7 Horror Movie and TV Locations You Can Visit in Real Life

When it comes to the scariest horror movies ever, there's a lot that can contribute to audience terror. There are ghosts and possessive demons; there are witches and monsters and serial killers. But perhaps one of the most terrifying facets of the horror realm is the idea of a haunted location. It could be a house, a hotel, or perhaps a stately apartment building. And while most horror movies are filmed on sound stages, some have snatched up real-life locations to bring their scares into reality.

01
The Murder House From American Horror Story's First Season
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The Murder House From American Horror Story's First Season

Yes, you can definitely visit the mansion from American Horror Story's iconic first season. Unfortunately, though, its history isn't quite as ghostly as the show would like you to think. In real life, the building is called the Rosenheim Mansion. It had been on the market for upwards of 15 years before it finally sold in 2015. So, maybe it's not haunted, but it's definitely more than just a house on a sound stage.

02
The Apartment Building Featured in Rosemary's Baby
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The Apartment Building Featured in Rosemary's Baby

This is an apartment building called The Dakota. It stands on NYC's Upper West Side and was used as The Bramford apartment building for Rosemary's Baby. The building itself does have a dark past, but it doesn't have much to do with Satanic cults. Now, it's best known as the site of John Lennon's fatal gunshot wound.

While we can't speak to children of the devil or occult rituals, there's a different aspect of the building that's a bit supernatural. Before his death, John Lennon claimed to have seen a crying ghost lady roaming the halls. And after, Yoko Ono has claimed to see Lennon's ghost.

03
The Fated Staircase From The Exorcist
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The Fated Staircase From The Exorcist

Sorry for the spoiler, but you need to know why the stairs are so iconic. In the height of The Exorcist's final sequence, Father Karras gets thrown from an upstairs window and tumbles down this very staircase. The site is located in Washington, DC, and it's so famous, it's been declared an official tourist site by the city. It even has its own Yelp page!

04
The Cursed House of The Amityville Horror
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The Cursed House of The Amityville Horror

Whether or not you believe in the specifics of the Amityville story, the building itself is very real. Located at 112 Ocean Ave. on New York's Long Island, the Lutz family really purchased the house in 1975. Oddly, no owners since the Lutzes have reported any strange activity. And, well, as of June of this year, the house is on the market. The address has been changed to 108, and the building looks a bit different, but it really is the Amityville house.

05

The Ominous Lighthouse From The Fog

No, we're not talking about the 2005 remake. In the original 1980 film, the Point Reyes Lighthouse is the scene of one of the deadly fog's first string of murders. While the lighthouse itself isn't all that scary, especially in the daytime, we will say the San Francisco Bay Area is often cloaked in fog. You never know when danger will strike.

06
The Haunted Hotel From The Shining
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The Haunted Hotel From The Shining

Not only is The Stanley Hotel haunted in its own right (you can sign up for your own ghost tour if you want to get all the ins and outs of its terrifying history), but it actually inspired one of the most iconic horror stories of all time: The Shining. That's right, master of horror Stephen King stayed at the hotel in 1974. As the story goes, the Kings spent the night in the hotel just before its Winter closure. King reportedly wandered the halls, drank at the bar, and even stayed in the dreaded room 217. He published The Shining three years later.

07
The Witchy Mansion From American Horror Story: Coven
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The Witchy Mansion From American Horror Story: Coven

The Buckner Mansion is a real building that stands in the suburbs of New Orleans. Unfortunately, though, you won't find Miss Robichaux's Academy or any burgeoning witches inside its walls. But, hey, you can rent it out for $4,500 a night!