Three of the Most Bizarre Film Locations in Horror

Photo by Tama66 on Pixabay.

Some horror movie locations are tried and tested. You know, haunted house (The Amityville Horror (1979), House on Haunted Hill (1959)), crumbly old castle (Castle Freak (1995), The Keep (1983)), graveyard (Night of the Living Dead (1968), Cemetery Man (1994)), and, more recently, amusement parks (Haunt (2019), Zombieland (2009)). Sometimes, though, a bit of originality is nice, but it takes a special cast and a brilliant director to bring non-spooky venues to life. I’ve got three examples of totally non-spooky settings that were put together so brilliantly that—now? They’re truly spine-tingling.

The Casino (Leprechaun 3, 1995)

A casino? It’s full of bright lights, endless noise, and crowds of people spinning the reels. On paper, it’s the last place that ought to host a horror movie. If you're a fan of live casino UK, then you'll know just how immersive and enjoyable the experience can be. From a real life dealer, to being able to interact with one another, it's as close to the action as it gets. But, Leprechaun 3 flips all ideas of Vegas glitz into nightmare territory. The plot follows a mischievous leprechaun on a murderous rampage through Sin City, turning what should be a gambler’s paradise into a bizarre, dystopian bloodbath.

What I love most about this movie is how it makes Vegas itself part of the horror. The film was actually shot partly on location in Las Vegas. This gives it an authentic—and slightly surreal—edge. That said, what’s filmed on an indoor set is very DIY. For me, that works in its favor, adding to the campy, chaotic energy. Despite its straight-to-video release, Leprechaun 3 became the highest-selling film of its kind in 1995! Maybe it’s the absurdity of a tiny green menace stalking the poker tables? It’s strange, ridiculous, and oddly entertaining.

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The Supermarket (The Mist, 2007)

Image by Myriams Fotos on Pixabay.

Outside of Black Friday, there’s nothing scary about a grocery store, right? Wrong. The Mist turns the everyday supermarket into a stage for one of the most harrowing horror tales ever put to film. When a mysterious, monster-filled fog descends on a small town, a group of people barricades themselves inside the local store.

Starting out with a Stephen King novella is never a bad place to begin. But, director Frank Darabont’s approach is fascinating. He shot the film with an old-school creature feature aesthetic, blending practical effects with CGI. The result is deeply unsettling. What sticks with you most is that gut-punch of an ending. Unlike King’s original story, Darabont took a bold step and rewrote the finale into something much darker. Even Stephen King himself admitted it was a better fit!

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The Underwater Lab (Deep Blue Sea, 1999)

Some of us love a splash about in the sea, others have watched Deep Blue Sea and are taking no chances! Dark, endless, and teeming with unknown dangers, the ocean is a scary place. But, add a high-tech underwater research facility and genetically engineered super sharks into the mix? It’s downright terrifying. The film’s confined underwater setting is a masterstroke, isolating its characters in a space where escape seems impossible.

The sharks are the standout. The filmmakers combined CGI with massive animatronic sharks, some weighing over 8,000 pounds, to bring these super predators to life. And let’s not forget Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic death scene, which wasn’t even in the original script. It was rewritten to shock audiences who assumed he’d be the hero—a brilliant twist in a film full of unexpected moments.

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