21 Spookiest Horror Film and TV Locations Around Los Angeles

As the cradle of the movie business, the Los Angeles area is where many of the most popular horror films of all time have been filmed. From Invasion of the Body Snatchers to Halloween and Poltergeist, Hollywood productions have found plenty of spooky locations to shoot iconic scare fare.

As the cradle of the movie business, the Los Angeles area is where many of the most popular horror films of all time have been filmed. From “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” to “Halloween” and “Poltergeist,” Hollywood productions have found plenty of spooky locations to shoot iconic scare fare.

From everytown U.S.A. suburban houses to creepy desert gas stations and ominous cemetery gates, you don’t have to venture far outside the city to find just about any kind of location a horror film could need. Of course, some of the scariest movies take place in some of the most placid suburban settings.

Small, bucolic villages like Sierra Madre and South Pasadena are the perfect innocent backdrops, and look like they could easily be in the eastern or midwestern U.S. The famous advice to save money on far-flung location filming and “shoot it in Griffith Park” was taken to heart by the makers of films including “Cabin Fever,” who used the Bronson Cave, familiar to fans of the 1960s “Batman” TV series.

Here are 21 locations that will look eerily familiar to any true horror film fan.

  • American Horror Story Murder House

    In the first season of the FX series “American Horror Story,” the unsuspecting Harmon family relocates from Boston to Los Angeles after suffering a personal tragedy. What they don’t know is that the house they’ve moved into is nicknamed “the murder house” because of its violent history. Once belonging to a crazy surgeon who performed gruesome procedures in the filthy basement, the macabre mansion is now the locus for a series of bizarre hauntings. Built in 1908 and known as the Rosenheim House, it’s located in the Country Club Park neighborhood and was also seen in “Six Feet Under,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” series, 2002’s “Spiderman” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

    (1120 Westchester Place, Los Angeles)

  • Cabin Fever - Bronson Caves

    Luckily for horror filmmakers, one of the most iconic places to shoot is located right in the Hollywood Hills, just a short hop from major studios. Bronson Caves in Bronson Canyon are part of Griffith Park, and the cave that served as the Batcave on TV was also used for 2002’s Eli Roth movie “Cabin Fever.” Most of that movie was filmed in an authentically creepy North Carolina forest, but the cave where Justin Grimm — played by Roth himself — is found dead is none other than good old Bronson Cave. Other movies that shot in the all-purpose cave include “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Under the Silver Lake,” “Army of Darkness,” “The Nest” and the original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

    (3200 Canyon Drive, Los Angeles)

  • Charmed House

    This popular supernatural TV series tells the story of three sisters (well, technically two sisters and one half-sister) who discover that they’re descended from a family of powerful witches and are destined to save the world from demons, monsters, and all types of sinister creatures. On the show, the ancestral home they share is a large Victorian mansion located in San Francisco. In reality, the house is situated in Angelino Heights in L.A.’s Echo Park, on the same street where Michael Jackson’s Thriller house can be found.

    (1329 Carroll Ave., Los Angeles)

  • The Convent Sorority House

    The cheesily enjoyable horror movie “The Convent” finds a group of sorority girls and fraternity guys menaced by a bunch of demonic nuns in an abandoned convent. The Alpha Delta Die sorority house where the girls live is really the Beckett Mansion in Los Angeles, directly across the street from the spot where Wes Craven shot “The People Under the Stairs.”

    (2218 South Harvard St., Los Angeles)

  • Ghoulies - Wattles Mansion

    In an outstanding year for horror movies, “Ghoulies” stood out for its family-friendly humor. In this “Gremlins” knock-off, the monster-infested mansion where the Ghoulies live was just down the street from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” house — smack in the middle of Hollywood. Known as the Wattles Mansion, it was built in 1907 and is now owned by the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, which rents it out for weddings, filming and other events. The elaborate dwelling can also be seen in “May,” the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series and “Rain Man.”

    (1824 N. Curson Ave., Hollywood)

  • Halloween – The Myers House

    Although set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Ill., John Carpenter’s influential slasher hit was actually shot in and around cozy South Pasadena, Calif.  The infamous Myers house, where 6-year old Michael slaughtered his sister Judith with a kitchen knife, is located directly across the street from the brick building that served as the hardware store where Michael stole his iconic white-faced mask in the original movie. No longer as spooky or ramshackle as it appeared in the film, the Myers house is smaller than it looks on screen, but retains many of the subtle Victorian details that made it such a perfect choice for a horror film.

    (1000 Mission St., South Pasadena)

  • Halloween – Laurie’s House

    Although Michael Myers’ house is considered a mecca for “Halloween” fans, the friendliest and most accommodating location from that horror classic is actually Laurie Strode’s home, situated only a few blocks away from Michael’s abode. That’s because the current owners graciously leave plastic pumpkins on their front porch year-round for fans to use as props when taking photos at the location. Laurie’s house is directly across the street from the South Pasadena Public Library, which bears a small commemorative plaque under one of its outdoor benches dedicated to the memory of “Halloween” producer Moustapha Akkad.

    (1115 Oxley St., South Pasadena)

  • Halloween – The Hedge

    In one of the most memorable moments from Carpenter’s classic, teenage babysitters Laurie, Annie, and Lynda walk home from school and spot Michael Myers lurking ominously behind a thick hedge in their neighborhood. As they approach, he steps just out of sight, sending a shiver of fear down Laurie’s spine. That memorable hedge can be found on Montrose Ave. in South Pasadena. Bring your favorite Myers mask and a camera for some Halloween-themed selfies.

    (1019 and 1025 Montrose Ave., South Pasadena)

  • Halloween II – Haddonfield Town Square

    Fans of the first sequel to Carpenter’s “Halloween” will definitely want to explore the quaint storefronts in and around Kersting Court in Sierra Madre, east of Los Angeles. That’s because this lovely area was used for several exterior shots in “Halloween II.” In the film, Michael Myers relentlessly makes his way towards Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, silently stalking past current Kersting Court businesses like Mother Moo Creamery as he heads up North Baldwin Ave. in search of fresh victims. Scenes from the 1956 sci-fi horror classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” were also shot at the same location – as was “Big Little Lies.”

    (51 N. Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre)

  • Halloween III: Season of the Witch - The Buccaneer

    Is a “Halloween” film without Michael Myers still a “Halloween” film? It’s debatable, but this 1982 installment in the series is a solid horror film in its own right. The Buccaneer is the kind of small-town bar found pretty much everywhere in America: a pool table, a small stage for live music and a clientele of seasoned regulars. Found on the main drag in bucolic Sierra Madre, just outside of Los Angeles, the 60-year old tavern looks just about the same, complete with the painted mural behind the bar, as it did when actor Tom Atkins tossed back a few beers while planning a trip to the Silver Shamrock mask factory. Much of the rest of the filming took place in the remote Northern California town of Loleta.

    (70 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre)

  • Nightmare on Elm Street House

    It’s really in Hollywood, but the movie set in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio kept the same house number and changed the street to Elm Street. The traditional style house where beloved final girl Nancy lived (played by fan favorite Heather Langencamp) also appeared in “Freddy’s Revenge” and “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.” It last sold for $2.1 million, and features a pool and guest house if you don’t mind feeling the spirit of Freddy Krueger hanging over your daily activities.

    (1428 N. Genessee Ave., West Hollywood)

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street - John Marshall High School

    Built in 1930, the classic brick design of John Marshall High School in Los Feliz has been featured in many movies and TV shows over the years, including several notable horror films and series. Fans of Wes Craven’s classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” will instantly recognize it as Springwood High School, where plucky student Nancy Thompson and her soon-to-be-murdered friends studied before falling victim to Freddy Krueger. The location also appears as fictional Hemery High School in the 1992 feature film version of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Conveniently located to movie studios, it’s among the most filmed schools anywhere, and also appeared in “Grease,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Boy Meets World” and “iCarly,” among many others.

    (3939 Tracy St., Los Angeles)

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors - Royce Hall

    In the second sequel to Wes Craven’s classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” a group of mentally disturbed teens are sent to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital to receive treatment for a variety of sleep disorders. Naturally, Freddy Krueger arrives and begins picking them off, one by one, in gruesomely inventive ways. In reality, UCLA’s historic Royce Hall served as the creepy hospital’s exterior. The UCLA campus in Westwood has appeared in hundreds of movies and TV shows, doubling as “UC Sunnydale” in the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series as well as appearing in “Legally Blonde,” “Angels and Demons” and “Old School.”

    (10745 Dickson Ct, Los Angeles)

  • The People Under the Stairs House

    Set primarily in a former funeral home, Wes Craven’s indescribably freaky horror comedy tells the story of an incestuous pair of landlords who terrorize their neighborhood by locking unsuspecting residents in their fortified basement. Subsisting on a diet of human flesh, the unlucky captives eventually escape from the confines of the cellar and invade the rest of the house by crawling through a series of hidden passageways in the walls. The 1905 Thomas W. Phillips House is located in Los Angeles’ West Adams neighborhood just across the street from the spooky mansion used in “The Convent.”

    (2215 South Harvard Blvd., Los Angeles)

  • Phantasm – Mortuary Gates

    Director Don Coscarelli’s 1979 drive-in classic about strange hooded creatures and deadly flying spheres that terrorize visitors to Morningside Cemetery was set in Oregon but shot primarily in California’s San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. The stone gates of the former Cobb Estate that served as the entrance to the film’s creepy cemetery are located in Altadena, just north of Pasadena. Fans are advised to take caution when visiting the spot, however, since the sprawling 107-acre site where the gates are located, which leads to several hiking trails, is reportedly haunted in real life.

    (5400 N. Lake Ave., Altadena)

  • Poltergeist House

    One of the most memorable horror films of the 1980s, Tobe Hooper’s supernatural extravaganza takes place in a fictional suburban neighborhood in California where an all-American family finds their comfortable home invaded by angry ghosts and demonic spirits. Much of the film’s impact comes from the fact that the house itself appears so cozy and non-threatening, as writer and producer Steven Spielberg often chose for his settings. Unlike the gothic abodes seen in movies like “The Haunting” and “The Changeling,” the house in “Poltergeist” looks more like the Brady Bunch home than it does a traditional haunted dwelling, which makes the terror much more relatable. Although the house literally implodes and vanishes during the movie’s climax, in reality it can still be found in the distant Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley.

     (4267 Roxbury St., Simi Valley)

  • Poltergeist II: The Other Side House

    Since the house in the original “Poltergeist” disappeared into an otherworldly void at the end of the film, the sequel moves the action from California to Arizona, with the unlucky Freeling family now living with their psychic grandmother Jess. Once again, supernatural forces descend upon the Freelings in the form of a gruesome preacher named Kane and his cult-like minions. Though set in a suburb of Phoenix, the actual house seen in the movie is located in Altadena, just north of Pasadena, and this time it’s a 100-year old-plus craftsman style instead of a 1970s tract house.

    (1589 Homewood Drive, Altadena, Calif.)

  • Prince of Darkness Church

    The former Japanese Union church was a pivotal location in John Carpenter’s 1987 horror film that starred Donald Pleasance as a satanically-obsessed priest. The priest and a group of physics students investigate strange phenomena while trapped in the church, which is encircled by ravenous street people led by Alice Cooper. Now home to the East West Players theater group, the church was built in 1923 and has been a centerpiece of the area’s Little Tokyo Japanese American community ever since. “Prince of Darkness” was shown in a special screening at the church in 2015.

    (120 Judge John Aiso St, Los Angeles)

  • The Ring House

    In the chilling opening sequence of the 2002 remake of “The Ring,” a doomed teenage girl admits to her friend that she recently watched an infamous cursed videotape. Seconds later, she meets her untimely end when an evil spirit crawls out of a TV set and literally frightens her to death. Though much of the film was shot in Washington and Oregon, the house where that unforgettable scene takes place is located at in the stately Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

    (413 S. McCadden Place, Los Angeles)

  • Scream 2 - Rialto Theater

    South Pasadena’s long-shuttered Rialto Theater has been seen in numerous films, including most famously, Robert Altman’s “The Player.” Much of the sequel to Wes Craven’s “Scream” was shot in Los Angeles, rather than in Northern California where the original was filmed. The 1925 Rialto movie palace has a starring role in the frightening pre-credits sequence featuring Jada Pinkett Smith. It’s the location where a sneak preview of “Stab,” based on the events of the previous film, turns into a grisly preview of the mayhem to come. The scene proved so popular it was spoofed in “Scary Movie.”

    (1023 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena)

  • Thriller House

    In this iconic music video, Michael Jackson takes his girlfriend to see a 1950s werewolf film and then walks her home at night when the movie ends. As they pass a moonlit graveyard, the dead begin to rise, and Jackson mysteriously turns into a zombie himself. After a well-choreographed dance number involving the King of Pop and a group of reanimated corpses, Jackson’s terrified date takes shelter in a spooky abandoned house, which is quickly overrun by an army of flesh-hungry ghouls. The house where the climax of the video is set can be found in the historic Angelino Heights neighborhood just northwest of downtown Los Angeles, home to dozens of well-preserved Victorian homes that are often used for filming.

    (1345 Carroll Ave., Los Angeles)

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