Most Loved Horror Movie Locales: Then and Now

Some horror movies were set in a location that hit home - literally. If the house was atmospheric enough, it haunted us long after the viewing. Here's some beloved horror houses and movie locations then and now.

The Birds

THEN

NOW

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" is one of the top most loved horror films of all time. What was it about that location of Bodega Bay? Was it the rustic charm and isolation or some of the pivotal locations, like the schoolhouse?

The schoolhouse today is a private home, done up in gorgeous style, in keeping with the era and its personal importance to us horror lovers. Bravo! Job well done!

Poltergeist

THEN

NOW

The fictional Freeling Family moved into a home atop of a graveyard that wasn't moved. The suburban dream became a nightmare and we all were drawn into the horrors of free-floating toys, moving chairs, and a child that disappeared into the closet vortex. Today, it is a happy and well-kept suburban tract house in Simi Valley, California.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

THEN

NOW (sample)

Gull Cottage, the deceased captain's lair, was the romantic setting of a beautiful film with a charming concept of a widow moving into a cottage and being haunted by the past resident, creating a star-crossed love that survived the ravages of time.

Surprisingly, the cottage was built for the movie in Palos Verdes Peninsula in California. After the filming, it was torn down.

The Haunting

THEN

NOW

The 1963 classic horror movie, "The Haunting," had a fantastic location that appeared so sinister. With the right filming of the exterior and black and white film, Robert Wise did a great job of capturing a terrifying haunt. In actually, it was the lovely Ettington Park Hotel.

The Amityville Horror

THEN

NOW

Whether you believe it was horrendously haunted and evil or you just enjoyed the book and movie, the house from "The Amityville Horror" became one of the most identified movie homes ever. Today, the house is up for sale.

The Legend of Hell House

THEN

NOW

This 1973 haunted house movie based on the excellent horror author Richard Matheson book, was a chilling movie and the house was as foreboding as could be! This location as Wykehurst Park House in England. It is privately owned and at one time was a hotel.

Night of the Living Dead

THEN

NOW (sample)

The iconic zombie movie of all time, "Night of the Living Dead" was filmed in the Pennsylvania countryside. The cemetery (below), as well. The farmhouse has been destroyed and plowed under long ago, but the memories of the showdown with the undead certainly remain!

THEN

NOW

The cemetery in the opening scene of "Night of the Living Dead" was our first introduction to a zombie in the movie. It started the insane path that Barbara and the viewers took for the rest of the movie.

The Evans City, PA cemetery is exactly as it was back then. It seems like you are on top of the world in an isolated forest location on a hillside. You can almost envision it in black and white. I took a trip there in 2013 -

The Changeling

THEN

NOW (sample)

The 1980 movie "The Changeling" was based on a story of something that happened to a man in Denver (LINK).

The movie was filmed in British Columbia and the exterior and interior shots were done on a set that was taken down afterwards. I know, I wanted it to be real too!!!

Some movie locations just stick with us. I know, I always wanted to live in the house from "The Haunting" with the atrium, the library and the scary little nursery....

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Cemetery Safety Bells, Morbid Death Mementos and Superstitions

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Don Monroe Case Files: Unusual Carving Unearthed!

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Monsters in the Deepest Ocean!

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Scary and Precarious Roads!

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Obscure Horror Movies of the 70s and 80s

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Terror of Doll Island!

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