Horror movies shot in rural America

Many Hollywood bludgeonings have occurred in U.S. corn fields

If someone is chased through a farm or trying to outlast an evil spirt in rural settings in horror movies, there’s a good chance crews filmed those sequences in rural America.

With that at top of mind and October a monthlong celebration of all things scary, here are some horror flicks shot in rural American towns.

Children of the Corn (1984)
This iconic movie of the 1980s, in which a cult of children believes anyone over the age of 18 must be killed, takes place in the fictional town of Gatlin, Neb. But it’s actually filmed in rural Iowa.

The towns of Whiting and Hornick (populations of 255 and 725, respectively, in 2024), and the surrounding corn fields provide the setting for the movie.

Specifically, 613 Whitter Street in Whiting, and the intersection of Whitter Street and Blair Street, are in the movie.

The latter is where the character Burt is surrounded by pursuers at a flagpole.

The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
In this movie, a man’s family gathers at their Texas farm as his life is slowly coming to an end.

It soon becomes clear, however, that a darkness is growing and something evil is taking over the family.

The farm the movie is set on belongs to the family of director Bryan Bertino.

The farm is near Tolar, Texas, which had a population of 1,399 last year.

Blood Harvest (1987)
This movie sees Jill Robinson arrive home from college to learn that residents are unhappy with her father, a banker who has been foreclosing local farms.

Robinson discovers her parents are missing, and their home vandalized. She then becomes the victim of stalking, and her friends start disappearing.

Different locations in Wisconsin provide the backdrop for the movie.

These include the unincorporated communities of Irma and Gleason.

The Bethany Evangelical Church in Irma, and the former site of Ollie and Goldie’s Restaurant in Gleason, included.

This trailer contains coarse language.

We Are Still Here (2015)
This movie follows Paul and Anne Sacchetti, grieving parents who, after the loss of their son Bobby in a car accident, move to rural New England for a fresh start.

What they discover, however, is their new home is haunted by vengeful spirits.

Shortsville, N.Y. (population 1,357 in 2024), helps stand in for rural New England.

Specifically, 19 Main Street, the former home of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Tap Room, is in the movie.

So Cold the River (2022)
In this film, Erica Shaw, a retired documentary filmmaker, is asked to make a movie about billionaire Campbell Bradford.

She travels to a resort Bradford used to visit, where her research uncovers a history full of evil.

Multiple rural Indiana communities and landmarks host the movie’s story.

These include West Baden Springs and the West Baden Springs Hotel. The movie was also shot in French Lick and the French Lick West Baden Museum.

The trailer contains corase language.