Daily Local News
Spooky Destinations to visit straight out of pop culture movies
By Noreen Kompanik,
Oct 7, 2026.
Movie destinations offer travelers the chance to walk in the footsteps of beloved (or notorious) characters.
They can see familiar streets and buildings, and experience the real-world places that brought memorable stories to life.
Additionally, there’s a special thrill in recognizing a movie scene around the next corner.
The magic of the big screen becomes real when you stand in the setting.
Add crisp autumn air, colorful foliage and a little Halloween atmosphere, and these cinematic destinations become especially irresistible.
Sonoma County, California: “The Birds” and “Scream.”
Visitors to Sonoma County can step into the settings of two influential horror classics: Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Additionally, Wes Craven’s Scream completes the pair for fans.
Spooky Destinations
Along the picturesque Sonoma Coast, travelers can follow Hitchcock’s footsteps through Bodega and Bodega Bay, visiting landscapes that inspired his suspenseful scenes. Fans will notice settings linked to the era’s cinema, with the ocean’s mood shaping each scene. The route offers scenic overlooks and quiet coves for reflection.
The historic Potter Schoolhouse and neighboring St. Teresa of Avila Church remain much as they appeared in “The Birds.” Visitors can also explore Bodega Head, walk the windswept coastal trails, and dine overlooking the waterfront.
Nearby stays include The Lodge at Bodega Bay and The Inn at the Tides, both offering easy access to the film sites and dramatic coastal landscape. Stays such as The Lodge at Bodega Bay and The Inn at the Tides provide convenient access to both locations and the rugged coastline.
Farther inland, “Scream” fans can explore several locations used to create the fictional town of Woodsboro. The Sonoma Community Center portrayed Woodsboro High School. Healdsburg Plaza, Glen Ellen and residential areas of Santa Rosa appeared throughout the film. Sonoma County’s golden vineyards, changing leaves, historic towns and cooler October evenings give these locations an especially fitting atmosphere. Moreover, this atmosphere is especially fitting during the Halloween season.
Additionally, in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, the film “Silence of the Lambs” is noted.
The 1991 psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster was famously set in Baltimore, Maryland. Much of it was filmed in Pennsylvania. This included the 1910 Victorian Buffalo Bill’s House in Perryopolis, Pennsylvania, where the climactic scenes were created.
Unlike some movie locations, visitors can do more than take a tour. Additionally, the house is available as a short-term rental. This lets guests spend the night inside one of the most recognizable settings from one of the creepiest movies. The owners have transformed the property into an immersive tribute to the film. Special tours are also offered from Oct. 23-25, just ahead of Halloween.
Additionally, Savannah, Georgia: “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”.
Savannah is ideal for an autumn movie-location story.
Additionally, the historic architecture, moss-draped oaks and numerous squares already seem cinematic.
The Mercer Williams House is located on Monterey Square in Savannah’s Historic District.
It is an elegant Italianate mansion designed in 1860.
The house gained worldwide fame through John Berendt’s 1994 nonfiction bestseller, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
Additionally, The 1997 Clint Eastwood film adaptation starred Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and Jude Law.
What makes the house a unique movie destination is its link to the real-life story in the book and film.
Additionally, Salem, Massachusetts is associated with Hocus Pocus.
The town of Salem is almost a tailor-made “step into the movies” story. Because “Hocus Pocus” used many real Salem locations, the link feels authentic. Moreover, Salem’s witchcraft history enhances the movie connection.
Released in 1993, the film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters.
They are often bumbling but entertaining, and were accidentally resurrected in Salem on Halloween night.
Visitors today can tour several settings from the movie.
These include Pioneer Village, built in 1930 and portrayed as Salem Village.
Additionally, Old Town Hall in Derby Square, the site of the Halloween party sequence.
The Ropes Mansion and Salem Common are also part of the tour.
Additionally, St. Helen’s Oregon: “Halloweentown” and “Twilight”.
The town of St. Helen’s, a 45-minute drive west of Portland, is a particularly fun movie destination for an autumn or Halloween story because the small Columbia River town has managed to turn its film history into an experience visitors can actually enjoy with strong connections to both Disney’s “Halloweentown” (1998) and “Twilight” (2008).
Much of the original Halloweentown was filmed in downtown St. Helens, with the historic Columbia County Courthouse built in 1906 and surrounding plaza serving as the fictional town gathering place. The historic Columbia Theater is featured in both Halloweentown and Twilight. And speaking of the cult-classic “Twilight,” visitors can see the house used as Bella Swan’s home along with downtown locations associated with scenes from the series.
Locations: Additionally, Estes Park, Colorado and Mount Hood, Oregon present: “The Shining”.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park inspired Stephen King’s novel, The Shining.
Although it inspired the novel, it was not Kubrick’s film setting.
King and his wife Tabitha were guests near the end of the hotel’s season in 1974.
He stayed in Room 217, and the experience shaped his story about the haunted Overlook Hotel.
The Stanley later became a filming location for the 1997 television miniseries of the same name.
Visitors can take daytime historical tours, nighttime paranormal tours, and Room 217 remains one of the property’s most requested rooms.
The historic 1937 Timberline Lodge in Mount Hood, Oregon was used for exterior shots in the film.
Additionally, it served as the eerie but fictional Overlook Hotel.
Though not ‘officially’ haunted, the lodge embraces its spooky reputation, especially during Halloween.
