As horror movie lovers know, the Halloween movies primarily take place in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. However, amongst the rows of houses, local businesses, parks, and other buildings, there are a few locations that are scarier than the rest. If someone wants to avoid an encounter with the boogeyman on October 31, it is best to avoid the 8 scariest locations in the Halloween franchise.
Warning: Spoilers for most of the Halloween movies ahead!
8. The Least Scary of the Scariest Locations in the Halloween Franchise: Gas Stations — Multiple Halloween Movies
One of the most ordinary but scariest locations in the Halloween franchise is gas stations. Whenever Michael Myers frees himself from transport of some kind, he always ends up at a gas station. Where else is he supposed to find blue coveralls? Whether it’s his original escape in 1978 or his latest forty years later, Michael Myers will end up visiting a gas station somewhere outside Haddonfield, and he will kill anyone and everyone he meets there.
7. Public Bathrooms — Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween (2018)
For many, a public bathroom is scary enough without an unstoppable killer chasing you, but they are undoubtedly more horrifying when Michael Myers is after you. There are several instances where a public bathroom becomes one of the scariest locations in the Halloween franchise. In Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Michael’s niece, Jamie Lloyd, attempts to hide from him in a bathroom. She fails but can narrowly escape. Later, in Halloween (2018), a podcasting duo is decimated by Michael Myers in a public bathroom, which happens to be attached to a gas station outside Haddonfield. So, to avoid an encounter with the boogeyman, one should avoid public bathrooms on Halloween, especially bathrooms in gas stations.
6. Michael Myers’s Room — Halloween (2007)
As a filmmaker, one of Rob Zombie’s strengths is in imagery and aesthetics. This strength can be seen in both of his Halloween movies, Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). One of the best examples and scariest locations in the Halloween franchise is Michael Myers’ room at the sanitarium from Halloween (2007). The room is covered in masks made by Michael himself. Although some of the homemade masks look more terrifying than others, the presence of masks all around the room, watching whoever enters, is creepy. To make matters worse, this room is where Michael resides, which is a place most should avoid if they want to stay alive on Halloween or any other day of the year.
5. Silver Shamrock Novelties Factory — Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween III: Season of the Witch follows a mystery surrounding masks made by Silver Shamrock Novelties. In this film, the protagonist, Dr. Challis, investigates where the masks are made at the Silver Shamrock factory. Most of the factory appears to be normal. But, when one ventures further inside, they will find all sorts of horrors, including advanced scientific and technological equipment, test facilities, and a gigantic rune from Stonehenge. To make matters worse, much of the staff at the factory and the surrounding town are complex robots, who can kill easily. All of this makes the Silver Shamrock Novelties Factory one of the scariest locations in the Halloween franchise.
4. The Mid-Tier of the Scariest Location in the Halloween Franchise: Smith’s Grove Sanitarium/Psychiatric Hospital — Multiple Halloween Movies
One of the most common occurrences across the Halloween franchise is Michael Myers escaping captivity from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium — or psychiatric hospital depending on the movie. In most versions of the story in the franchise, Michael spends the majority of his time locked up at Smith’s Grove. Although this facility often appears dull but harmless, it is still one of the scariest locations in the franchise because it is where Michael dwells most often. Halloween (2018) captures this during its opening when a pair of true crime podcasters visit Michael at the facility. As one of them provokes Michael in an attempt to hear him speak, the other residents of Smith’s Grove react strangely. They react as if they are spooked by the inherent evil radiating off of Michael’s presence, and any place where a person can feel that kind of evil energy from Michael Myers is a scary one.
3. The Cult Hideout — Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers made some serious changes to Michael Myers’s character by adding some mythology to the series. In this film, viewers learn that Michael is a member of the Thorn Cult, and he receives his invincibility from the Curse of Thorn. While the cult itself is strange and a bit convoluted, their hideout beneath a mental hospital in Haddonfield is one of the scariest locations in the Halloween franchise. To get to the hideout or to escape it, one must navigate a series of long, dark underground hallways. While these hallways are creepy enough as is, they become even worse when Michael is following close behind.
2. Haddonfield Memorial Hospital/Haddonfield General Hospital — Halloween II (1981), Halloween II (2009), Halloween Kills (2021)
It’s hard to imagine a Halloween movie without a hospital. Nearly every Halloween movie features some sort of hospital at some point in the film. Whether its Haddonfield Memorial Hospital from Halloween II (1981) and Halloween Kills (2021), Haddonfield General Hospital from 2009’s Halloween II, or some other hospital, there is always an emptiness, dimness, and feeling of dread within them. Oftentimes, the hospitals in the Halloween franchise feel safe at first, but sooner or later, Michael Myers arrives. When he does, he almost always slaughters anyone who stands between him and Laurie Strode, Jamie Lloyd, or whomever else he has his sights set on. For that reason, Haddonfield hospitals are among the scariest locations in the Halloween franchise.
1. The Scariest of the Scariest Locations in the Halloween Franchise: the Myers House — Nearly Every Halloween Movie
Without a doubt, the scariest location in the Halloween franchise is and always will be the Myers house — no matter which form it takes. It is the setting for several iconic scenes in the series, including Michael Myers’ first kill and latest kill. In the opening of Halloween (1978), viewers follow a young Michael’s point of view as he stalks and kills his sister, Judith. Decades later, at the end of Halloween Kills, Michael kills Karen Nelson, the daughter of Laurie Strode in the same spot. However, these are not the only murders to occur in the Myers house. Michael kills at least a dozen people in his family home throughout the franchise, especially in Halloween: Resurrection, which almost entirely takes place inside the Myers house. From its history to the constant, deadly appearances from Michael at the home, the Myers house is the scariest of the scariest locations in the Halloween franchise.
For more rankings of the Halloween movies, check out our lists on the best death scenes and which Halloween films are the best, and be sure to check back in with us at The Nerd Stash for updates on other movies, TV shows, and video games!