Most films nowadays resort to CGI and many other trickery to shoot and finalize their finished product. And while that’s impressive and all, there’s nothing that beats shooting in real locations.
The scene just feels way more realistic and relatable knowing it’s an actual place that exists. Take a look at some of these places that have hosted production crews before being left alone altogether.
Jurassic World
Hurricane Katrina left a lot of New Orleans’ institutions destroyed, including their Six Flags theme park.
The New Orleans Six Flags was abandoned and the place didn’t make headlines again until it was announced that Jurassic World was going to shoot scenes at the theme park.
After the Jurassic World crew shot their scenes and left, the area was abandoned once again.
Gone Girl
The Hawthorne Plaza Mall in Hawthorne, California, was once very popular.
It was in the late 1990s when this mecca of capitalism took a turn for the worse, soon declining to total abandonment. In 2014, the place was used for a scene in David Fincher’s Gone Girl.
People aren’t allowed in the crumbling ruins for safety reasons but that hasn’t stopped others from taking ‘tours’.
28 Weeks Later
Even before its closure in 1994, the London Underground’s Aldwych tube station really featured as a part-time movie set, appearing in films like Death Line, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Patriot Games, V for Vendetta and Sherlock.
But one of its creepiest cameos was in the sequel to 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, when Tammy and Andy Harris take refuge in it.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings shot scenes in New Zealand and it’s hardly news to anyone today. The rolling green valleys and startling mountains were the perfect backdrop to Peter Jackson’s adaptations of JRR Tolkien’s series of books.
The village of Hobbiton was filmed on Alexander Farm, a 1,250-acre sheep farm in the Waikato region. Visitors can tour the set from the films since they stand strong to this today.
Star Wars
Tatooine is the fictional home of Anakin and Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars universe, and may be the second most famous setting after the Death Star.
Scenes on this desert planet were shot in Tunisia, and the set from George Lucas’ 1977 original movie remains intact today. It’s become a highly popular attraction to those in and visiting the country.
Gangs of New York
Except for obligatory shots in Times Square or Central Park, most films set in New York are filmed elsewhere, since the city tends to be too hectic to shoot in.
Martin Scorsese’s 2002 movie Gangs of New York is set in an older version of the city, so it required New York to be built from scratch.
The huge Five Points set was built in Rome found at the legendary Cinema City, which is the largest film studio in Europe.
Popeye
Popeye Village was constructed in 1979, meant for the live-action film starring Robin Williams.
After filming wrapped, the set built in Anchor Bay northwest of Malta was abandoned. It was later revived by the government, who turned the place into a family-friendly theme park.
It is open seven days a week, and visitors can expect to meet Popeye, along with other favourites like Olive Oyl and Bluto.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Die-hard fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise should head over to the west coast of Caribbean island St Vincent, and check out the Wallilabou Anchorage.
The original Pirates set was built around this restaurant, so you’ll find Captain Jack props from the first film still found there.
Unmade Viking movie
It’s not just the abandoned set of a movie, but the abandoned set of an abandoned movie altogether.
This was built in 2010 at the bottom of Mount Vestrahorn, near the fishing village of Höfn, Iceland. This detailed Viking town set has remained unused since the film ran out of money.
Go check it out before it gets locked down by another production or the government decides to do away with it.
Full Metal Jacket
Fans of Full Metal Jacket will be surprised to learn that the disastrous Vietnam War film wasn’t shot in southeast Asia, but on London’s Isle of Dogs.
American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick shot most of his films in England. It’s where he was based from 1961 onwards.
Full Metal Jacket’s battle scenes were shot in a renovated decommissioned coal works factory called Beckton Gas Works. The place was altered to resemble a Vietnamese city.
Transformers: The Last Knight
No one really noticed the production of Transformers: The Last Knight since the area of the desolate Packard Plant in Detroit, Michigan is seldom explored.
This caved-out, abandoned building isn’t out of the ordinary in Detroit. You’ll find many props and deserted vehicles still hanging around the disused set.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Most western films may be set in Wild West of America, but the greatest spaghetti westerns weren’t filmed in the States at all.
The place for these productions was the Tabernas desert, near the Spanish town of Almería.
Many of those classics like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More were shot in the southern Spanish town.
The Hills Have Eyes
The 2006 reboot of the 1977 Wes Craven classic The Hills Have Eyes may not have impressed like the original, but it still spooked movie goers.
The desert outside of Ouarzazate, Morocco, was the American West – or New Mexico specifically – for the film.
The Gas Haven petrol station where the family first learns of a shortcut remains intact today.
The Mummy
If you are disappointed by The Hills Have Eyes’ petrol station, don’t worry. Ouarzazate has played host to sets for other films including Gladiator and The Mummy.
This location is known as ‘Hollywood in the Desert’, and has been in operation as a studio since 1983. Consistent weather in the area is handy for productions who need a biblical location.
12 Monkeys
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia was actually a real prison back in the day, housing the likes of Al Capone before it was shut down in 1971 and left to decay.
It became the perfect setting for the asylum in Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film 12 Monkeys, which starred Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.
Fans can tour the building today, which comes with an audio tour by Steve Buscemi.
Schindler’s List
The ruins of the Plasznow labour camp in Krakow, Poland were destroyed after the war for obvious reasons.
So filming of Spielberg’s Schindler’s List in 1993 meant a replica of the building had to be created.
The place has hung around ever since in the Krakus Mound Quarry. Those who want to see the remains of the movie’s set can book a tour.
Dexter
TV’s serial killer drama Dexter was shot in an abandoned hospital, the Linda Vista Community Hospital.
The hospital opened in 1924 and closed in 1991, but the Los Angeles location has been used as a spooky setting for shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood and the movies Deadgirl and Zombie Strippers.
This place was born to be utilised by horror directors.
The Fugitive
Fans of The Fugitive remember the scene where Harrison Ford’s character jumps off a moving bus just before it hits train. It’s a shot caught on one take.
The chewed up remains of the bus and parts of the train were never cleaned up. They’re found along the Smoky Mountain railroad near Dillsboro, North Carolina.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Fantasy films like 2013’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters mean entire sets have to be created to meet specific magical standards.
And in this case, a whole medieval village had to be built for the film.
You need cash for a ticket if you want to check out the semi-abandoned remains of this set in the Babelsberg Film Studio in Germany.
The Abyss
One of James Cameron’s lesser known films is The Abyss, which follows a diving team searching for a lost nuclear submarine deep underwater and are met by extraterrestrial beings.
Most of the scenes were shot at the uncompleted and abandoned Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant in Gaffney, South Carolina.
Patriots Day
In 2016, Mark Wahlberg, a Boston native himself, made Patriots Day. It was a semi-fictionalised drama which concrned the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Shooting on location wasn’t an option, and not just because of costs. The sensitive story wouldn’t go down well with the locals.
A replica set had to be created on the South Weymouth Naval Base and remains there to this today.
Salem
With a story based on the Salem witch trials of Massachusetts in 1692, this TV series from 2014-2017 required an entire village built to resemble the old Salem town.
It was constructed in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is one the biggest abandoned production sets people will lay their eyes on.
Looper
Rian Johnson’s sci-fi flick Looper was mostly shot in a classic American diner, one found in the middle of the country. Production came to a close in 2012, but the diner was left untouched.
It is located near Napoleonville in Louisiana, and the diner is free to visit, though it’s more dilapidated now than it was in the movie.
Ryan’s Daughter
The 1970 production on David Lean’s epic Ryan’s Daughter resulted in the construction of an entire town outside of Dingle in Ireland.
Most of it has withered away thanks to the harsh weather conditions of the country, but some of the set remains, including the stone schoolhouse.
The Hunger Games
Adapted from Suzanne Collins’ bestseller, The Hunger Games is about a future civilisation segregated into poverty-ridden districts, whose residents are forced to take part in an annual fight to the death.
District 12 was shot at the former cotton mill town of Henry River Mill Village in North Carolina. This was the hometown of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
Field of Dreams
1989’s Field of Dreams saw Kevin Costner play a corn farmer turned baseball maverick. The baseball diamond specifically built on a farm in Iowa was left behind after production.
The Lansing family, owners of the farm, decided to maintain the set as a tourist attraction. They even built a small hut where visitors could buy souvenirs.
This is one former set people are welcome to visit.
Zero Dark Thirty
Blue Cloud Ranch in Santa Clarita is the setting for many films and TV shows, including Iron Man and American Sniper.
In 2012, production of Zero Dark Thirty, a slightly fictionalised account of the events leading up to the death of Osama bin Laden was filmed in the area.
There is a virtual tour of the ranch through their website if you’re interested.
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke was a popular western TV show back in the day. It ran for 20 years from 1955 to 1975.
CBS tried to cancel the show in 1967, but the public outrage forced the network to backtrack. The show ended eight years later, leaving an entire town set behind.
The show was set in Kansas, but most of it was filmed in in Utah, where some of the abandoned set still stands.
Year One
A 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes had 2009’s Year One not doing any favors for the careers of Jack Black or Michael Cera.
It’s a comedy about a hunter-gatherer duo, with most of the film shot near the town of Sibley in Louisiana, serving as the biblical city of Sodom.
This abandoned movie set doesn’t have the same appeal as Tatooine, but it’s there to visit.
Big Fish
Films like Big Fish, where a son reconciles with his dying father, are set in fictional towns. For this one, ‘Spectre’ serves as the location for Tim Burton’s 2003 flick.
The Spectre set was constructed on Jackson Lake Island, just along the banks of the Alabama River near Montgomery.
The island is privately owned, but visitors can see Spectre for a reasonable $3.
The Patriot
The 2000 historical drama film The Patriot featured then-promising newcomer Heath Ledger, and was one of the last major films Mel Gibson headlined before his fall from grace.
It was shot on location in the Cypress Gardens nature reserve in South Carolina, a Spanish Mission built specifically for the film which is still found there today.
M*A*S*H
It started life as a 1968 novel and was then adapted into a 1970 film by director Robert Altman.
M*A*S*H seared its way into the cultural landscape becoming one of the best-loved, longest-running sitcoms of all time.
The show ran from 1972 to 1983.
It was set in the Korean War, with shooting done in Malibu Creek State Park in Los Angeles County, California. The iconic signs are still there for visitors to see.
Iron Man
he first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark create his first metal super-suit in a cave in Afghanistan.
Unsurprisingly, the filmmakers didn’t head out there to shoot, instead staying close to home at the Cerro Gordo Mines in Inyo County, California.
This technically wasn’t a set built for the film, but you can get Iron Man vibes visiting the location.
The Outlaw Josey Wales
One of Clint Eastwood’s best-loved westerns has to be the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales. Eastwood’s post-Civil War drama was shot in Paria, Utah.
The barn building built for the film no longer stands on the same spot, since it was moved to a nearby location in Kanab, Utah. A place nicknamed ‘Little Hollywood’ due to the movies shot there.
That barn can still be visited today.
The Ten Commandments
Cecil B DeMille was one of the early pioneers of what became the blockbuster filmmaker mentality. Everything in his movies had to be really big.
His 1923 silent epic The Ten Commandments had a crew build an Egyptian city in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes of California. After completing the film, the set was sneakily buried there.
The remains of that set were dug up decades later.
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