10 Places That Would Be Perfect Horror Movie Settings

A good horror movie always kicks off with the right setting—and let's face it, we all know certain places that look like they would be great settings for horror movies. To a point, they kind of have a formula to them.

Spooky castles that have wolves howling in the background? Cliché, but they would work in a pinch. Abandoned psych ward? Also doable. Nice suburban place that is just a little too perfect? Well, Stepford Wives made it look terrifying.

For the most part, there aren't really too many real-life places that would qualify as a good setting for a horror movie. However, that doesn't mean they don't exist. They are out there.

Some places are so eerie, they deserve their own movie, complete with plots relating to their history or paranormal activity. Here are some of the most suitable examples we could find.

(Note: For the sake of this article, we're choosing paranormal hotspots that haven't been used for mainstream horror movie settings. We wanna see things switched up a bit!)

To a point, this might be one of the most obvious real-life horror movie settings we could come up with. Aokigahara is known as the "Suicide Forest" of Japan, and it has become the most common place people go when they want to kill themselves.

Aokigahara first became a popular suicide spot after being mentioned in a book during the 50s. So far, over 500 dead bodies have been found in the forest. To try to prevent more suicides, cautionary signs begging people to reconsider are found within the forest's limits.

The entire forest is dark, misty, and often eerily silent. Paranormal activity has been noted by visitors, and much of it is fairly insidious. People regularly claim to see black figures peeking from the trees, and often claim they hear sobbing echoing from the trees.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing people have noted is the regular occurrence of phantom voices beckoning people deeper into the forest until they get lost. As a result of the disembodied voices, many visitors to the forest choose to tie ropes among themselves to ensure that they can get back home.

The Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni is one of the most mysterious ancient structures in the world. This strikingly sophisticated underground catacomb system has been around for well over 6,000 years.

The Hypogeum was blocked off and only was uncovered in 1902. When researchers went in, they found a massive system of underground tunnels that housed ritualistic items, unusually elongated skulls, as well as regular human remains.

Rooms and tunnels inside the Hypogeum are extremely advanced in design, often topping anything that the Middle Ages could create. And yet, it's a Neolithic necropolis.

For example, in one room, regular speech is magnified a hundredfold. People who stay in the room and hear others claim to "hear the voice in their bones." This audio effect is something scientists are only discovering today. So, was it intentional?

No one knows who the people who built this structure were. Researchers allowed at the site seem oddly hush-hush about the entire structure, with many findings being shielded from public eye. (Kind of a Cabin in the Woods deal, eh?)

What's stranger that the eerie silence the researchers have about the place is the reports of humanoid creatures who still live inside the structure. One woman who went in during the 1930s explained:

"I held my candle higher and peered down into the abyss, thinking that with this dangerous drop it was better not to go on further without a guide. Then I saw about twenty persons of giant stature emerge from an opening deep below me. They were walking in single file along another narrow ledge down below. Their height I judged to be about twenty to twenty-five feet, since their heads came up about half way on the wall on the opposite side of the cave.They were covered in long white hair, combed downward and shaggy looking. They walked very slowly, taking long strides. Then they all stopped, turned and raised their heads in my direction. All simultaneously raised their arms and with their hands beckoned to me. The movement was something like snatching or feeling for something, as the palms of their hands were turned down."

Undoubtedly one of the most haunted places on Earth, the island of Poveglia is nothing short of a tragic hellhole. This seemingly-beautiful island has gone through centuries of use as a "body dump" for people who had the bubonic plague during the Black Plague.

Those who were left to die on the island often just waited for their final days among the dead, or just tried to bury the dead. Every night, bonfires would be made of the bodies. No one got out alive.

Every time a plague struck Italy, the bodies would end up on Poveglia. Many of the people who were sent there were healthy, but just weren't on the good side of people in power. As one could imagine, the spirits of those left to die weren't happy, and gained a hatred of the living.

The island was left abandoned for hundreds of years, until the 1920s. Then, Italian officials decided to build a mental asylum on the island. It became known as a place where cruel experiments were performed on unwilling patients.

One doctor in particular was known for his love of cruelty. He died after falling out of a second story window. Some claim it was suicide after ghosts of his patients harassed him. Others claim he was thrown by an unseen force. After he died, the hospital closed.

Time after time, anyone who goes to Poveglia Island finds themselves to be in the middle of serious paranormal activity—much of which is violent towards the living. It has a haunted mental hospital, bone-filled beaches, and a horrific tale to tell.

The island is so haunted, Italy declared it illegal to even visit the place! How this hasn't been part of a movie yet is beyond us.

Does this mountain setting look familiar? If so, you probably watched The Sound of Music. Though this may be one of the most picturesque candidates on this list of real-life horror movie settings, don't be fooled. There are some seriously creepy legends that would put many other areas to shame.

This gorgeous mountain has long been the hotspot of activity that defies explanation. Many travelers have claimed to see strange lights flit through the trees, with tales of them dating back to the Middle Ages. It's also said that a diminutive race of men live there, often attacking people who stumble upon them.

In many situations, travelers claim to see ghosts or paranormal creatures along their paths at night. But, that's not the spooky part of the Untersberg massif.

The most alarming parts of the Untersberg's lore includes claims that there are portals to other dimensions present in the mountain. Many people have walked on paths down the mountain, claiming to see houses and even entire cities filled with people. When they return on the path, there's no city or person to be found.

It's also fairly common for people to lose consciousness and wake up in an entirely different area. Considering how many reports have been issued of people who have mysteriously vanished in this area, it makes you wonder if some people might not have been able to go back home after entering the wrong place.

Multiple historic accounts have claimed that people were jettisoned into different time periods here, often after being beckoned by strange people. At one point, the rumors of paranormal activity were so extreme, Hitler became obsessed with trying to harness the mountain's power.

The Blair Witch Project ain't got nothing on this!

Singapore's Changi area is not a place known for a happy history. In fact, it was the site of some of the most gruesome genocides in World War II. Old Changi Hospital, for example, is one of the most haunted hospitals in the world.

Nearby Changi Beach isn't much better. If you ask us, it's one of the most unique candidates for horror movie settings out here. This beach was the site where Japanese nationals were executed by the Chinese army in World War II.

It's not uncommon to hear disembodied screams along the shoreline. Others claim to have seen soldiers dressed in World War II uniforms, bloodied and bandaged up. When approached, they immediately vanish. Sometimes, all that you see of the soldiers are their heads, which levitate off the ground.

Perhaps the most jarring sighting people have at Changi Beach are the headless people who walk along the coastline, searching for heads they'll never find.

Bhangarh is the kind of place that Hollywood executives dream of when looking for horror movie settings. It's not just an ancient ghost town; it's a cursed city.

According to the legend, the city of Bhangarh was once a lavish fortress for an Indian general. For over 200 years, the fortress was a place of joy and picturesque scenery. Then, in the 18th century, everyone fled the city without explanation.

Some say it's because of a famine that occurred. Others claimed it was a threat of war in 1720. However, the most common belief is that one of the city's ruling class, princess Rani Ratnavati, made the terrible mistake of rejecting a sorcerer who wanted to marry her.

After the Rani rejected the sorcerer, the sorcerer placed a horrific curse on the city. From there, famine, sickness, and war continued to plague the area.

As the curse sank in, people started to see ghosts, djinns, and hear disembodied voices. Tragedy struck families who continued to stay. Eventually, everyone left.

It's said that the city will curse anyone who stays after dusk and force them to join the dead. This wouldn't be so terrifying, if mysterious deaths and disappearances didn't continue to plague the region to this day.

Lately, there have been a lot of creeptastic movies about mysterious disappearances in national parks. So, it's safe to say that plenty of American forests have made for great horror movie settings.

But, what about the freaky stuff that happens in other country's national parks? If you go to Zimbabwe's Mount Nyangani, you might see way more strangeness than you bargained for.

You see, Mount Nyangani is a lot like the Untersberg in many ways. It's known for paranormal activity and is considered to be a place for tribal ancestral spirits to congregate—and those spirits are both good and evil.

There are many rules you are expected to follow if you go to Nyangani. Otherwise, it could lead to your death. Many tribal people refuse to go near it, simply because of the amount of ghostly activity it holds. People claim it to be one of the most haunted forests in the world.

During the daytime, the mountain is known for having shadow people that lurk in the trees. Sometimes, people also experience a deathly quiet that leaves them feeling watched by unseen eyes.

The disorienting mists on the mountain are said to be the spirits' way of protecting (or punishing) people who go there. Other "defenses" include trees that have human faces that whisper in a foreign tongue, as well as a sudden disorienting force that hits people at the worst possible times.

Those who make the mistake of entering a sacred place without showing respect do not come back. Rather, they remain there for the rest of their lives, unable to leave the mountain because they are so disoriented.

Spirits here are known for tricking visitors who don't belong by leaving unusual items in their paths such as bricks of gold, empty pots, or even colorful snakes. If you touch them, you won't come back. Considering how many mysterious disappearances there have been, it's unnerving to say the least.

At night, things get even worse.

Should you make the mistake of spending the night, spirits will immediately run to you to try to trick you. Most of the time, the activity is seen in the form of wild animals that appear to follow you, studying you and looking to see what you'll do.

These animals are not of this world, and many of them are said to have red glowing eyes. One person who actually survived the night claimed to have seen them. By leaving them undisturbed, he was able to get back home. However, he doesn't seem keen on going back there again.

Borley Rectory has all the makings of a horror film, and realistically, should have been used as a horror movie backdrop ages ago. This old rectory was once one of the most haunted places in England, and became famous in the early part of last century due to its poltergeist activity.

The sheer number of different entities reported here would make most people raise an eyebrow—even though the rectory was centuries old. It was just a hotbed for ghosts!

Among the strange beings reported were a ghostly nun who walked the path outside the rectory, a spectral horse and carriage, as well as unseen entities that would make objects appear, disappear, and levitate.

The house became increasingly haunted, to the point that denizens were regularly attacked in their own home. The building was demolished after a mysterious fire ripped through the area.

Even so, you can still hear disembodied voices, see a nun walking through the gardens, and see a ghostly carriage roll up to the property. Who these people were in life, we will never know, but it seems they're here to stay.

Considered to be the biggest UFO hotspot in England, Rendlesham Forest is known mostly for the case of a bizarre UFO crash that had multiple witnesses, followed by the immediate blocking off of the area by "government" officials, followed by a total denial of any crash that occurred.

Ever since the famous crash has happened, UFOs have regularly been sighted over these woods—and sometimes landing in forest clearings. This makes it one of the best horror movie settings for an alien-centric film, don't you think?

But, that's not all Rendlesham Forest is known for.

Others have noted that Rendlesham has been the setting of a number of strange sightings of big panther-like cats that roamed the woods. More worryingly, though, are their canine counterparts.

Black Dogs have been seen through the forest, often with eyes that glowed red. Seeing one of these creatures is considered to be an omen of death. What's going on here?

Scientists know Poyang Lake as China's largest freshwater lake, the home of the rare jiangzhu—a finless, freshwater porpoise. Historians recognize Poyang Lake as the sight of the gruesome and bloody battle of 1363, which launched the career of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Many people perished here, some of which died under mysterious circumstances. At times, even entire boats would just suddenly sink without explanation. Ever since the Battle of Poyang happened, this lake has been called "The Water of Death" by locals.

This isn't just hearsay, either. It's been documented in history in fairly recent times.

During World War II, a 2,000 ton freight ship sank into the lake under totally clear, pleasant conditions. The Japanese ship was loaded with priceless artifacts, so Japan sent over a team of seven expert divers to recover the jewels. Only one came back alive, and he was to terrified to actually say what he saw in the watery depths.

The strange thing about this lake is that it's only 30 meters deep. They should have been able to see the ship. However, no ship was ever found. One diver who went down to recover the goods claimed to see something very strange.

According to him, he saw a blistering white light under the water, followed by a loud shriek. Then, a vortex opened up and began to suck him and everything near him into it. Everyone in his team vanished, leaving him alone.

Over 200 ships have disappeared here in the past 50 years, with many being taken out by freak tidal waves. Strange lightning storms, underwater lights, and magnetic disturbances are very common here—as are sightings of monsters.

If that doesn't make for one of the creepiest horror movie settings out there, we don't know what does.