It’s October, Halloween is right around the corner, and we’re embracing all-things spooky.
From the annual Village Halloween Parade to parties and festivals to checking out spooky Halloween decorations, NYC is definitely the perfect place to celebrate the season.
Beyond just checking out NYC’s spooky decorated houses, why not also explore the city’s many buildings and landmarks that have made their way onto the big screen in scary movies?! If you’re looking to get spooked we know just where to start, here are a few scary movie filming locations that can be found in NYC.
And, if you’re feeling particular brave during this creepy time of the year, why not embark on a ghost tour in NYC or real haunted places in NYC where paranormal activity runs wild.
1. The Roosevelt Hotel, Midtown
In the film 1408 John Cusack’s character spends the night in the fictional and haunted Dolphin Hotel, though in real life it’s actually known as the Roosevelt Hotel.
The hotel closed in 2020 due to continued financial losses brought on by the pandemic, though it reopened this year as a shelter for asylum seekers.
📍 45 E 45th Street
2. Tavern on the Green, Central Park
Though Tavern on the Green is one of NYC’s most beautiful restaurants and probably not a place you’d associate with being scary, it was featured in the film Ghostbusters. Accountant Louis Tully is being chased in the terror dog scene and tries to escape by ducking into the restaurant.
The movie also filmed in other NYC locations including the New York Public Library, Umberto’s Clam House, and Lincoln Center.
📍 W 67th Street
3. The Dakota, Upper West Side
1968 psychological thriller Rosemary’s Baby is based on the bestselling novel with the same name, and in the film characters Rosemary and Guy live in the Upper West Side’s Dakota Apartments (though in the movie it was renamed The Bramford). There are talks that the building is even haunted in real life.
John Lennon owned apartments in the building with his wife Yoko Ono, and right outside the building’s entrance is where he was killed in 1980.
📍 1 W 72nd Street
4. Greyshot Arch, Central Park
When characters Rob and Beth are hiding from the monster at the end of the film Cloverfield, they’re hiding under Central Park’s Greyshot Arch, which was built in 1860. The overpass isn’t far from Columbus Circle where the film opens.
Fun fact: “Greyshot” was actually going to originally be the film’s name, though a marketing campaign had already gone viral with the title being Cloverfield.
📍 Central Park West & W 61st Street
5. The Belnord, Upper West Side
The series Only Murders in the Building features The Arconia, which is an apartment complex that’s actually called The Belnord in real life. Consisting of 13 floors, the Italian Renaissance-style building has become a familiar landmark in NYC. If you’re a fan of the Hulu series and want to get a taste of Charles, Mabel, and Oliver’s antics, the Only Murders in the Building escape room is a must-visit.
📍 225 W 86th Street
6. “Spook Central”
Ghostbuster’s Dana Barrett has set up shop on the Upper West Side in an art decor apartment building that was dubbed “Spook Central” in the iconic film. It’s a massive, elegant structure designed in the late 1920s that sits next to the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
📍 55 Central Park West
While you’re celebrating the creepiest time of the year, why not see if you’re brave enough to handle Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares?