8 Spooky Canadian Horror Movie Locations You Can Actually Visit
Halloween 2020 might be a bit different than others, but one thing isn't going anywhere: a good old-fashioned scary movie. What you might not know is that there are plenty of horror movie locations in Canada. You can even see some of them up close for yourself.
It's no secret that British Columbia and Ontario are hot spots for filmmaking. Plenty of spooky movies have been shot at locations in both provinces.
Even the east coast got the chance to play host to a scary movie, and you can actually go to all of these places!
Editor's Choice: Ontario's Weather Forecast Is Calling For Snow & Chilly Temperatures This Week
Historic Downtown Brantford - Silent Hill
Based on the video game of the same name, Silent Hill finds a woman trapped in an eerily empty town enveloped by fog (and evil). The titular Silent Hill was actually played by Brantford's historic downtown.
According to The Sputnik, many of the buildings that appear in the movie were torn down, but some still remain. Just make sure to listen for any air raid sirens.
British Columbia Institute of Technology - Cabin In The Woods
This particular horror movie managed to turn a genre on its head by playing with familiar tropes. A big part of that was the scenes set inside of the giant control facility overseeing the horror.
MovieMaps notes that these were shot at BCIT's Aerospace Technology Campus, which gave them a more authentic feel.
Dundurn Castle - Crimson Peak
Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to shooting in Canada, having used Toronto for both Mimic and The Shape Of Water.
For his gothic horror, Crimson Peak, he turned to Hamilton's Dundurn Castle. Torontoist notes that the director also used the picturesque Kingston city hall to stand in for turn-of-the-century Buffalo, New York.
Elora Gorge - IT
The adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror novel features scenes of the Losers club swimming in a picturesque gorge in the fictional town of Derry, Maine.
However, they were actually swimming in the Elora Gorge, as Toronto Life notes, which is just outside of Guelph.
Langley Secondary School - Jennifer's Body
Before she won the Oscar for writing Juno, Diablo Cody made a name for herself with the horror-comedy Jennifer's Body.
While the movie is set in a small Minnesota town, it was actually shot in British Columbia, and Langley Secondary School served as a primary filming location.
Hatley Castle - The Changeling
This one is a major throwback, and while Victoria's Hatley Castle has also made appearances in the X-Men films, it served as a location for The Changeling.
Much of the film was shot in British Columbia, which was used to stand in for Seattle.
Shawnigan Lake - Lake Placid
Jaws may have made people afraid to go in the ocean, but Lake Placid created plenty of freshwater fear with its tale of a massive lake-dwelling alligator.
In spite of its title, the film was shot at three different lakes in British Columbia, including Shawnigan Lake, as well as Buntzen Lake and Hayward Lake.
Prince Andrew High School - Polaroid
Even Canada's east coast can stand in for some spooky locations. Polaroid, which told the story of teenagers coming across a haunted camera, was shot in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
The school scenes were shot at Prince Andrew High School, according to The Coast.