Utah’s Haunting History: Iconic Horror Movies Shot In The State

Utah offers timeless beauty for movies but it's also the backdrop of several horror movies throughout the decades.  

From 1962 to the present day, the Beehive state has been the location of all things creepy, thrilling, horrifying, and just downright awful. You may know some of these movies and you may not, but one thing is clear, Utah can compete with the best of horror movie locations.  

Carnival of Souls

Starting with the first known horror movie filmed in Utah, we have Carnival of Souls (1962) filmed in Salt Lake City. It's an old black and white movie that showcases how much change has come since then. 

Next there is the sequel to The Exorcist, The Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977). The same year The Car was also released which filmed in Kanab, Hurricane and St. George.

The Exorcist II: The Heretic

Another Stephen King story, The Stand (1994) was a mini-series filmed solely in Utah. Filming locations included Pleasant Grove and Ogden.  

A few of the Halloweens were also shot in Utah including Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. These were shot between 1989 to 1995. 

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

The sci-fi hit Species (1995) is also on the list of movies that were filmed in Utah. The opening scenes were filmed at the Tooele Army Depot and other parts at the old train station in Brigham City.  

Species

A personal favorite of mine is Bats (1999) which had the premise of genetically modified bats that attacked humans. This film shot it in several places in Utah including Genola, Magna, American Fork and Park City.  

Bats

In more recent times movies such as Hereditary (2018) and The Canyonlands (2021) have used Utah as a filming spot.  

Hereditary