Spooky season is upon us and if, like us, you’re a fan of Halloween movies, you don’t have to stick to the sofa to experience some of their most iconic settings. Many spooky movie locations can be visited in real life.
We’ve rounded up 7 spooky movie locations you can visit, with road trip ideas including SIXT rental destinations to help you make the most of your trip. Want more spooky stories for the road? Add a detour along some of the most haunted roads in America.
Where were your favorite Halloween movies filmed?
Ever wanted to visit the real-life locations behind some of your favorite Halloween movies? Find out how below.
| Movie | Year | Set in | Actually filmed in | SIXT branch to start from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shining | 1980 | Colorado | Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon (exteriors) | Portland Downtown |
| Halloweentown | 1998 | Halloweentown | St. Helens, Oregon | Portland Downtown |
| Practical Magic | 1998 | A New England island town | Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washington | Seattle Downtown |
| Hocus Pocus | 1993 | Salem, Massachusetts | Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts | Boston Seaport |
| Beetlejuice | 1988 | Winter River, Connecticut | East Corinth, Vermont | Boston Seaport |
| Halloween | 1978 | Haddonfield, Illinois | South Pasadena and Hollywood, California | Pasadena Downtown |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street | 1984 | Springwood, Ohio | Los Angeles, California | West Hollywood |
Spooky movie locations you can visit
1. The Shining (1980): Timberline Lodge, Government Camp, Oregon
The Overlook Hotel’s exteriors in The Shining were filmed at Timberline Lodge, about 6,000 feet up Oregon’s Mount Hood. Kubrick used it for the aerial and establishing shots. Everything else outside, including the hedge maze, was shot on a full-scale replica at Elstree Studios in England.
Work crews from the Works Progress Administration built the lodge in 1937, much of the art inside came from the Federal Art Project, and it has been a National Historic Landmark since 1977.
Getting there: Pick up at SIXT Portland Downtown (685 SW Pine Street) and head east on US-26. It’s about 60 miles, or roughly 90 minutes. The road climbs quickly near the town of Government Camp, where winter conditions can set in while Portland is still enjoying autumn. Conditions vary, so check the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) TripCheck road cameras and traction requirements before you set off, especially later in the season. Returns close at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends, so a weekday trip gives you the most time at the lodge. Confirm branch hours before you book.
2. Halloweentown (1998): St. Helens, Oregon
Halloweentown was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon, a riverfront town about 30 miles northwest of Portland. The Disney Channel crew used its historic downtown, and many of the buildings look much as they did on screen.
The town leans all the way in. Every October, St. Helens runs Spirit of Halloweentown, a month-long festival with a giant pumpkin in the square, cast meet-and-greets and guided tours of the filming spots. Walking around town is free; the official festival activities need a ticket, so check the festival site for this year’s dates and guests.
Getting there: From SIXT Portland Downtown, take US-30 north along the Columbia River. It’s about 45 minutes. Weekday mornings are the easiest time to get the pumpkin and the square to yourself for photos.
3. Practical Magic (1998): Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washington
Practical Magic was filmed mostly in Coupeville, a Victorian-era seaside town on Whidbey Island, which stood in for the Owens sisters’ New England island home. With the Practical Magic sequel out in theaters this fall, it’s the most timely stop on this list.
The Owens house itself was never real. The production built it as an empty shell on a bluff on San Juan Island, filmed the interiors on a Los Angeles soundstage and took the house down once filming wrapped. Coupeville is the real thing. Toby’s Tavern played The Catch and Fry, the Coupeville Pier appears on screen, and a trail near the Island County Historical Museum doubled as the path to the Owens house. Every stop sits within a few minutes’ walk along the Front Street waterfront.
The town celebrates its role every fall with Practically Magic Halloweekend, so check the town’s event listings for this year’s dates.
Getting there: From SIXT Seattle Downtown, near Pike Place Market, head north to Mukilteo and take the short Washington State Ferries crossing to Whidbey Island. Coupeville is about 2 hours from downtown Seattle, ferry included.
4. Hocus Pocus (1993): Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts
Hocus Pocus was filmed in Salem, Massachusetts, the same town it’s set in, with a few scenes in neighboring Marblehead. That makes it one of the easiest trails on this list. Most stops are free to see and only minutes apart.
Start at Salem Pioneer Village, a living history museum built in 1930, which plays 1690s Salem in the opening scenes. Next is the Ropes Mansion at 318 Essex Street, Allison’s house in the film. It dates to 1727, belongs to the Peabody Essex Museum today, and its garden is one of the most photographed movie spots in town. Old Town Hall at 32 Derby Square is where the town Halloween party was filmed, the one Winifred takes over with “I Put a Spell on You.”
The stop most visitors skip is Old Burial Hill in Marblehead, where Max has his run-in with the bullies. It was founded in 1638, sits on a hill above the harbor, and the view alone justifies the short drive. Max and Dani’s house is a private home in Salem, so enjoy it from the sidewalk.
Getting there: SIXT’s Seaport branch in Boston (425 Summer Street) is about 20 miles from Salem, roughly 25 minutes. Pioneer Village keeps seasonal hours, so check its opening days before you go.
5. Beetlejuice (1988): East Corinth, Vermont
Beetlejuice was filmed in East Corinth, Vermont, which stood in for the fictional Winter River, Connecticut. Tim Burton brought the crew back in summer 2023 to shoot Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the same village.
The house on the hill, the one everyone wants to see, was never real. Both versions were facades built above the village and taken down after filming, and the red covered bridge was a set piece too. The village is the real thing: the general store, the Congregational church and the white Masonic lodge that played Miss Shannon’s School for Girls, where Lydia is a student in the original film.
East Corinth is a small working village, so keep to public roads and give residents’ homes the same respect you’d want for yours.
Getting there: Start in Boston and pair East Corinth with Salem as a 2-day New England loop. It’s roughly 150 miles from SIXT’s Seaport branch, about 3 hours. Vermont’s fall color usually peaks in early to mid-October, so time your drive north accordingly. The state publishes a weekly foliage report, so check it a few days before you leave.
6. Halloween (1978): South Pasadena, California
Halloween was filmed mostly in South Pasadena, California, with 2 important houses in Hollywood. Haddonfield, Illinois, was really a Los Angeles suburb in May 1978.
The Myers house is the one everyone comes for. It was moved to its current spot in South Pasadena in 1987 to save it from demolition. Built in 1888, it’s believed to be the oldest surviving house in South Pasadena and is now a city landmark. Across the street is the store where Michael picks up his mask.
A few blocks away, Montrose Avenue and the streets around it are where Laurie and her friends walk home from school. The Wallace and Doyle houses, where the night scenes play out, are in Hollywood, just north of Sunset Boulevard. All of these are private homes, so please respect residents, stay on public sidewalks and visit in daylight only.
Getting there: SIXT Pasadena Downtown (350 W Colorado Boulevard) is about 10 minutes from Mission Street.
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Los Angeles, California
A Nightmare on Elm Street was filmed in Los Angeles, and Nancy’s house is in a residential neighborhood just south of Sunset Boulevard. The film kept the real house number and renamed the street Elm Street, in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio.
The neighborhood was picked partly because it had so few palm trees, which made it easier to pass off as the Midwest. The house is a 1919 Dutch Colonial, and the biggest change since 1984 is the front door: it’s black now, not red. Glen’s house is right across the street.
Both are private homes on a quiet residential street, so please respect residents, admire them from the sidewalk and visit in daylight only.
Getting there: SIXT West Hollywood (8305 Sunset Boulevard) is a few minutes’ drive away. Both houses are close enough to cover in one short loop.
Plan your spooky movie road trip
From spooky houses to atmospheric towns, these filming locations make the perfect stops for a movie-inspired road trip. Want a real-life ghost story for the drive? Read the legend of Clinton Road, the New Jersey route that tops our ranking of America’s most haunted roads.
Pacific Northwest: The Shining and Halloweentown from Portland
Pick up at SIXT Portland Downtown. Spend Day 1 in St. Helens, 45 minutes north along the Columbia River. On Day 2, take US-26 up Mount Hood to Timberline Lodge, stop at Trillium Lake below it for the mirror-flat mountain reflection, and come back down by the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. Around 220 miles in total.
Puget Sound: Practical Magic from Seattle
Collect your car at SIXT Seattle Downtown and catch the ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island. Spend the afternoon on Coupeville’s waterfront, then drive north along the island to Deception Pass for the views from the bridge before looping back to Seattle on I-5. Allow about 160 miles.
New England: Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice from Boston
Start at SIXT’s Seaport branch. Day 1 is Salem and Marblehead, finishing with sunset over the harbor from Old Burial Hill. Day 2 heads north to East Corinth through Vermont’s fall color and back to Boston. Allow about 340 miles.
Southern California: Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street from Los Angeles
This one fits in a day and stays under 40 miles. Collect your car at SIXT Pasadena Downtown, see the Myers house and Haddonfield’s streets in South Pasadena, then cross town to the Hollywood houses. Finish at Griffith Observatory for the view over the city after dark. For more ideas, see our haunted California road trip.
Which SIXT car is right for your spooky road trip?
For Oregon, take an SUV. It gives you extra space and confidence on the road up Mount Hood, plus room in the back for festive costumes. On Whidbey Island, a premium sedan or compact SUV suits the ferry crossing and the island’s quiet two-lane roads. The New England loop has a long interstate run north, so a premium sedan from the luxury range makes the drive part of the weekend rather than the part between stops.
Los Angeles is convertible country. The drives are short and October afternoons are usually warm, so put the top down between Pasadena and Hollywood with a convertible. Short on time for a road trip? Find out what is a haunted drive thru and enjoy the spooky atmosphere without a long road trip.
Ready to begin your own haunted road trip? Explore the SIXT fleet and book the car that fits your route.
Vehicle types are examples or similar and subject to availability at your chosen branch. Check mileage inclusions, ferry rules and branch hours before you book. SIXT is not affiliated with the films, studios or events mentioned. Please respect residents and private property.
