Scary Movies: Where Was the Movie Series Filmed?

of Scary Movies: Where Was the Movie Series Filmed? Diksha Sundriyal
Updated August 7, 2022

Horror has always been one of the most bankable and popular genres in the film industry. Franchises and fandoms have emerged out of it, often defining the slang of pop culture. It is on this mania that the ‘Scary Movie’ series lays its foundation. Every movie in the series uses various popular horror movies to create a bizarre mix of characters and storylines that result in hilarious scenarios. The location remains an obscure American town where strange murders and paranormal happenings are the norm. The movies paint an absurd picture of this fictional place, but where is it in real life? If you want to know where the ‘Scary Movie’ franchise has been filmed, here’s the answer.

Scary Movie Filming Locations

The ‘Scary Movie’ franchise became a hit with the audience primarily because it knew just what to use as the fodder for its comedy. It hit the nerve with the most popular horror movies and psychological thrillers at the time and brought them together in such a strange mix that it became impossible for the audience to believe that all these things had not existed in the same universe before. In attempting this feat, the series also created a narrative of its own with repeating characters and locations that pumped more humor into the story.

The shooting, for most parts, recycled some familiar locations, especially in the first couple of films that focus on teen horror. In the later parts, the story diverted in a different direction, with the filming expanding to more places. For most of the series, the production set camp in Canada, mixing all sorts of places to give a cohesive look to the small towns where the characters get entangled in weird horror traps. Several locations in California were also employed, especially in the later movies. For the fifth film, Atlanta became the primary location.

Vancouver, Canada

While the settings of ‘Scary Movie’ films are generally odd American towns, the filming of the first four films largely took place in Canada. For the first film, the crew used locations in British Columbia, some of which were repeated in the sequels as well. Several locations all around Steveston in Richmond, as well as Vancouver and Victoria, feature in the series. The Vancouver Technical Secondary School was used to film the scenes of the BA Corpse High School.

For the third film, the Lion’s Gate Film Studios in Vancouver (which was also used for the filming of ‘Scary Movie 4’) and the North Shore Studios in North Vancouver were used. The production also employed the surroundings of the Porteau Cove Provincial Park. The location of West Broadway and Blanca also features in the film.

California, Washington DC and Georgia

With every installment in the franchise of ‘Scary Movie’, the crew shifted more and more towards the locations in America, completely letting go of the setting in Canada by the time production on the fifth film started. The cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles were used to shoot several scenes, with Atlanta, Georgia becoming the focal point in ‘Scary Movie 5’.

In the first couple of films, the characters are still in school. Pasadena City College was used for the exterior scenes. Shatford Library in East Colorado Boulevard also appears in the second movie. ‘Scary Movie 2’ also uses 380 South San Rafael Avenue in Pasadena as the exterior for the haunted mansion where most of the action takes place. For the third film, the crew mainly set camp in Canada but also used some locations in Washington, D.C. The Sunset Gower Studios in Los Angeles is also featured in the series in its fifth installment.

Read More: Best Horror Movies of All Time

SPONSORED LINKS