5 Real-Life Haunted Locations Featured in Horror Movies

1. The Stanley Hotel – Colorado, USA

Featured in: The Shining (1997)
The Stanley Hotel’s isolated location and eerie atmosphere famously inspired Stephen King’s The Shining. While the 1980 movie wasn’t filmed here, it was the key setting for the 1997 miniseries adaptation. The hotel is also known for paranormal activity, with guests reporting unexplained sounds and ghostly apparitions, making it a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts.

2. The Myrtles Plantation – Louisiana, USA

Featured in: The Long Hot Summer (1958)
One of America’s most haunted locations, Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana is a historical site riddled with ghostly legends. Visitors claim to have seen spirits of slaves and children, as well as a notorious ghost named Chloe, who is said to haunt the plantation. Though The Long Hot Summer isn't a horror film, the creepy ambiance of this plantation inspired horror lovers everywhere.

3. The Amityville House – New York, USA

Featured in: The Amityville Horror (1979, 2005)
The infamous Amityville house in Long Island became the subject of many horror films, starting with The Amityville Horror. Based on alleged real events, the house was the site of a grisly murder followed by claims of paranormal disturbances by the Lutz family, who moved in afterward. The house’s haunting past continues to terrify those who visit or watch its film adaptations.

4. Eastern State Penitentiary – Pennsylvania, USA

Featured in: 12 Monkeys (1995)
Once a notorious prison, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is said to be haunted by the spirits of former inmates. The prison’s ominous hallways were the perfect setting for films like 12 Monkeys and other horror-themed documentaries. Its disturbing history and eerie structure make it one of the most famous haunted locations in America.

5. The Rose Hall Great House – Jamaica

Featured in: The White Witch of Rose Hall (Film in development)
The legendary Rose Hall Great House in Jamaica is said to be haunted by the ghost of Annie Palmer, the so-called “White Witch” who was accused of witchcraft and the deaths of her husbands. Her legend has inspired films, with one in development, and the house remains a creepy tourist attraction for those intrigued by its ghostly history.

There’s something uniquely terrifying about watching a horror movie set in a location with real paranormal history!

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these haunted locations have left their mark on both horror cinema and real-world legend.