12 Alabama Locations Hosted Notable Horror Films

Twelve horror films used Alabama locations for their sets, ranging from major studio releases to local productions. The state’s geography, including lakes and historic buildings, provided the backdrops for these movies. Viewers in Central Alabama may recognize specific streets and structures on screen. The Montgomery Advertiser identified eight such films, and this list adds four more titles to that count.

Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017) utilized sites in Baldwin County and Mobile. A residence in Fairhope served as the family home in the film. The opening abduction scene took place in a Mobile neighborhood. The plot follows a young Black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family. The visit takes a disturbing turn in the storyline.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) filmed in Baldwin County. Byrnes Lake stood in for the fictional Crystal Lake. Jason Voorhees faces a young woman with telekinetic abilities in the movie. This production took place nearly three decades before Get Out was released.

Director Mike Flanagan returned to South Alabama for multiple projects. Oculus (2014) filmed around Mobile and Fairhope. The story involves siblings who believe an antique mirror caused their family’s tragedy. Before I Wake (2016) used locations in Fairhope and Mobile. The historic Barton Academy appears in that film. Hush (2016) was filmed in the Fairhope area. The movie follows a deaf author surviving a masked intruder. Gerald’s Game (2017) filmed much of its production inside the Mobile Civic Center. Additional scenes took place in the Fairhope area. The film is based on a Stephen King novel.

Mobile International Speedway in Irvington appeared in The Final Destination (2009). It became the fictional McKinley Speedway in the opening racing crash scene. The former Craig Air Force Base near Selma provided the military setting for Body Snatchers (1993). The film centers on a family discovering people are being replaced by alien duplicates.

Dead Birds (2004) used the town of Spectre for its opening scenes. Spectre was built for Big Fish on Jackson Lake Island near Millbrook. The film also utilized Mobile-area locations. The plot follows Civil War-era bank robbers taking shelter in a house with a supernatural threat. Frankenfish (2004) is a television movie that filmed in Baldwin County waterways. The story features genetically engineered killer fish threatening a Louisiana bayou community.

Jay Burleson produced two slasher movies in North Alabama. The Third Saturday in October and The Third Saturday in October Part V filmed in Athens, Decatur, Belle Mina, Elkmont, and Courtland. WAFF reported that more than 200 North Alabama actors and extras participated in the productions. The titles suggest an established series, but the movies were created as a pair. Part V was designed to be watched first. This approach recalls video store days when viewers often rented sequels before seeing the original films.