Over the years there have been quite a few horror movies filmed in Chicago and the Chicago area- some even closer to home than one may think. Here is a list of all the movies filmed within a two hour drive from Lake Forest.

Poltergeist III, filmed in 1988 – Filmed in Chicago at the Francis W. Parker School; John Hancock Center; Water Tower Place (96.7 The Eagle)

• Francis W. Parker School – exterior was filmed (Movie Locations and More)

Child’s Play, filmed in 1988 – Filmed in Chicago (The Movie District)

• Playland Toys – South Wabash Ave
• Where Karen works – South State St
• Karen and Andy’s Apartment Building – North Pine Grove Ave
• Andy’s school – East 37th St
• Train on the bridge – Above Chicago river
• Charles Lee Ray’s House – South Calumet Ave
• Police Station – North Halsted St
• Mike’s Car Crash – West Maxwell St
• Prison Building – South California Ave

The Relic, filmed in 1997 – Filmed in downtown Chicago

• Field Museum – One of the only museums that look similar to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where the author of the book was an ex public relations director (Wikipedia)

Amityville Horror, filmed in 2005 – Filmed in Antioch; Buffalo Grove; Chicago; Fox Lake; Silver Lake, Wisconsin (IMDb)

• The house – Silver Lake went on sale in 2014 for 1.9 million dollars (Realty Today)
• St. Peter’s Catholic Church – Antioch
• Interior of Busch Parkway, Buffalo Grove

The Unborn, filmed in 2009 – Kankakee; Chicago; Lake Forest; Libertyville; Melrose Park; Mundelein (IMDb) (Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles)

• The Newton residence – Washington Rd, Lake Forest
• Casey and Romy visit a retirement home – Westleigh Rd, Lake Forest (Barat College)
• Interior for exorcism – Barat College Chapel
• Casey jogs by a lake and finds glove – University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Mundelein
• The Beldon residence – Washington Rd, Lake Forest
• Harlo Grill – North Ave, Melrose Park
• Walking up to church for exorcism- Kankakee State Hospital

A Nightmare on Elm Street, filmed in 2010 –  Lake Forest; Barrington; Chicago; Arlington Heights; Elgin; Cicero; Elk Grove Village; Orland Park (96.7 The Eagle / Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles)

• Dean’s funeral – Bluff City Cemetery, Elgin
• The Holbrook residence – Linden Rd, Barrington
• Springwood High School – Elk Grove High School and most interior at John Hersey High School, Arlington Heights
• The Fowles residence – Linden Rd, Barrington
• Powell’s Bookstore – Lincoln Ave, Chicago (no longer stands)
• Preschool – Greenbay Ave, Chicago

Have you seen or walked by any of these places without realizing they’ve been captured for scenes in horror movies? Maybe next time you take your dog for a walk down Washington Road, you’ll recognize those house and never feel the same around them…