10 Locations from Horror Films of the 1970s and 80s - Atlas Obscura Lists

10 Locations from Horror Films of the 1970s and 80s

A spine-tingling tour through cinematic history.

The horror movie genre dates back to the days of silent films, but perhaps no era has offered more spine-tingling moments and characters that have become staples of Halloween than the slasher films of the 1970s and 80s. Characters the likes of Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger still haunt our imaginations. Their hair-raising jump scares and resiliency have terrified generations, and many of the locations where these legendary movies were filmed are still standing today, where fiction becomes reality. 

In Bastrop, Texas, visitors can dine on barbecue at a gas station that was the haunt of a chainsaw-wielding villain. The gas station was featured prominently in the 1976 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the first introductions of a long-running slasher character. In the forest of Hardwick, New Jersey, sits Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, the original Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th. From the Exorcist stairs to homes featured in famous Italian horror films, here are 10 places where you can step into a classic horror film—if you dare.