Deranged was filmed in Clarington
As picturesque as rural Ontario and its farm settings can be, the landscape can also create the perfect backdrop to send chills down a spine.
With that at top of mind and in celebration of all things spooky and horror in October, here are some horror movies filmed around rural Ontario.
Deranged (1974)
This psychological horror film is loosely based on the crimes of Ed Gein.
The movie focuses on Ezra Cobb, a farmer who, after the death of his mother, begins a string of serial murders and grave robberies.
Filming locations included the Kootz Farm at 3926 Concession Road 6 in Clarington. And a farm in Elizabethville served as the location for the Cobb family’s farm in the movie.
The House by the Lake (1976)
This movie, also known as Death Weekend, follows a dentist named Harry who brings his girlfriend Diane to his house in the Ontario countryside.
Four bikers whom the couple pass on the way follows them to the house where chaos ensues.
The car chase scenes are filmed on 7th Concession Road in King Township.
Rituals (1977)
Batchawana Bay, an unincorporated community in the Algoma District, is where this 1977 movie was filmed.
In this Peter Carter-directed film, five doctors are stalked and murdered during a wilderness trip in remote Ontario.
Skinwalkers (2007)
Creemore, Ont., population 1,194 in the 2021 census, provided part of the backdrop for this 2007 movie.
In this James Isaac film, two packs of werewolves are trying to find a half-breed boy named Timothy as he approaches his 13th birthday.
One pack of werewolves believes Timothy will lead its race, while the other pack wants the boy dead.
In the Tall Grass (2019)
This Vincenzo Natti movie sees a brother and sister venture into a field of tall grass after hearing a young boy cry for help. But they quickly discover something evil that lurks between the blades.
The movie is based on the Stephen King book of the same name.
The story takes place in Oklahoma, but filming occurred in multiple Ontario communities.
The exterior of a bowling alley in the movie is that of Elmira Bowl in Elmira, Ont.
And the exterior of a church seen in the movie was filmed at 2801-2959 County Rd. 122 in Lakeside, Ont.
In a Violent Nature (2024)
In this Chris Nash film, a group of teenagers remove a locket hanging from the remains of a fire tower.
This decision revives a mute killer named Johnny who stalks and kills the teens.
And Johnny does this in rural Ontario.
Filming first took place in Kawartha Lakes until Nash chose to move production to the Algoma District because the original location “just felt like it wasn’t hitting the right note for us,” he told the Globe and Mail in February 2024.