One of my favorite activities during Halloween season is watching old horror films. Not necessarily slasher flicks but the creepy, classic ones that induce fear with suspense, the supernatural, and even gothic themes without necessarily showing gore. These days, Arizona doesn’t see much in the way of film-making but we can always dream. Let’s take a look at some places that are just creepy or spooky enough to be the perfect setting for a horror film, no matter what kind you prefer.
- Black Canyon City Greyhound Park
CEBImagery/Flickr We’re starting this list with an abandoned dog track located just off the highway in Black Canyon City. The old race track is dilapidated these days, making it the perfect place for someone to lurk in the shadows.
- Casa Grande Domes
Mike Boening Photography/Flickr Another abandoned building in Arizona, this one is expected to be demolished soon so we’re a bit sad it may never find its place on the big screen. Despite that, the domes are a spooky spot that would make a good hiding place for a movie’s villain.
- Deep within the desert.
Elvin/Flickr If there’s one place you wouldn’t want to be stranded in while running from a threat, it’s probably the vast Arizona desert. Take your pick of the four in our state and imagine yourself running from someone like Leatherface. No thank you.
- Gold King Mansion
Deborah Lee Soltesz/Flickr Abandoned places around the state are always just slightly eerie and this building on the site of a former mine is no different. Under the right circumstances, it looks like one of those places where you never know what you’ll find inside.
- Hotel Monte Vista
Jesse T./Yelp Old, haunted hotels are the perfect setting for anything potentially creepy in film and this hotel has the perfect mix of beauty, mystery, and ghosts. What kind of movie would you imagine being filmed here?
- Jerome Grand Hotel
Road Warrior/Flickr The granddaddy of haunted places in Arizona, when the lighting is just right you can almost feel the spirits lurking in the corners and hallways. That makes it the perfect candidate for any horror or thriller movie.
- Meteor City
Eric/Flickr Another abandoned location on Route 66, Meteor City is literally falling apart. At one point, many of the original items could still be found in the buildings, including paperwork, photos, and other media; if those are still scattered around the premises, it would have the perfect air of mystery needed for a creepy movie.
- Oatman Hotel
C.C. Chapman/Flickr This old saloon and hotel currently operates as a restaurant and museum but if they were ever open to filming a suspense movie here, the rustic place has plenty of potential for increasing the spook factor. It also just happens to be haunted by at least one ghost, Oatie, but he might be too friendly to be creepy.
- In the middle of our large pine forests.
Alan Stark/Flickr Arizona is home to the largest Ponderosa pine forests and some of those areas are very remote and rugged. This, combined with the abandoned cabins you’ll occasionally run into, easily translates into a haunting location.
- Ruby
velo_city/Flickr This ghost town looks pretty spooky and with the decrepit buildings in the desert, this place has plenty of potential as a horror or suspense movie set. What kind of character can you imagine hiding in the abandoned buildings here?
- Superstition Mountains
Srikanth Vk/Flickr Rugged, dangerous, and home to a haunting legend that refuses to die, the Superstition Mountains is a place that naturally lends itself to a horror film. Plus, you can’t deny that its name doesn’t help!
- Swansea
SpaceTrucker/Flickr Once a tiny mining town, Swansea is barely standing these days. The ghost town sits alone in western Arizona and the isolated location would be the perfect spot for a protagonist or two to encounter trouble.
- Two Guns
Thomas Hawk/Flickr Long abandoned, run down, and covered in graffiti, Two Guns has been a photography inspiration inspiration over the years and it could easily become the same for movies. It sits alone and decaying on the side of Route 66, perhaps a future inspiration for a road trip themed horror film.
This certainly isn’t a definitive list of creepy places around the state. What are some other places you think would make a great setting for a horror film?
CEBImagery/Flickr
We’re starting this list with an abandoned dog track located just off the highway in Black Canyon City. The old race track is dilapidated these days, making it the perfect place for someone to lurk in the shadows.
Mike Boening Photography/Flickr
Another abandoned building in Arizona, this one is expected to be demolished soon so we’re a bit sad it may never find its place on the big screen. Despite that, the domes are a spooky spot that would make a good hiding place for a movie’s villain.
Elvin/Flickr
If there’s one place you wouldn’t want to be stranded in while running from a threat, it’s probably the vast Arizona desert. Take your pick of the four in our state and imagine yourself running from someone like Leatherface. No thank you.
Deborah Lee Soltesz/Flickr
Abandoned places around the state are always just slightly eerie and this building on the site of a former mine is no different. Under the right circumstances, it looks like one of those places where you never know what you’ll find inside.
Jesse T./Yelp
Old, haunted hotels are the perfect setting for anything potentially creepy in film and this hotel has the perfect mix of beauty, mystery, and ghosts. What kind of movie would you imagine being filmed here?
Road Warrior/Flickr
The granddaddy of haunted places in Arizona, when the lighting is just right you can almost feel the spirits lurking in the corners and hallways. That makes it the perfect candidate for any horror or thriller movie.
Eric/Flickr
Another abandoned location on Route 66, Meteor City is literally falling apart. At one point, many of the original items could still be found in the buildings, including paperwork, photos, and other media; if those are still scattered around the premises, it would have the perfect air of mystery needed for a creepy movie.
C.C. Chapman/Flickr
This old saloon and hotel currently operates as a restaurant and museum but if they were ever open to filming a suspense movie here, the rustic place has plenty of potential for increasing the spook factor. It also just happens to be haunted by at least one ghost, Oatie, but he might be too friendly to be creepy.
Alan Stark/Flickr
Arizona is home to the largest Ponderosa pine forests and some of those areas are very remote and rugged. This, combined with the abandoned cabins you’ll occasionally run into, easily translates into a haunting location.
velo_city/Flickr
This ghost town looks pretty spooky and with the decrepit buildings in the desert, this place has plenty of potential as a horror or suspense movie set. What kind of character can you imagine hiding in the abandoned buildings here?
Srikanth Vk/Flickr
Rugged, dangerous, and home to a haunting legend that refuses to die, the Superstition Mountains is a place that naturally lends itself to a horror film. Plus, you can’t deny that its name doesn’t help!
SpaceTrucker/Flickr
Once a tiny mining town, Swansea is barely standing these days. The ghost town sits alone in western Arizona and the isolated location would be the perfect spot for a protagonist or two to encounter trouble.
Thomas Hawk/Flickr
Long abandoned, run down, and covered in graffiti, Two Guns has been a photography inspiration inspiration over the years and it could easily become the same for movies. It sits alone and decaying on the side of Route 66, perhaps a future inspiration for a road trip themed horror film.
Want to read about actual horror and thriller movies that were shot in Arizona? Read about a few selections in Most People Don’t Know These 8 Classic Spooky Films Were Filmed In Arizona.
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