed in an exclusive on Dread Central that they visited the set of Hostel Part III and ventured into the basement of the Masonic Temple. Such a massive facility is bound to have enough concrete, wires, and pipes for a horror movie set in its basement. There are rumors that architect George G. Mason jumped off the building to his death, although he died in his home in the Wilshire Apartment building. Still, large structures that have been around long enough seem to attract supernatural attention in the eyes of the public.
13. The Winchester Mystery House - Winchester (2018)
[Source: Bullitt Entertainment/Diamond Pictures/Imagination Design Works/CBS Films/IMDb]
The story behind the Winchester Mystery House is so interesting that they decided to make a movie about it and film it on location. The house was designed by Sarah Winchester herself, who had taken an interest in architecture with her husband. The home was her pet project, but it later became an obsession. Sarah built rooms one by one, sometimes abandoning or tearing them down and rebuilding portions of the house, resulting in a maze-like construction. In some cases, the progression led to walled-off windows and doors. Speculation led to rumors about why the house was perpetually under construction, the most famous of which was if she stopped construction, she would die. The home is allegedly haunted, possibly with the ghosts of the gun deaths from Winchester firearms or other spirits trapped in the labyrinthian house.
14. Kehoe House - Madhouse (1981)
[Source: Overseas FilmGroup/IMDb]
1981's Madhouse is an Italian slasher movie filmed on location in Savannah, Georgia. The Kehoe house reportedly has ghost children because the Kehoe twins died there, but the history has been largely debunked. However, the home's history with twins could explain why the Kehoe House was picked for Madhouse. The movie involves a set of twins, with one sister being stalked by her psychopathic sibling in the days leading up to their birthday. Years earlier, Mary had vowed to make her sister Julia "suffer as she had suffered". People around Julie start disappearing or dying one by one, leading her to conclude that her sister Mary has come for her.
15. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - Uninvited (1987)
[Source: Heritage Entertainment/IMDb]
Would you like to bump into famous Hollywood ghosts? The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has housed many celebrity guests who are now rumored to be celebrity ghosts. Marilyn Monroe and Errol Flynn are some of the more common supposed sightings. Hollywood, being Hollywood, wouldn't let a little haunting stop them from filming here, making movies like Catch Me if You Can, Almost Famous, and Hancock, to name a few. 1980s horror movie Uninvited also shot some scenes at the famous hotel. The movie involves a cat infected with a virus that goes on a killing spree. It's not a great movie, but you might find some entertainment in the off-the-wall 80s cheese.
That was a wild ride! Have you ever been to any of these allegedly haunted locations? Are there any scary sites that you feel would also make great movies? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! If you're feeling inspired, check out our favorite scary Halloween decorations to turn your home into a haunted house for Halloween.
