Introduction

You’re alone in a dark room. Outside you hear the beginnings of a violent storm about to pass overhead. A clap of thunder precedes a bright flash of lightning which suddenly, and briefly, illuminates the room. A shadow darts across the entrance to your hallway. Deep inside of you, your heart starts to pound harder than a parade drum. Momentarily you consider turning on the lights, but something tells you not to move. You jump as the television turns on. The horror movie has begun. Now you’re ready for it.

What is it, do you think, that makes horror movies so popular? Why are some people, like myself, so enthralled with being scared, while others, like my youngest daughter, cannot stand to watch a scary movie past 8 PM?

Perhaps it’s a psychological effect? Could it be that we enjoy knowing that when the scary movie is over, we’re still safe? Is it a form of confronting our own mortality, without ever having to be in legitimate danger? Maybe, though, it’s an addiction to the feelings we experience thanks to our bodies releasing endorphins into our systems during times of fear? Likely, it’s probably both.

As with any other sub-culture, types of horror fans can be found in degrees. First, casual fans who enjoy the films very sporadically. Then, the more enthusiastic fans, who will wait by their smartphones for the moment tickets go on sale. Finally, there are the die-hard fans, who collect movie memorabilia, travel to horror locations, and engage in a form of ‘dark tourism.’ Of course, these degrees are oversimplified with some people finding degrees in the degrees.

That said, if you are one of those die-hard fanatics who enjoy anything and everything about the genre, this list is for you.

The events which occurred at most of these locations are fictitious. However, at least one location, if the stories are to be believed, is said to be one of the most famous, possibly haunted, and notorious sites in modern American history.

Please join me as I take you on a tour of five horror film locations where they say things went bump in the night.

The Exorcist (1973)- On the corner of Prospect St NW & 36th St NW in Georgetown, Washington, DC

Few lists of influential horror movies would be complete without mentioning 1973s The Exorcist. The film, starring Linda Blair and Max von Sydow, was based on the 1971 novel of the same name written by William Peter Blatty. Blatty, for his part, was inspired by a “true” case of demonic possession and exorcism which allegedly occurred somewhere in Maryland in 1949. The book and the films that followed it, however, took place in Washington, DC.

The most recognizable, and therefore most popular, location from the 1973 classic is a staircase on the corner of Prospect St. NW & 36^th St NW. Affectionately dubbed “The Exorcist Stairs” the location even has its own page on tripadvisor.com. In The Exorcist the stairs served as a pivotal plot location where von Sydow’s character, Father Damien Karras meets his untimely demise.

Halloween (1978)- Pasadena, California

One thing you can say about the 1970s is that it was an exciting time for horror cinema fans. When Halloween, the second movie on our list, was released in 1978 the film’s director, John Carpenter, was only 30 years old. Arguably, Halloween is the film that essentially kicked off his career. However, it’s also known as being the film to star Jamie Lee Curtis.

Curtis plays the role of Laurie Strode, a seventeen-year-old girl who is, unbeknownst to her, the sister of serial killer Michael Myers. After escaping from a sanitarium, the antagonist of the film travels back to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, leaving a trail of bodies behind him.

Although the movie was based (largely) in Illinois the “Strode Family” house (where Michael began his murderous rampage) can be located at 1103 Fairview Avenue at Oxley Street in South Pasadena, California. The house, which was moved from its original location at 707 Meridian Avenue, is now a private business meaning fans cannot tour the site. However, determined fans can take photographs of the house from across the street.

Amityville Horror (1979)- 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York

The third location on our list today is an interesting one for many different reasons. In 1974 Ronald “Butch” Joseph DeFeo Jr. killed his father, mother, sisters, and brothers, at the family house in Amityville, New York. A year after the murders took place the property was sold to George and Kathy Lutz. After less than a month living on the property, the Lutze’s’ fled the house claiming to be victims of demonic forces. Then, in 1981, tragedy struck again.

Following an alleged ‘exorcism’ at the Amityville property involving the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, another murder occurred. The convicted killer, Arne Johnson, who reportedly attended the ‘exorcism,’ claimed in court that he had been possessed by a demon during the event, leading him to kill his landlord, Alan Bono. The claim was the first time a legal defence had been attempted in the United States, based on demonic possession. Johnson was ultimately found guilty. He served five years of a ten to twenty-year sentence and was released in 1986. Where he is now is a mystery.

The Amityville house, however, is still standing and can be located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. In an interesting turn of events, searching for the location on Google Maps Street View, the house is blurred out. Perhaps it may be time to let the spirits rest in peace?

Friday the 13^th (1980)- Camp NoBeBoSco (AKA Camp Crystal Lake), Hardwick, New Jersey

Ask any grouping of serious horror-movie fans who their top three cinematic villains are, and you’re bound to have at least a few respond with “Jason Vorhees!” However, the original movie, released in 1980, didn’t feature the iconic monster at all. Instead, the plot revolved around a grieving (but obviously mentally disturbed) Pamela Vorhees who stalks the camp councillors at Crystal Lake to gain revenge for her sons’ apparent death.

Although Camp Crystal Lake is a fictional location, fans can travel to the location where the movie was filmed located in New Jersey’s Kittatinny Mountains. Camp NoBeBoSco was opened in 1927. Every year during the summer it is the destination location for thousands of Boy Scouts and their troops. Although the camp is not regularly open to visitors, serious patrons of horror cinema can attempt to book tickets for limited official tours of the site through Crystal Lake tours.

According to the official website, tickets include “guided tours, canoeing excursions, celebrity reunions, [and] movie screenings.” Proceeds of the events support “restoration and maintenance projects at the historic Scout camp as well as support youth camping programs throughout the Northern New Jersey Council, BSA.”

The Fog (1980)- Point Reyes Lighthouse, California

Our last location comes to us from Point Reyes, California. The Port Reyes Lighthouse is the second place on this list to be featured in a John Carpenter film. Not only was the film co-written by Carpenter, but it also reunited the director with Jamie Lee Curtis.

The supernatural-horror flick, according to IMDB, tells the story of a California town with a horrific, secret past. On the eve of its centennial celebration, the fictitious town of Antonio Bay is surrounded by a mysterious, unnatural fog. As some residents go missing, and others are found dead, the living must survive the onslaught of the dead.

To this day the lighthouse filmed in the movie is still standing, located in the Point Reyes National Park in California. During non-pandemic times patrons may visit both the Lighthouse Visitor Center and the Lighthouse itself. While those tours and indoor facilities are not open to the public, at this time, you may still visit the park and take pictures of the outside of the lighthouse and surrounding areas.