If you live in California and don’t have anything to do this Halloween, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has just presented itself. For one night only, horror fans will be able to watch Scream from within the confines of the real life Stu Macher house, which has been rented out for the event.
Call me a scaredy cat, but something about this idea seems a little off. Maybe it’s the fact that tickets to the event cost up to $1,750 each. Maybe it’s the fact that the billed special guest is Roger Jackson (“The voice of Ghostface”) who is by far the least-known person to ever appear in any Scream film in any capacity. Or maybe it’s because nobody really wants to attend a party based on a film where loads of people get stabbed that’s bound to be primarily attended by grown men in masks carrying knives.
The idea of watching a horror movie in the place it was set does not do it for me. When you finish watching multiple people get murdered by a hooded maniac, the last thing you want to do is look around and realise that all those murders happened right where you’re sitting. But, hey, there are worse movie locations you could visit for a party.
Fox Plaza, California (Die Hard)
Fans of Die Hard will recognise this gaudy 35-storey postmodern Century City skyscraper as the Nakatomi Plaza. And, indeed, the location is just as willing to lean into its notoriety as you’d expect. In fact, there’s going to be a 30th anniversary Die Hard screening there this Saturday, featuring Q&As from special guests that almost definitely won’t include Bruce Willis. However, this will all be tainted by the knowledge that Fox Plaza is still occupied by the Fox corporation, which means you’re likely to bump into an obnoxious executive obsessing over Beat Shazam’s overnight ratings.
Timberline Lodge, Oregon (The Shining)
Although most of The Shining was filmed on sets, the exterior of the Overlook hotel was Timberline Lodge; a skiing hotel situated 6,000ft up Mount Hood in the middle of a national forest. Last year Timberline Lodge held the inaugural Overlook horror film festival. This year, though, no such events are planned. Should you download The Shining on to an iPad and book a room? The most recent Tripadvisor review complained about the small rooms and lack of parking, so maybe not.
Henry River Mill Village, North Carolina (Hunger Games)
If you’ve ever wanted to discover the nightmarish post-apocalyptic location of District 12, home of all the most downtrodden and dirt-faced scenes in The Hunger Games franchise, you’re in luck. They were filmed in an abandoned mill village just outside Charlotte. Better yet, it’s Hunger Games central, with regular unofficial fan tours taking place there. However, a word of caution; according to its website, the tour includes a character-appropriate lunch (which possibly means bad food) and “bonding with other fans” (which possibly means standing around with nothing to do).
Vis, Croatia (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again)
The first Mamma Mia film was shot on the Greek island of Skopelos. The unexpectedly emotional sequel, however, was filmed on the small Croatian island of Vis. So far, Vis has been slow to exploit its newfound fame – the best that the Croatia Traveller website can muster at the moment is “come and look at some stairs” – but expect that to change once locals realise how lucrative Dead Meryl tours will be. Free commemorative tissues to anyone who realises that their parents are never coming back because time is a long straight march to oblivion!
Seneca Creek state park, Maryland (The Blair Witch Project)
Seneca Creek state park was famously where Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez terrorised the cast of The Blair Witch Project, depriving them of food and sleep and scattering teeth across their path. Last year the park held a Blair Witch Heritage Hike through memorable locations, presumably including “the bit with all the trees”, “the other bit with all the trees”, and “the bit where the woman cried and there were loads of trees behind her”.
