Movies
The Best Movies Inspired By Ed Gein
Ed Gein was known for exhuming bodies to take parts as keepsakes. He used some of the pieces to fashion clothing, furniture, etc. As with most serial killers, Gein also had an unusual relationship with his parents, specifically his mother. So, obviously, there is a lot to mine here when creating unsettling characters. This explains why many writers return to this personality to give actors unsettling moments even in the most unassuming movies. Looking specifically at Con Air’s Garland Greene (played by Steve Buscemi). This is wild because Buscemi starred in Ed and His Dead Mother as a guy named Ed with a bizarre relationship with his dead mom. The irony of a nice guy like Buscemi getting two attempts at characters based on the same serial killer is not lost on me. However, I digress. I am here today with four horror movies we saw way too young to connect to Gein’s horrendous legacy. Once you know these villains were inspired by a real and disturbing person, it makes you look at them very differently.
Hollywood’s ongoing fascination with serial killers is one of the few things we can count on as a society. With America’s interest in these monsters resulting in high demand for true crime content, it is easy to see why the subgenre remains bankable. While we see countless films about these infamous murders, I find the fictional characters inspired by them more interesting. This is why when I discovered that Ed Gein was the blueprint for some of our favorite killers, it made them even more disturbing. Gein, also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, is in the DNA of many characters most of us grew up watching.
Ed Gein was known for exhuming bodies to take parts as keepsakes. He used some of the pieces to fashion clothing, furniture, etc. As with most serial killers, Gein also had an unusual relationship with his parents, specifically his mother. So, obviously, there is a lot to mine here when creating unsettling characters. This explains why many writers return to this personality to give actors unsettling moments even in the most unassuming movies. Looking specifically at Con Air’s Garland Greene (played by Steve Buscemi). This is wild because Buscemi starred in Ed and His Dead Mother as a guy named Ed with a bizarre relationship with his dead mom.
The irony of a nice guy like Buscemi getting two attempts at characters based on the same serial killer is not lost on me. However, I digress. I am here today with four horror movies we saw way too young to connect to Gein’s horrendous legacy. Once you know these villains were inspired by a real and disturbing person, it makes you look at them very differently.
An Ed Gein Inspired Horror Movie Streaming Guide
Psycho
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A secretary steals a bag of cash from her job and hits the road. However, she unfortunately checks into the Bates Motel, where Norman Bates and his mysterious mother may pose a threat. Finding out Anthony Perkins’ character is based on Ed Gein changed my brain chemistry. This might be why Gein is one of the serial killers I actually did a little bit of research on. I figured the novel by Robert Bloch that the movie is based on was just super creative until I was a teen who realized Norma and Norman were based on Gein and his belief that he could rebuild his mother from various body parts he stole. He also planned to wear his “mom” suit in the moonlight.
Deranged
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A rural farmer turns to grave robbing and murder after the death of his mother, whose corpse he keeps as a companion. The plot is loosely based on the crimes of Ed Gein and even exclaims it is inspired by true events and has only changed the names and locations. This marries parts of Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre with almost Coen brother humor. The late Roberts Blossom plays Ezra Cobb, our killer. He skins victims to make masks and also pulls other bodies to hang out with his dead mother. Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby directed this 1974 nod at Gein and does not get the same respect as the other films on the list.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Where You Can Watch: Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
Five friends road tripping through rural Texas stumble across a seemingly deserted house holding a huge secret. While Leatherface’s chainsaw and hometown are changes to the story, his love of wearing other people’s faces is very similar to Gein’s. Ed Gein is not the only serial killer this movie is under the influence of, but he is the one that stands out the most. After all, he also keeps his mother’s corpse on hand, so it is hard not to think of Ed. While this beloved title does take its fair share of liberties with the source material, it is clear that Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel’s creation has many similarities to Gein. Which might explain why it still gets under our skin today.
The Silence of the Lambs
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
A young F.B.I. cadet works with an incarcerated cannibal to catch another serial killer who skins his victims. A lot can be said about the character of Buffalo Bill (played by Ted Levine). However, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that he is another character wearing the skin and hair of his victims. As a kid, most of us were not aware a real person inspired the serial killer they were hunting. As an adult armed with that knowledge, the film is even more chilling. The Silence of the Lambs is also one of the few horror movies to win statues at The Academy Awards.
While plenty of movies nod at Ed Gein’s unusual crimes, these four titles are some of the most interesting to do so. If you have already seen these, there is no shortage of media dedicated to this midwestern body snatcher. However, many of those titles are more direct in their approaches. That is not my cup of tea, but perhaps it is perfect for people who are fans of true crime.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Tragedy Girls (2017)
A dark, comedic, high school romp about best friends gaining internet clout through murder. It may feel dated due to its use of Twitter rather than X, but it adds charm and reminds us of a simpler internet age. Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp deliver devilishly fun performances, and their slasher personas are heavily under-appreciated in the horror community. There are lots of familiar faces here, including Josh Hutcherson, Jack Quaid, Craig Robinson, and not to mention the director, Tyler MacIntyre, who went on to be one of the writers for Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023).
Seance (2021)
This Is Not a Test (2025)
School’s Out (2018)
Graduation Day (1981)
One of my absolute favorite things to do when I’m on vacation is to visit horror filming locations. Wherever you happen to be going, odds are that at least one horror project was filmed there at some point. There’s something magical about seeing the places that helped bring iconic scary stories to life on the big and small screens.
However, some locations are better than others. A lot of them (like the original A Nightmare on Elm Street house, Stu’s house from Scream, and the schoolhouse from The Birds) are private property and aren’t always owned by people who are particularly happy to have horror fans milling around out front. Others (like the schools from Buffy, Elm Street, and many other teen horror titles) are active educational institutions that don’t welcome strange visitors.
But I’m here to deliver a guide to some of the coolest horror filming locations in North America that give you that magical vibe without somebody calling 9-1-1 on you. Because the best things in life are free, so are all the locations on this list.
The Bridge from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Location: Linnie Canal Ct. Los Angeles, CA 9029, USA
The bridge where Glen (Johnny Depp) and Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) discuss the Balinese method of dreaming is nowhere near the movie’s fictional town of Springwood, Ohio. It’s actually one of the bridges over the human-made canals in Venice, California. Specifically, it’s the bridge over the Eastern canal that connects to Linnie Ct. It’s totally free to visit, and once you’re done taking photos and quoting “I’m into survival” to your heart’s content, you’re still in Venice. Not a bad place to be!
The Movie Theater from Scream 2 (1997)
Location: Rialto Theatre, 1019-1023 Fair Oaks Ave. South Pasadena, CA, 91030 USA
Although the majority of the campus scenes in the college-set slasher sequel Scream 2 were filmed at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, a lot of the school’s surrounding environs were filmed closer to Hollywood, in sunny Pasadena. While the movie theater where poor Phil (Omar Epps) and Maureen (Jada Pinkett Smith) are killed in the movie’s prologue is no longer an operating cinema and you can’t go inside (the building has been taken over by a church), the exterior has been well preserved and looks more or less exactly the way it did in the late 1990s.
This horror filming location is also just an 11 minute drive from the street where the film’s famous car crash sequence was shot, which is part of Green Street between South Los Robles Avenue and Madison Avenue in Pasadena.
The Myers House from Halloween (1978)
Location: 1000 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030, USA
Although the building has been moved from its original location, it was rebuilt to look exactly the way it does when young Michael Myers is stalking his way around it in the iconic opening sequence of Halloween. There is a business operating out of the building, so don’t bother them or try to get inside (the interiors aren’t the same, anyway). But at this point, they’re very used to people doing photo ops out front. If you find yourself in Pasadena on October 31, it’s a can’t-miss destination, as a nonstop torrent of cosplayers swarm the area.
Other free Halloween locations in South Pasadena include the exterior of the hardware store where Michael gets his mask (right around the corner at 966 Mission St – it’s now the Radhika Modern Indian restaurant) and the famous hedge he hides behind when stalking Laurie Strode (just one mile away, at 1019 Montrose Ave S).
Brennan’s Tip: If you do have money to burn, check out the SugarMynt Gallery next door, which is chock full of horror-themed artwork. Also grab a snack at the Heirloom Bakery across the street! They’ve got all kinds of great treats (I even had them do the desserts for my wedding), and you can enjoy them on the outdoor patio with the Myers house looming over you.
The Town Square from Scream (1996)
Location: Healdsburg Town Square, Healdsburg, CA 95448, USA
Scream was filmed in and around Sonoma County, but the core town playing Woodsboro was the real-life wine country borough of Healdsburg. The town square, complete with fountain, is still there, and surrounded by cute shops and restaurants. You can also find the police station exterior where Sidney punches out Gale at Oakville Grocery (124 Matheson Street) nearby, but it has changed enough to be barely recognizable at this point.
Derry from It (2017), It: Chapter Two (2019), and It: Welcome to Derry (2025-)
Location: Port Hope, Ontario L1A 2Y7, Canada
The majority of the important locations in It and Welcome to Derry’s fictional town of Derry, Maine are all located along the main road of Port Hope, including the movie theater (Capitol Theatre on 20 Queen St), the library (Port Hope Town Hall, 56 Queen St), the park with the bandshell, and the alleyway outside the butcher shop, which still has the door painted with the faux sign from the movie.
Brennan’s Tip: Check out the river that runs parallel to the main street. When I went, there were hundreds of fish making their way upstream for spawning. Multiple species do this in Port Hope, in various seasons, so you never know if you’ll get lucky.
The University from Black Christmas (1974)
Location: Soldiers’ Tower at the University of Toronto, Hart House Cir, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H7, Canada
The college from the 1974 proto-slasher Black Christmas is played by the real-life University of Toronto, with the most notable area being the plaza outside Soldiers’ Tower, where Clare’s dad is seen waiting for his ill-fated daughter.
Brennan’s Tip: If you’re a huge Killer Party (1986) fan like I am, the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada building (25 Spadina Rd), which plays the haunted frat house, is just a short walk away.
Abe’s Snake Bodega from Scream VI (2023)
Location: Dépanneur St.Ambroise, 5701 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H4A 1W9, Canada
Our next horror filming location is of a more recent vintage, but it’s an instant classic: the “New York City” bodega in which Ghostface hunts down Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) in Scream VI. Both the exterior and the interior of the shop were used for filming, though they changed a great deal of the inside to make it look more New York-y. You don’t have to pay to visit, but if you want to do a photo op posing like Ghostface at the end of the row of refrigerator cases, you might as well buy a soda on your way out as a thank you.
Other worthwhile free Scream VI filming locations in the area are the campus of Blackmore University (McGill University at 845 Sherbrooke St W), and “Central Park” (Parc La Fontaine, 3819 Av. Calixa-Lavallée).
Crawford Academy from Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
Location: Concordia University – Loyola Campus, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
The fictional high school from this classic Canadian slasher was played by the real-life Concordia University (except for the opening kill scene, which was shot around Douglass Hall at McGill University). It’s a relatively small campus, so you can’t miss the grand brick buildings, which look exactly the same now as they did 45 years ago, though the quad has been relandscaped.
The Steps from The Exorcist (1973)
Location: Corner of Prospect St and 36th St NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., 20007, USA
William Friedkin’s landmark classic The Exorcist is home to one of our most iconic horror filming locations yet. The steps that claim the lives of both Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) are still there more than 50 years later, and you’ll almost certainly find people exercising on them, as if they aren’t worried that Pazuzu is gonna fling another victim toward them when they least expect it.
While the house from The Exorcist is indeed at the top of the steps (at 3600 Prospect Street), it is more set back than the movie implies (the exterior of Reagan’s window was a facade). But it’s still there, as is the Georgetown campus, where other scenes from the movie were filmed.
The Crystal Shop from Obsession (2026)
Location: The Green Man, 824 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505, USA
Our tour of some of the greatest free horror filming locations of North America comes full circle now, bringing us back to Southern California with the most recent movie on the list. Curry Barker’s Obsession was entirely shot in and around Burbank, and the metaphysical supply store The Green Man looks almost exactly like the fictional store from the movie, both inside and out. Just don’t go in hoping to find a display of One Wish Willows.
