Six Scary Movies Filmed in the Queen City

As we’ve mentioned time and time again in this publication, Cincinnati is quickly becoming a go-to destination for filmmakers of all sorts. A new study backs that up, noting that while California, Texas, and Florida run away with the most horror movies filmed per state—all having 500-plus each—Cincinnati actually cracked the top 10 on the cities list.

There have been 86 horror movies filmed here in the Queen City, which places us at No. 6. (Pittsburgh is No. 1, with 106.) Keep in mind: This is a different list from movies that take place in the city but were not filmed here, which we did last year. Prepare to be terrified as you throw these movies on and recognize background elements near and far.

Killing of a Sacred Deer

Killing of a Sacred Deer made last year’s list solely for being set in Cincinnati, but it was filmed here too! This insanely creepy thriller follows a heart surgeon (Colin Farrell) who has a chance encounter with Martin (Barry Keoghan), who tells the doctor that a surgery mishap killed Martin’s father and now the surgeon must choose a member of his family to die or all three will perish. Cincinnati is on full display here, with most of the scenes taking place at The Christ Hospital and several regional landmarks big and small like the Roebling Bridge and the Red Fox Grill. Fun character development that only Cincinnatians would understand: Farrell’s surgeon, a rich asshole, is an Indian Hill resident who inexplicably describes Martin’s Hyde Park home as being in a “run-down” neighborhood.

Killing of a Sacred Deer is streamable now on Paramount+, Fubo, Showtime, and Kanopy and available for rent everywhere.

Bones and All

“Timothée Chalamet plays a sexy vagrant teenager with a thing for cannibalism” is probably enough for some audiences to run to their televisions (and if you’re one of them, you’ve probably already seen this film.) More of a twisted romance Twilight-y tale than anything with real scares, Bones and All still manages to unsettle audiences throughout thanks to a horrifying, hammy turn from Mark Rylance as the villain and also all the, y’know, eating people.

Bones and All is streaming on Prime Video and MGM+ and available for rent everywhere.

Haunt

Northern Kentucky residents may find extra frights in this one. While the premise is nothing to write home about (four friends go to a haunted house and find out that everything is real! Gasp!), the pedigree is notable: This is from the same writer/directors as the international hit A Quiet Place. It was filmed in and around Covington, most notably at businesses downtown around Pike and Madison and in the field next to the Lee’s Famous Recipe at Sixth and Scott.

Haunt is streaming on Prime Video and Hulu and available for rent everywhere.

The Strangers: Prey at Night

Another Covington-filmed slasher, this one is unexpected in many ways: A sequel to the 2008 cult hit The Strangers, it lingered in development hell before surprisingly releasing 10 years later. The sequel was also an unexpected hit—so lucrative, in fact, that three sequels will be released all in 2024, starring Riverdale’s Madeline Petsch. This one involves a family vacationing to a mobile home park, where they’re attacked by a group of strangers. (It’s all in the name with horrors, you know?) Fans of ’80s classics like Friday the 13^th and Zombi will find a lot to like here.

The Strangers: Prey At Night is streaming on Starz and available for rent everywhere.

Wrong Turn 7

It’s not often that a horror franchise makes it to its seventh movie these days. We can’t promise this one is any good, but, hey, it’s a reboot of the 2003 original and has Clermont County filling in for Virginia and the Appalachian Trail for some reason. A group of couples are hiking and take a wrong turn (yes, really) to find themselves in the lap of an evil cult called The Foundation that believes the end of the U.S. is near. Sounds like they should’ve pulled out the GPS.

Wrong Turn 7 is streaming on Fubo and Showtime and available for rent everywhere.

Homebodies

Homebodies has a wicked sense of humor. The tagline should be enough to sell you (“A murder a day keeps the landlord away”), but the premise is even better. A group of elderly neighbors living in an undisclosed location (in real life the West End, pre-demolition) discover that the property their houses sit on has been purchased by a development group and will be replaced by new apartment buildings. They plead with the developers to stop, but when that doesn’t work, the geriatrics take matter into their own hands and start a killing spree. It’s all played for laughs and perfectly captures public feelings toward what was going on in Cincinnati at the time; the film was a box office hit here, yet sadly made little noise across the rest of the nation. Today, it’s been rescued from being lost media and is definitely worth tracking down if you love black comedies.

Homebodies is streaming on Shudder and AMC+ and is available to rent or buy on Kino Lorber’s website.