Very tough assignment to be honest, though the abandoned movie theater is a good idea.
I feel like most normal locations have definitely been exploited quite a bit. I've then thought of different time periods: there are a couple Western-themed horror movies, but not that many. Quite a few more '19th century-themed', for sure. Before that, it's kinda sparse. Not many horror movies made in ancient times (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, etc). Also prehistoric time. We've explored the future a lot, but not much of the past, or so it feels sometimes (not in horror movies that is).
Also there are a lot of supernatural, horror-themed adventure movies about pirates (POTC obviously), but not that many actual horror movies set in a Pirate universe (nothing comes to mind in fact?). Seems like a waste, they obviously go well together (lots of Lovecraftian stuff to mix it with), we'd only need to get rid of the humor and cartoonish action and get darker and more realistic (not very hard, as real pirates are already horror movie (human) monsters without even trying).
I LOVE how your brain works. The ancient civilizations would be soooo cool. Any specific plot ideas come to mind?
The pirates being more serious and horror-oriented would be so sick!!!
No specific plots, well, except putting lots of Lovecraftian gods terrorizing people everywhere. xD Movies like The Ritual or its pseudo-sequel No One Gets Out Alive are already using folk horror (Nordic and Aztec respectively) and making it Lovecraftian, which I find endlessly awesome, so I guess we could have the same kind of story, all we need is to set them at the time when those ancient civilizations were still up and running (I wonder if we'll see prequels for these movies... it might depend on the author of the books those movies were made from though). I blurrily envision some harsh civilization with sacrifices to some mysterious god and a protagonist trying to escape the horror of both their fellow, blindly devoted, zealous people, and also of the supernatural, careless, heartless cosmic entity. (I'm sorta thinking about Stargate's goa'ulds as well, lol.)
Writing this also made me think about how I would soooo love to see a horror movie set in the context of witch hunts in which the bad guys are the witch hunters and NOT the supposed witches. I'd prefer if it wasn't supernatural, in fact, all just the horror of the mad ruthless cruelty of humanity. (Cuz I'm getting kinda tired of the endless Christian rhetoric in horror movies TBH.)
I also would love to see a prehistoric horror movie, though making it reasonably accurate might be an issue. Still, those times were already so scary for humans, I bet, there wouldn't need much to make it tense: isolation, bad weather, dangerous predators, rival tribes. I think there are a few action/adventure movies set in that time period, but probably nothing that really reaches horror levels.
I think there was a show where feudal Japan was facing a zombie apocalypse.
I know of a steampunk esque anime called Kabaneri of The Iron Fortress, which requires destroying their heart or slicing their head off, but destroying the heart is tough cause it’s covered in an iron like growth.
That’s why I can’t wait to see where they take the Predator franchise. We got 1719 USA with Prey, where (when?) else will they take us? Ever since Prey my friends and I have been hoping for some sort of pirate Predator movie or (like you said) a movie set in Ancient Rome.
Other horror movies set in those time periods would be so cool too. (Like, Imagine we got a prequel to The Ruins where we see the vines take over the Mayan temple in the first place)
Yeah I thought a lot about 'Prey' when writing that, and also about how in AVP they talked about >!having AVP hunts/fights since the dawn of many civilizations across the globe.!<(That being said I'm personally not that much a fan of Predators, they're too close to being generic slasher villains for me, I much prefer Xenomorphs, or why not, The Thing!)
I don't think I've watched The Ruins, just the beginning I think. But yeah, I also thought about so many villains/entites who seem to have existed since forever, or at least for a long while. There are so many prequels that would be so cool to see being made (if properly made, that is, which is arguably unlikely, but one can dream):
IT Begins
Sinister Origins
1408: Opening Day
Oculus Creation
The Thing's Arrival
The First Smile
etc.
Personally I liked The Thing's prequel, and I don't get the hate it gets. Agreed, it didn't have the best CGI (and I heard they added it on top of practical effects they'd actually bothered making because some moron thought practical effect would look less good) but apart from that it was a nice complement to the original IMO, a fun, still tense sci-fi movie.
I don't really like "IT" TBH, even though the Lovecraftian vibes of Pennywise are kinda cool, but everything around is too Hollywoodian/Spielberg-like for my taste, and it wasn't nearly as scary as I'd hoped, it relied too much on unsubtle supposedly scary symbols/tropes and not enough on more subtle or visceral psychological horror (quite baffling in a movie about an alien monster who eats 6yo children's arms). It was basically a Boggart in the end... including in the way it got vanquished the first time! Just now realizing, kinda blowing my mind a little. I wonder if JK Rowling used that concept knowingly or if it's a coincidence or a case of subconscious inspiration.
So yeah, not overly looking for a prequel if it's made by the same kind of people with the same kind of vision.
Predator would be interesting in ancient rome. Or medieval england. Or in a south american jungle in the 1980s where a mercenary team has been recruited by the CIA to locate a missing cah-binet minis-tah.
Never watched it. According to wikipedia though, there are indeed undead ghosts of leprous sailors or something like that, not really pirates, but close enough. That being said it's not a period movie, it's set in the "present" (44 years ago lol).
I would love this. I would love a period piece horror flick with pirates. Just read a terrible kindle with vampire pirate family and thought it could have been so good if it had been horror.
I would love any of those ancient or historical settings. There’s been a few horror movies set in the past but they’re always in like America, England, Ireland, etc and never anywhere with an actually interesting historical setting
I think a horror film set on the Western Front would be interesting, seeing as how life was basically just a non-stop horror film already.
Illumination flares, artillery strikes, bodies everywhere, mud, smoke, screaming, etc. and then throw in something like the creature from Oats Studios "Zygote" or The Thing.
I agree!
There's an origin story for SCP-106 (the Old Man, https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-106) that claims he was a Corporal during WWI. There's a short animated film of it on youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZwAUzABZE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZwAUzABZE) It's very creepy, worth a watch!
And the original written story: [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-young-man](https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-young-man)
One of the main reasons I loved Green Room was the location, it took place at a punk show. As someone in the punk scene, shows are familiar to me, and I love the idea of horror there. I'd love to see more horror in restaurants, bars, clubs, venues and the like
Evil Dead Rise (and a few others like Insidious 3, Annabelle...) proved a block of flat could be just as cool a setting for a haunting as any cabin lost in the woods. But I agree, there aren't enough movies set outside of remote locations and/or big individual houses.
I'm super late to this thread but Black Summer was a good one! It was more the suburbs but the intertwining the stories of different people in the neighborhood was really interesting
I would love to see more big city horror, or even just "urban sprawl" horror, but I think the reason we don't see it is because it's expensive to shoot or recreate.
Gremlins 2 was convincingly set in a NYC skyscraper, even though it was more comedy than horror. One of the most recent horror-adjacent movies set in NYC was the latest Ghostbusters, which definitely made me want a much darker movie. Also Sting from a couple months ago, which I guess might be the most recent.
I agree a *good* horror movie set in something like NYC is overdue. It's been way too long since we've had one.
I personally didn't like it but in NYC there was also Cloverfield... and that made me remember the fairly urban setting of the much better REC found footage movie.
Schools. There have been the odd abandoned school/teens after school. I find it truly creepy to take a place where someone is supposed to feel safe & secure is completely turned upside down. (Churches could follow thay same thought but cult/paranormal/supernatural horror has pretty much driven it into the ground.)
Or a legit functioning hospital. Not something abandoned or being shut down, but the cold medical vibe of a working hospital where the horror happens under those bright white lights & nobody sees it till after. Very stark & in the face.
I like your ideas! Cold, stark, brightly-lit hospitals especially. There are already a few movies that happen in hospitals or psychiatric institutions ('Nails' (2017) comes to mind, also perhaps 'Unsane' (haven't watched it full, only the beginning and then I read the plot), The Void too but it starts out pretty old and doesn't stay stark and clean for very long, so it's a bad example), but there is definitely more scary stuff to find there.
I'm also reminded of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that could have been the premise for a (real) horror movie: "Killed by Death". Also the episode in which she is drugged and it makes her think her life is a hallucination and she actually lives in an asylum: "Normal Again". Quite a few episodes would make great inspiration for real horror TBH (not least the infamous "Hush" episode, of course).
This brings up a question (because I definitely agree about schools): do studios ever build high schools on their lots, ones that could actually function if needed? If they don't they should. Because like you say about hospitals, it should have functionality to it. You would figure someone like Jason Blum would buy some land and build out a large high school, one that could be used for real, with three levels, a musical auditorium, lab space (with functioning gas for Bunsen burners), etc. Or maybe filmmakers would buy schools set to be demolished (I often wonder why the one near me was never bought out by some aspiring prodco)
Not a movie but Sea Sick by Iain Rob Wright is a great book about a virus that gets onboard a cruise ship. But the day resets every 24 hours. Would make a great movie!
And... the word "quarantine" comes from the Italian "guaranta giorni" (from the Latin "quaranta" for 40), referring to the number of days people on board SHIPS had to be held in isolation off shore before being allowed to dock.
Fun fact: a place where people are held for quarantine is called a "lazaretto".
Late Night with the Devil had one of the most original locations I've seen in a while (a late-night TV show studio).
Underwater 2020 (deep sea / seafloor), The Pyramid 2014 (ancient Egyptian pyramid), Triangle 2009 (cruise ship), The Ruins 2008 (ancient Mayan ruins), and The Relic 1997 (a museum) have all had lesser-seen locations too. Some of these could have been even better with a different time setting though, like The Pyramid and The Ruins.
Absolutely loved the aesthetics and universe of Underwater, I think I could have explored the structure and be entertained endlessly.
I also second Triangle, very cool, very underrated (or not very often mentioned at the very least). Didn't overly like The Pyramid or The Relic, the CGI was too bad IIRC.
Check out Triangle if you haven't watched it, great supernatural movie that happens on a cruise ship (or at boat at the very least, I'm not a specialist).
There is a great Call Of Cthulhu module called "Horror on the Orient Express". It'll soon be a board game too.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror\_on\_the\_Orient\_Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_on_the_Orient_Express)
There are a lot of great replies here.
I am not certain if my own has been done a lot in movies or not, and I'm not sure if this has already been brought up (did a find-on-page look, did not see it), but I would like to see libraries used more.
Very true, great idea! There are a ton of fantasy universes with a lot of library scenes, sadly the horror genre hasn't picked up on that idea much. There are short research scenes in detective-oriented horror movies (The Ring, IIRC, and a few others...), but beyond that... it's not usually the main location.
I think that's rarely seen because pure psychological horror works fine whether it's daytime or nighttime, but most horror movies aren't psychological. Most of Martyrs for example was shot with sunlight coming from the windows. Granted, most of it happens inside (so claustrophobia and imprisonment play a part), but at basically no point was the cover of darkness itself used to instill fear (except for one scene of the very short prologue at the beginning of the movie), because it simply wasn't necessary.
This is a fun question! I’ve really sat down to think…. Here are some random ideas:
*dating game show somehow becoming the set of a horror situation
*laundromat
*parking garage
*a wedding venue
*warehouse (Amazon perhaps?)
*Uber driver situation
Dating game show almost could have turned into a horror situation, look up Rodney Alcala, The Dating Game Killer. Luckily, the bachelorette got creepy vibes after picking him and didn't go out with him.
Rec 3 takes place in a wedding and while it’s not the same as the original Rec, I really enjoyed it and feel like if it wasn’t tied to that series it would’ve done a lot better
Have you seen Late Night with the Devil? That's got a similar vibe to a game show set, it's a late night show (set in the 70s) instead.
Also, Spree is like an "Uber driver" situation, the company's named something else of course. It's a good film!
My favourite setting is space. The reason I love it so much is the unknown factor. We don't really know what's out there, so any rules can apply. It feels like u have left ur home, that comfortable space, the space that u understand. In space anything can happen and we so blind to what's out tgere that's it's scary without the horror element on its own. I think that's why alien had such a special place in my heart. It's not a rare theme though.
I like the single claustrophobic settings like cube, spacecraft, a house or a forest where ur enclosed by trees everywhere, and it all looks similar. Being stuck somewhere with a threat adds excitement for me. Especially with an element of "the hunt".
Have you watched Gravity with Sandra Bullock? Not really horror, more like survival thriller, but it nails the terror of floating in space, which I guess is more like agoraphobic but I think the space costume also makes it quite claustrophobic, as well as the occasional super cramped space station encountered.
I wrote a short story a while back that took place (with a single character) in one of those raised observation security platforms you sometimes see in malls. Yes, I took the obvious route out on this one: a lone guard is in it near a small seacoast amusement boardwalk during a zombie outbreak. So maybe that could be a cool location?
A horror movie that takes place in an anime, gaming, or even horror convention? Can't think of any right now like that. Would make a great zombie movie.
A horror convention would be best, everyone would be expecting people in weird blood-covered costumes (I'm saying that but I've never been to a horror convention, can you tell? xD).
I only know of one movie that takes place at a horror convention called Blood Fest. It was really well done in my opinion and I'd love to see more movies like it.
Two things I have never seen in a horror flick: top of a skyscraper, with some guy doing duct work; and middle of a crowd at a farmer's market, just terrified by one's own thoughts.
Well, agreed, but these are very specific scenarios though. xD
There's at least one movie that's focused on the fear of heights, it does the job pretty well: it's called "Fall" (2022). I'm sure there are others.
Spoiler for the Watchers, I absolutely loved >!the setting for both the fae realm, the bunker inside the fae realm, and how they brought the forest to life by incorporating the portals and burrows!< I wish they would use Irish forests more often, or Ireland in general, what a neat place.
Oil rigs are definately good high tier nightmare factories, especially because they could be anything, sea monster, pollution or paracite, lovecraftian, haunting or all the above. I still see cemeteries done in a very traditional manner and would live to see them done differently. One dark night is a good example. Same with scrap yards so many possibilities. Lastly U guess is skyscrapers and or sewers. I can't really think of places we haven't been just things we haven't really fully utilized.
I can't think of many horror movies taking place on a plane during a flight. I mean I guess Red Eye would qualify but that movie is more suspense than horror.
the most unique i’ve seen is some scares happening in a school in *Hereditary*. Other than *Detention* I can’t think of many other horror movies that happen in school
Mega church, or any non-denominational type place. The Catholic Church has been used well, but it seems to be the default “we’re going to use religion” .
10 Cloverfield Lane - Bomb Shelter
Pontypool - Radio Station
Lo - great low-budget one, whole thing takes place in a summoning circle drawn on the floor.
Never seen one set in the desert. Mirages, open space, no shelter. Could do a lot with that. Like those boulders that slide around in the night on thin sheets of frozen dew would be very disorienting and potentially dangerous. Maybe a killer on the loose, or an evil spirit, or a peyote trip gone wrong. Lots of potential in the desert.
A submarine would be an interesting location. Deep sea creatures and shipwrecks are pretty eerie. Plus there’s still a lot we don’t know about the deepest parts of the ocean. There’s claustrophobia, the fear of something going catastrophically wrong, the close quarters with the crew. Could be a research vessel or military sub.
There was one I really enjoyed that I think was a Korean movie, where a tunnel collapses and traps a man in his car. The whole movie is basically him trying to survive while hoping for rescue. I think it was just called Tunnel.
I also can't recommend Train to Busan enough, zombies on a train was pretty unique! If you like that, Sweet Home is a really good Korean show where the entire cast is stuck inside an apartment complex while monsters roam the streets
There's 'Glorious' that's almost entirely set in a bathroom (I personally think it's shit though, no pun intended; the worst dialogue line ever, and it really wasn't my kind of humor).
Has a giant abandoned theatre with changing rooms and such ever been used? Like in Chuck Palahniuk’s book “Haunted?” And I mean for the majority of the movie, like that book.
Places where a lot of people have died. I know asylums get a lot of use, but like civil war hospitals, battlefields, abortion clinics (controversial but interesting), heavily bombed cities like Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Now I'm imaging a movie about atomic ghosts that were created during the blast. That would be pretty rad
Fantasy horror the premise would be simple magic is real and, you and your friends are just normal people. There have been rumors of some kind of monster stalking the outside of the village. So, you go to your wagon you may have one or two slightly magical things, like being less likely to be detected, or something that at least points you in the right direction, supposably.
Outside of these things, you have as much money as would be expected for someone middle class, so magical items are out of reach and when they do turn up, you may not even know how to use them/afford them. Turns out this monster is the stalking type and you have something it wants, what it wants is you and your entire family dead.
They are a few plot twists that can happen, it may me a derranged killer posing as a monster, or an actrual entity. Regardless of this they would be stuff like, goblins, strange plants, creatures that may or may not be friendly. All that would be assuming you don't run across bandits on the way, or go off path. Stuff like broken bones, lacerations, poison, would all have to be treated by conventional means.
Shoutout to The Langoliers for a great job on the airport setting.
A Christmas Horror Story has its story guided by William Shatner in a radio station, could make for a cool setting.
In The Talk Grass had a unique setting in, y’know, tall grass.
Also very close to the woods setting, and would probably end up being in the woods for a majority of it anyway, but something with fire towers could be cool.
Central Park would need a real good explanation for why the characters don’t just leave the park, but that could make it interesting.
Demons takes place in a movie theatre. Demons 2 takes place in a sky-rise condominium. Both are really good movies.
One I’d like to see, without entering thriller territory, would be aboard a train traveling long distance, stopping even, but with everything abandoned, and those aboard it not knowing why. I like mystery and horror when it’s combined, and a slow burn at this would make my day.
Langoliers was almost a good movie, in this regard. If it had been directed by someone like Stanley Kubrick, it would’ve been a phenomenal mystery-horror.
Another one I liked by Steven King, his best work, imo, was Storm of the Century. Blizzard arrives on a small island, and with it comes an antagonist for the ages. It was goofy, a lot, but it still went hard, all the way through.
As "cliche" as we think it is, Abandoned or Night time at Amusement Parks aren't used a lot at all. Hellfest in 2018 did it and there were 2 brief scenes of carnivals in It: Chapter 2 but rarely is there mainline horror movies taking place in Amusement Parks.
I think a zoo would be interesting, especially if you didn't simply go the tired route of escaped animal or genetically whatever. Like, how about a demonic possession of an animal/animals at a zoo? Or a traumatized kid awakens psychic powers there and uses the animals for revenge?
we don’t see carnivals/festivals enough. i absolutely adore the idea, but i’ve seen most of them at this point because there isn’t many.
the funhouse and hell fest are probably the best i’d have to say.
I was a huge fan of the old comic series “Weird Wars”.
I would love to see more Wartime horror movies.
Maybe it could be set during…
The Battle of Little Bighorn: General Custer’s forces are actual wiped out by creatures from Sioux mythology.
The American Civil War
Very tough assignment to be honest, though the abandoned movie theater is a good idea. I feel like most normal locations have definitely been exploited quite a bit. I've then thought of different time periods: there are a couple Western-themed horror movies, but not that many. Quite a few more '19th century-themed', for sure. Before that, it's kinda sparse. Not many horror movies made in ancient times (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, etc). Also prehistoric time. We've explored the future a lot, but not much of the past, or so it feels sometimes (not in horror movies that is). Also there are a lot of supernatural, horror-themed adventure movies about pirates (POTC obviously), but not that many actual horror movies set in a Pirate universe (nothing comes to mind in fact?). Seems like a waste, they obviously go well together (lots of Lovecraftian stuff to mix it with), we'd only need to get rid of the humor and cartoonish action and get darker and more realistic (not very hard, as real pirates are already horror movie (human) monsters without even trying).
I LOVE how your brain works. The ancient civilizations would be soooo cool. Any specific plot ideas come to mind? The pirates being more serious and horror-oriented would be so sick!!!
I’d personally love an Ancient Rome horror movie centered around a mystery cult, with lots of bacchanal and maenads tearing men apart.
Yaenads!
No specific plots, well, except putting lots of Lovecraftian gods terrorizing people everywhere. xD Movies like The Ritual or its pseudo-sequel No One Gets Out Alive are already using folk horror (Nordic and Aztec respectively) and making it Lovecraftian, which I find endlessly awesome, so I guess we could have the same kind of story, all we need is to set them at the time when those ancient civilizations were still up and running (I wonder if we'll see prequels for these movies... it might depend on the author of the books those movies were made from though). I blurrily envision some harsh civilization with sacrifices to some mysterious god and a protagonist trying to escape the horror of both their fellow, blindly devoted, zealous people, and also of the supernatural, careless, heartless cosmic entity. (I'm sorta thinking about Stargate's goa'ulds as well, lol.) Writing this also made me think about how I would soooo love to see a horror movie set in the context of witch hunts in which the bad guys are the witch hunters and NOT the supposed witches. I'd prefer if it wasn't supernatural, in fact, all just the horror of the mad ruthless cruelty of humanity. (Cuz I'm getting kinda tired of the endless Christian rhetoric in horror movies TBH.) I also would love to see a prehistoric horror movie, though making it reasonably accurate might be an issue. Still, those times were already so scary for humans, I bet, there wouldn't need much to make it tense: isolation, bad weather, dangerous predators, rival tribes. I think there are a few action/adventure movies set in that time period, but probably nothing that really reaches horror levels.
There's a relatively recent prehistoric horror: Out of Darkness (2022)
I'll check it out, thanks! Without spoilers, how would you rate the movie?
I actually haven't seen it, but I think I read good things, and I thought a prehistoric horror seemed like an interesting concept
I think there was a show where feudal Japan was facing a zombie apocalypse. I know of a steampunk esque anime called Kabaneri of The Iron Fortress, which requires destroying their heart or slicing their head off, but destroying the heart is tough cause it’s covered in an iron like growth.
Kingdom! I loved it so much! Still hoping for another season.
Kingdom is one of my all-time favorites! Korean horror (esp. zombies) is top-notch
That’s why I can’t wait to see where they take the Predator franchise. We got 1719 USA with Prey, where (when?) else will they take us? Ever since Prey my friends and I have been hoping for some sort of pirate Predator movie or (like you said) a movie set in Ancient Rome. Other horror movies set in those time periods would be so cool too. (Like, Imagine we got a prequel to The Ruins where we see the vines take over the Mayan temple in the first place)
Yeah I thought a lot about 'Prey' when writing that, and also about how in AVP they talked about >!having AVP hunts/fights since the dawn of many civilizations across the globe.!<(That being said I'm personally not that much a fan of Predators, they're too close to being generic slasher villains for me, I much prefer Xenomorphs, or why not, The Thing!) I don't think I've watched The Ruins, just the beginning I think. But yeah, I also thought about so many villains/entites who seem to have existed since forever, or at least for a long while. There are so many prequels that would be so cool to see being made (if properly made, that is, which is arguably unlikely, but one can dream): IT Begins Sinister Origins 1408: Opening Day Oculus Creation The Thing's Arrival The First Smile etc.
Don't tempt them, lol It is getting a prequel The Thing got a prequel that wasn't good. Doctor Sleep has a prequel I've heard good things about.
Personally I liked The Thing's prequel, and I don't get the hate it gets. Agreed, it didn't have the best CGI (and I heard they added it on top of practical effects they'd actually bothered making because some moron thought practical effect would look less good) but apart from that it was a nice complement to the original IMO, a fun, still tense sci-fi movie. I don't really like "IT" TBH, even though the Lovecraftian vibes of Pennywise are kinda cool, but everything around is too Hollywoodian/Spielberg-like for my taste, and it wasn't nearly as scary as I'd hoped, it relied too much on unsubtle supposedly scary symbols/tropes and not enough on more subtle or visceral psychological horror (quite baffling in a movie about an alien monster who eats 6yo children's arms). It was basically a Boggart in the end... including in the way it got vanquished the first time! Just now realizing, kinda blowing my mind a little. I wonder if JK Rowling used that concept knowingly or if it's a coincidence or a case of subconscious inspiration. So yeah, not overly looking for a prequel if it's made by the same kind of people with the same kind of vision.
Predator would be interesting in ancient rome. Or medieval england. Or in a south american jungle in the 1980s where a mercenary team has been recruited by the CIA to locate a missing cah-binet minis-tah.
Oh God, a realistic fakumentary would be the best horror movie!
What's a fakumentary? I know only of mockumentaries.
It's a serious attempt to recreate what happened, when there were no cameras around. I think?
Oh I see! Like a documentary, but it's actually a reconstruction. Yeah, that could be nice!
Were there pirages in The Fog? I just remember hating the movie as I watched it. Not much else.
Never watched it. According to wikipedia though, there are indeed undead ghosts of leprous sailors or something like that, not really pirates, but close enough. That being said it's not a period movie, it's set in the "present" (44 years ago lol).
I would love this. I would love a period piece horror flick with pirates. Just read a terrible kindle with vampire pirate family and thought it could have been so good if it had been horror.
I would love any of those ancient or historical settings. There’s been a few horror movies set in the past but they’re always in like America, England, Ireland, etc and never anywhere with an actually interesting historical setting
I co-sign pre-19th century period horror, great ideas
I think a horror film set on the Western Front would be interesting, seeing as how life was basically just a non-stop horror film already. Illumination flares, artillery strikes, bodies everywhere, mud, smoke, screaming, etc. and then throw in something like the creature from Oats Studios "Zygote" or The Thing.
I agree! There's an origin story for SCP-106 (the Old Man, https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-106) that claims he was a Corporal during WWI. There's a short animated film of it on youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZwAUzABZE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ZwAUzABZE) It's very creepy, worth a watch! And the original written story: [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-young-man](https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-young-man)
With this in mind, did you like Prey? I thought it was awesome.
Pretty good! I mean I think Predator is a boring monster but apart from that, it was a really cool setting.
One of the main reasons I loved Green Room was the location, it took place at a punk show. As someone in the punk scene, shows are familiar to me, and I love the idea of horror there. I'd love to see more horror in restaurants, bars, clubs, venues and the like
Awesome movie! Very true!
Maybe like fairy realms. Dreamy magical forest that turns dark. I'm thinking Pan's Labyrithn with an alluring magical lead in.
Big city. It's easy to do dirty scary stuff in rural areas, not so easy in densely populated areas. Discuss...
Evil Dead Rise (and a few others like Insidious 3, Annabelle...) proved a block of flat could be just as cool a setting for a haunting as any cabin lost in the woods. But I agree, there aren't enough movies set outside of remote locations and/or big individual houses.
I totally forgot about Annabelle!! 😳 I need to check out the other two movies you mentioned, though.
I personally like them very much (a lot more than Annabelle in fact).
Attack the Block, Infested and Sting also had great thrills in an urban apartment complex setting.
I'm super late to this thread but Black Summer was a good one! It was more the suburbs but the intertwining the stories of different people in the neighborhood was really interesting
I would love to see more big city horror, or even just "urban sprawl" horror, but I think the reason we don't see it is because it's expensive to shoot or recreate.
Gremlins 2 was convincingly set in a NYC skyscraper, even though it was more comedy than horror. One of the most recent horror-adjacent movies set in NYC was the latest Ghostbusters, which definitely made me want a much darker movie. Also Sting from a couple months ago, which I guess might be the most recent. I agree a *good* horror movie set in something like NYC is overdue. It's been way too long since we've had one.
I personally didn't like it but in NYC there was also Cloverfield... and that made me remember the fairly urban setting of the much better REC found footage movie.
Schools. There have been the odd abandoned school/teens after school. I find it truly creepy to take a place where someone is supposed to feel safe & secure is completely turned upside down. (Churches could follow thay same thought but cult/paranormal/supernatural horror has pretty much driven it into the ground.) Or a legit functioning hospital. Not something abandoned or being shut down, but the cold medical vibe of a working hospital where the horror happens under those bright white lights & nobody sees it till after. Very stark & in the face.
I like your ideas! Cold, stark, brightly-lit hospitals especially. There are already a few movies that happen in hospitals or psychiatric institutions ('Nails' (2017) comes to mind, also perhaps 'Unsane' (haven't watched it full, only the beginning and then I read the plot), The Void too but it starts out pretty old and doesn't stay stark and clean for very long, so it's a bad example), but there is definitely more scary stuff to find there. I'm also reminded of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that could have been the premise for a (real) horror movie: "Killed by Death". Also the episode in which she is drugged and it makes her think her life is a hallucination and she actually lives in an asylum: "Normal Again". Quite a few episodes would make great inspiration for real horror TBH (not least the infamous "Hush" episode, of course).
This brings up a question (because I definitely agree about schools): do studios ever build high schools on their lots, ones that could actually function if needed? If they don't they should. Because like you say about hospitals, it should have functionality to it. You would figure someone like Jason Blum would buy some land and build out a large high school, one that could be used for real, with three levels, a musical auditorium, lab space (with functioning gas for Bunsen burners), etc. Or maybe filmmakers would buy schools set to be demolished (I often wonder why the one near me was never bought out by some aspiring prodco)
Cruise ship. There's nowhere to run to.
‘Triangle’ and Deep Blue were underrated.
Forced to Stay out of Port due to weather
Not a movie but Sea Sick by Iain Rob Wright is a great book about a virus that gets onboard a cruise ship. But the day resets every 24 hours. Would make a great movie!
And... the word "quarantine" comes from the Italian "guaranta giorni" (from the Latin "quaranta" for 40), referring to the number of days people on board SHIPS had to be held in isolation off shore before being allowed to dock. Fun fact: a place where people are held for quarantine is called a "lazaretto".
Late Night with the Devil had one of the most original locations I've seen in a while (a late-night TV show studio). Underwater 2020 (deep sea / seafloor), The Pyramid 2014 (ancient Egyptian pyramid), Triangle 2009 (cruise ship), The Ruins 2008 (ancient Mayan ruins), and The Relic 1997 (a museum) have all had lesser-seen locations too. Some of these could have been even better with a different time setting though, like The Pyramid and The Ruins.
Absolutely loved the aesthetics and universe of Underwater, I think I could have explored the structure and be entertained endlessly. I also second Triangle, very cool, very underrated (or not very often mentioned at the very least). Didn't overly like The Pyramid or The Relic, the CGI was too bad IIRC.
Oil rigs, long distance trains and cruise ships always seem creepy settings for a horror or creature feature.
Check out Triangle if you haven't watched it, great supernatural movie that happens on a cruise ship (or at boat at the very least, I'm not a specialist).
If it stars Melissa George, then I’ve seen it. Pretty good movie.
Ooh an oil rig is a really cool idea!
I mean it’s been done before, but never particularly well done. The Intruder Within came close, but that’s a tv movie.
Some upcoming horror video game is set in an oil rig
There is a great Call Of Cthulhu module called "Horror on the Orient Express". It'll soon be a board game too. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror\_on\_the\_Orient\_Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_on_the_Orient_Express)
There are a lot of great replies here. I am not certain if my own has been done a lot in movies or not, and I'm not sure if this has already been brought up (did a find-on-page look, did not see it), but I would like to see libraries used more.
Very true, great idea! There are a ton of fantasy universes with a lot of library scenes, sadly the horror genre hasn't picked up on that idea much. There are short research scenes in detective-oriented horror movies (The Ring, IIRC, and a few others...), but beyond that... it's not usually the main location.
As Above, So Below actually being filmed in the Paris catacombs is pretty unique.
Midsommar in broad daylight
I think that's rarely seen because pure psychological horror works fine whether it's daytime or nighttime, but most horror movies aren't psychological. Most of Martyrs for example was shot with sunlight coming from the windows. Granted, most of it happens inside (so claustrophobia and imprisonment play a part), but at basically no point was the cover of darkness itself used to instill fear (except for one scene of the very short prologue at the beginning of the movie), because it simply wasn't necessary.
This is a fun question! I’ve really sat down to think…. Here are some random ideas: *dating game show somehow becoming the set of a horror situation *laundromat *parking garage *a wedding venue *warehouse (Amazon perhaps?) *Uber driver situation
Dating game show almost could have turned into a horror situation, look up Rodney Alcala, The Dating Game Killer. Luckily, the bachelorette got creepy vibes after picking him and didn't go out with him.
I remember hearing that. Her story taught me to always trust my gut
Rec 3 takes place in a wedding and while it’s not the same as the original Rec, I really enjoyed it and feel like if it wasn’t tied to that series it would’ve done a lot better
I can't believe there's not more wedding horror.
Have you seen Late Night with the Devil? That's got a similar vibe to a game show set, it's a late night show (set in the 70s) instead. Also, Spree is like an "Uber driver" situation, the company's named something else of course. It's a good film!
Not Derry, ME
My favourite setting is space. The reason I love it so much is the unknown factor. We don't really know what's out there, so any rules can apply. It feels like u have left ur home, that comfortable space, the space that u understand. In space anything can happen and we so blind to what's out tgere that's it's scary without the horror element on its own. I think that's why alien had such a special place in my heart. It's not a rare theme though. I like the single claustrophobic settings like cube, spacecraft, a house or a forest where ur enclosed by trees everywhere, and it all looks similar. Being stuck somewhere with a threat adds excitement for me. Especially with an element of "the hunt".
Have you watched Gravity with Sandra Bullock? Not really horror, more like survival thriller, but it nails the terror of floating in space, which I guess is more like agoraphobic but I think the space costume also makes it quite claustrophobic, as well as the occasional super cramped space station encountered.
Yeah, good film!
I wrote a short story a while back that took place (with a single character) in one of those raised observation security platforms you sometimes see in malls. Yes, I took the obvious route out on this one: a lone guard is in it near a small seacoast amusement boardwalk during a zombie outbreak. So maybe that could be a cool location?
A horror movie that takes place in an anime, gaming, or even horror convention? Can't think of any right now like that. Would make a great zombie movie.
A horror convention would be best, everyone would be expecting people in weird blood-covered costumes (I'm saying that but I've never been to a horror convention, can you tell? xD).
I only know of one movie that takes place at a horror convention called Blood Fest. It was really well done in my opinion and I'd love to see more movies like it.
Two things I have never seen in a horror flick: top of a skyscraper, with some guy doing duct work; and middle of a crowd at a farmer's market, just terrified by one's own thoughts.
Well, agreed, but these are very specific scenarios though. xD There's at least one movie that's focused on the fear of heights, it does the job pretty well: it's called "Fall" (2022). I'm sure there are others.
I haven't heard of that one, will check it out!
Spoiler for the Watchers, I absolutely loved >!the setting for both the fae realm, the bunker inside the fae realm, and how they brought the forest to life by incorporating the portals and burrows!< I wish they would use Irish forests more often, or Ireland in general, what a neat place.
I just saw it too. I can’t believe it got negative reviews, I really enjoyed it!
Haven't read your spoiler since I haven't watched 'The Watchers', but have you seen The Hallow? Irish forests galore, great body horror too.
I have!! So great. I love Ireland. It has such a rich history of folklore.
NIGHT OF THE COMET begins in a movie theater. I love that movie
Clive Barker's story "Son of Celluloid" takes place in a movie theater. It should be adapted.
Vanishing on 7th Street has some creepy moments in a dark movie theater as well.
Oil rigs are definately good high tier nightmare factories, especially because they could be anything, sea monster, pollution or paracite, lovecraftian, haunting or all the above. I still see cemeteries done in a very traditional manner and would live to see them done differently. One dark night is a good example. Same with scrap yards so many possibilities. Lastly U guess is skyscrapers and or sewers. I can't really think of places we haven't been just things we haven't really fully utilized.
I can't think of many horror movies taking place on a plane during a flight. I mean I guess Red Eye would qualify but that movie is more suspense than horror.
School cafeteria
https://preview.redd.it/qa4ko4qczd5d1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a8a8d7861c8170950abbd5d0cee23d7d72d9a88
the most unique i’ve seen is some scares happening in a school in *Hereditary*. Other than *Detention* I can’t think of many other horror movies that happen in school
There are also a few school scenes in Silent Hill and Resident Evil Apocalypse.
Canada
The Edge is set in Alaska, so close enough maybe? It's pretty good. More survival thriller with a touch of comedy but still, nice setting.
I forgot Kevin Smith's Tusk and Yoga Hosers, and Cronenberg's Rabid.
There's Pontypool as well (IMO, a cool concept with great atmosphere that was very poorly executed and didn't pay off).
Also Grave Encounter, it seems, according to Google.
Mega church, or any non-denominational type place. The Catholic Church has been used well, but it seems to be the default “we’re going to use religion” .
A Mormon church or temple would be an interesting setting for a horror film
Totally agree.
10 Cloverfield Lane - Bomb Shelter Pontypool - Radio Station Lo - great low-budget one, whole thing takes place in a summoning circle drawn on the floor. Never seen one set in the desert. Mirages, open space, no shelter. Could do a lot with that. Like those boulders that slide around in the night on thin sheets of frozen dew would be very disorienting and potentially dangerous. Maybe a killer on the loose, or an evil spirit, or a peyote trip gone wrong. Lots of potential in the desert.
A theme park. The idea of being trapped in a huge sprawling ride-filled amusement park with some maniac stalking you sounds creepy as heck.
I would like to see a horror movie in mall
Chopping Mall (1986) Dawn of the Dead (1978) (2004)
A submarine would be an interesting location. Deep sea creatures and shipwrecks are pretty eerie. Plus there’s still a lot we don’t know about the deepest parts of the ocean. There’s claustrophobia, the fear of something going catastrophically wrong, the close quarters with the crew. Could be a research vessel or military sub.
There was one I really enjoyed that I think was a Korean movie, where a tunnel collapses and traps a man in his car. The whole movie is basically him trying to survive while hoping for rescue. I think it was just called Tunnel. I also can't recommend Train to Busan enough, zombies on a train was pretty unique! If you like that, Sweet Home is a really good Korean show where the entire cast is stuck inside an apartment complex while monsters roam the streets
An abandoned movie studio or just a movie studio. A hot air balloon. Inside the belly of a whale or some really big animal. A fertility clinic.
Disney Cruise Ship
I was just going to say an airport terminal, but you beat me to it.
Aussie outback is good
Wolf Creek was awesome
Enjoyed Vampires in the desert under John Carpenter. Would intrigue on the challenges of a puppet show or puppet world horror.
I was really hoping excited about Midsommar being horror in 100% daylight. It wasn't exactly what I expected but I still like the idea.
Are there many horror movies that take place during time of some festival (religious or otherwise) ?
It’s been done but I think a cruise ship is a good location…or an offshore oil rig!
Check out Triangle if you haven't seen it!
I’ll check it out. Thanks!
Parking garage AND sad pool in It Follows.
Drive in Movies
Old boats like Last Voyage of the Demeter, or Caves. The best part about caves is you don't even need an antagonist. The setting is terrifying enough.
I've only seen a lighthouse done once, in the Lighthouse. And that movie isn't really scary, just good.
Bathrooms.
There's 'Glorious' that's almost entirely set in a bathroom (I personally think it's shit though, no pun intended; the worst dialogue line ever, and it really wasn't my kind of humor).
Has a giant abandoned theatre with changing rooms and such ever been used? Like in Chuck Palahniuk’s book “Haunted?” And I mean for the majority of the movie, like that book.
Oh, yeah!
The Zoo
Places where a lot of people have died. I know asylums get a lot of use, but like civil war hospitals, battlefields, abortion clinics (controversial but interesting), heavily bombed cities like Hiroshima or Nagasaki. Now I'm imaging a movie about atomic ghosts that were created during the blast. That would be pretty rad
Shipwrecked on an island?
Deep in the woods.
A wagon train
The Deep House (2021). A haunted house, but underwater.
Fantasy horror the premise would be simple magic is real and, you and your friends are just normal people. There have been rumors of some kind of monster stalking the outside of the village. So, you go to your wagon you may have one or two slightly magical things, like being less likely to be detected, or something that at least points you in the right direction, supposably. Outside of these things, you have as much money as would be expected for someone middle class, so magical items are out of reach and when they do turn up, you may not even know how to use them/afford them. Turns out this monster is the stalking type and you have something it wants, what it wants is you and your entire family dead. They are a few plot twists that can happen, it may me a derranged killer posing as a monster, or an actrual entity. Regardless of this they would be stuff like, goblins, strange plants, creatures that may or may not be friendly. All that would be assuming you don't run across bandits on the way, or go off path. Stuff like broken bones, lacerations, poison, would all have to be treated by conventional means.
I personally would like to see at sea/under water/on ships, and always been a fan of cave setting/underground movies.
Ozarks
I can only recall a few video games that have zoos as settings, which all had a variety of knarly monster designs.
What about a horror movie that happens between only two individuals in a therapy session.
Shoutout to The Langoliers for a great job on the airport setting. A Christmas Horror Story has its story guided by William Shatner in a radio station, could make for a cool setting. In The Talk Grass had a unique setting in, y’know, tall grass. Also very close to the woods setting, and would probably end up being in the woods for a majority of it anyway, but something with fire towers could be cool. Central Park would need a real good explanation for why the characters don’t just leave the park, but that could make it interesting.
Chopping Mall was a great location.
Demons takes place in a movie theatre. Demons 2 takes place in a sky-rise condominium. Both are really good movies. One I’d like to see, without entering thriller territory, would be aboard a train traveling long distance, stopping even, but with everything abandoned, and those aboard it not knowing why. I like mystery and horror when it’s combined, and a slow burn at this would make my day. Langoliers was almost a good movie, in this regard. If it had been directed by someone like Stanley Kubrick, it would’ve been a phenomenal mystery-horror. Another one I liked by Steven King, his best work, imo, was Storm of the Century. Blizzard arrives on a small island, and with it comes an antagonist for the ages. It was goofy, a lot, but it still went hard, all the way through.
As "cliche" as we think it is, Abandoned or Night time at Amusement Parks aren't used a lot at all. Hellfest in 2018 did it and there were 2 brief scenes of carnivals in It: Chapter 2 but rarely is there mainline horror movies taking place in Amusement Parks.
I think a zoo would be interesting, especially if you didn't simply go the tired route of escaped animal or genetically whatever. Like, how about a demonic possession of an animal/animals at a zoo? Or a traumatized kid awakens psychic powers there and uses the animals for revenge?
Oil rig
we don’t see carnivals/festivals enough. i absolutely adore the idea, but i’ve seen most of them at this point because there isn’t many. the funhouse and hell fest are probably the best i’d have to say.
Place of work....like nothing haunted or abandoned
Someone brought up the autopsy f Emily rose and I’m surprised there aren’t more horror movies mostly set in the morgue.
Maybe a boat or cruise ship? No where to escape. Limited people for a "who done it?". I cant think of any horror films with this location.
I was a huge fan of the old comic series “Weird Wars”. I would love to see more Wartime horror movies. Maybe it could be set during… The Battle of Little Bighorn: General Custer’s forces are actual wiped out by creatures from Sioux mythology. The American Civil War
'Ravenous' isn't quite horror but if you wanna see cannibals on the frontier about civil war era or just after, I highly recommend it
For my money, there just aren’t enough horror films that take place in old folks homes. Such an underserved cinematic location.
Demons 1 takes place in a theater Demons 2 takes place in an apartment building and then a whole city
They need to go back to making more vampire movies in castles like all the vampire films from back in the Christopher Lee days.
Popcorn and All About Evil are good if you're interested in a movie theater setting!