24 Horror Movies That Were Filmed in Cincinnati

Bones and All (2022)

A little bit of romance, a little bit of horror and a lot of flesh-eating, Bones and All features a young pair of cannibals (Timothée Chalamet as Lee and Taylor Russell as Maren) who go on a cross-country road trip together and fall in love while confronting their otherness. Film crews popped up across the Tri-State in places like the University of Cincinnati’s Zimmerman Hall, Country Kitchen in Lebanon, a home in Cleves and in Maysville, Kentucky. Other filming locations included Hillsboro, Aberdeen, Columbus and Chillicothe.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a psychological horror thriller starring legendary actors Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. The film is set in Cincinnati and follows cardiothoracic surgeon Steven Murphy (Farrell) who takes a young boy, Martin (Barry Keoghan), under his wing. But as Steven’s son grows ill, Martin delivers a sinister ultimatum that puts the lives of Steven’s family in jeopardy. Principal photography was taken at The Christ Hospital in Mt. Auburn, and other parts of the film were shot in Northside and Hyde Park.

Haunt (2019)

Set on Halloween night, slasher film Haunt stars Katie Stevens, Will Brittain and Lauryn McClain, who play a group of friends who venture into a haunted house promising to expose them to their darkest fears. Little do they know the haunted house performers have evil intentions and they may not make it out alive. Filming locations included the University of Cincinnati, as well as spots throughout Covington, Newport and California, Kentucky.

The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)

This sequel to the popular 2008 horror thriller The Strangers starred Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison and Lewis Pullman as a family of four that goes to stay in a remote trailer park in Ohio and ends up being hunted by a group of masked killers. Filming locations around Greater Cincinnati included Covington and Kincaid Lake State Park in Falmouth.

Homebodies (1974)

Desperate times call for desperate measures in this comedy horror as a group of pensioners find out their homes are to be torn down and replaced by a block of flats. To save their homes, they’ll resort to anything, including murder. Homebodies was shot in the West End and starred a roster of veteran actors, including Ian Wolfe, Ruth McDevitt, Peter Brocco and Douglas Fowley.

Wrong Turn (2021)

Talk about a ‘campy’ horror: Slasher film Wrong Turn a reboot and the seventh installment of the Wrong Turn series features Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Vardaan Arora and Adrian Favela as a group of friends backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. After tragedy strikes the group, they encounter a strange group of mountain dwellers called the Foundation who mean them nothing but harm. The film was a joint production between the U.S., Canada and Germany, with some filming locations including Felicity, Ohio, as well as Milford and Cincinnati.

7 Below (2012)

“Evil’s found a new home” in this timewarp horror thriller starring Val Kilmer alongside Ving Rhames and Luke Goss. 7 Below is centered on a group of strangers who find themselves stuck inside a home where 100 years ago a boy slaughtered his entire family. The movie was shot out in Goshen.

Caviar (2023)

Caviar is an indie mystery, thriller and horror film that explores the problematic nature of social media, deepfakes and misinformation. Betsey Brown stars as Antigone Corday, an aspiring social media influencer who is mourning the loss of her brother Jeremiah, a progressive pundit. But when a mysterious video of Jeremiah claiming to have uncovered a major conspiracy shows up in the mail, Antigone’s worldview and the fate of the planet will be thrown into chaos.

Avenging Disco Vampires (2001)

Described as a “terrible and wonderful at the same time” D movie from Reddit user u/jeffyagalpha, Avenging Disco Vampires, was directed by Daniel Frazier and written by the late Jarrett Tate. The story is set in Rabbit Hash and follows Jacob and Frank Caesar, two murderous fugitives who have chosen the town’s surrounding woods to bury their latest victim. But little do they know, in Rabbit Hash, when the sun goes down, the vampires come out to disco at The Funk Haven. Now, Master Disco Vampire Desmodus returns to lead his minions to the Vampire Promised Land, but Rabbit Hash’s other vampire clan, a modern Gothic group called The Crypts, is plotting to wipe out the Disco Vampires and conquer the Vampire Promised Land for themselves. But don’t forget about Jake and Frank: They’re also here to battle the undead with the help of a deranged vampire hunter.

Black Mamba (2019)

Indie action/horror film Black Mamba stars Angela Williams as Kyiera, a woman killed by corrupt cops. After her death, she’s resurrected as an assassin with a mission to destroy the people who killed her and her friends.

Digging Up the Marrow (2014)

Digging Up the Marrow writer and director Adam Green plays a fictionalized version of himself as a filmmaker making a documentary about monsters in artworks. Things take a strange turn when a man (Ray Wise) shows up to try to prove to Green that monsters are, indeed, real. Some filming took place here in Cincinnati, as well as in Indianapolis.

Inhumanwich! (2016)

Created by Cincinnati writer and filmmaker David Cornelius, sci-fi horror flick Inhumanwich! follows the terror wrought by an astronaut who is transformed into a sentient meat blob that devours everything in its path after a radioactive disaster in space. The movie was shot in locations across Cincinnati, West Chester and Batavia.

Terror Trips (2021)

In Terror Trips, six friends get into the business of nightmares as they start leading guided tours of shooting locations of the world’s most famous horror film. But, for one spot, the horror is anything but fictional. The film was directed by Cincinnati filmmaker Jeff Seeman and starred Hannah Fierman, Damian Maffei and Chaney Morrow. Shooting took place around the Tri-State, including in Terrace Park, Mariemont and Dearborn County.

A Ghost Waits (2020)

Paranormal romance abounds in this story of handyman Jack (MacLeod Andrews) falling in love with a ghost, Muriel (Natalie Walker), who haunts the home he’s been tasked with renovating. Described as an “unpredictable” combination of “horror, humor and heart”, A Ghost Waits’s reception was overwhelmingly positive and it boasts a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Parts of the film were shot in Cincinnati, as well as Covington and Lakeside Park, Kentucky.

Vamps: Deadly Dreamgirls (1995)

Late Cincinnati filmmaker Mark Burchett’s work was defined by its sexy campiness, with Vamps: Deadly Dreamgirls perhaps being his most popular (rocker Alice Cooper even called it the “Gone With the Wind of vampire stripper movies,” according to this WCPO article). Vamps follows Tasha (Jenny Wallace), a vampire who also runs a vampire strip club, and Heather (Jennifer Huss), an all-American girl who applies for a job at the club to pay her way through school. Tasha wants to (literally) suck Heather into joining her vampire clan, and only a faltering priest, Seamus (Paul Morris) can save her. (Spoiler Alert: He doesn’t).

Blood Sisters: Vamps 2 (2002)

In a straight-to-video sequel of Mark Burchett’s Vamps, Blood Sisters: Vamps 2 takes up back to the vampire strip club where Heather, who became a vampire after all (and is now played by Glori-Anne Gilbert), still works as an exotic dancer while her fiancé, the now-defrocked Seamus, manages the club. They learn they’ve made an enemy of another vampire, Elizabeth (Amber Newman), whose sister was killed by the denizens of Vamps years earlier. Elizabeth also wants the vampire strippers dead because Seamus and Heather could be the key to bringing about the Prophecy of the Redeemer, which would put an end to vampires entirely.

Evil Ambitions/Satanic Yuppies (1996)

Evil Ambitions brings more sex and more camp from Burchett, with the story following a reporter who stumbles upon a public relations firm that’s a front as a devil-worshipping cult kidnapping young models to sacrifice.

Blood Ties: The Legend of Hammerhead (2009)

A group of women on a road trip find themselves lost in the woods of Wing Brook, Kentucky, after their vehicle is sabotaged. They also find themselves the targets of a human hunter, Hammerhead. But Hammerhead isn’t just any slasher. He only kills in the same 17-year cycle that cicadas follow (another terror we Cincinnatians know all too well). The women’s only hope for survival is Killian, who is himself on the hunt for Hammerhead to avenge his sister’s death.

Slashers Gone Wild! (2006)

This gory indie slasher flick, filmed in the home-video-esque style of title inspiration Girls Gone Wild! was written and directed by Dayton, Ohio, horror filmmaker Rob Avery. In the film, a reporter finds a terrifying website where serial killers are uploading videos of their unspeakable deeds (think early-days YouTube, but more murdery). These killers are competing for Slasher of the Year, and the prize is immortality. And when a demon joins the competition, there will be hell to pay. According to IMDb, Avery filmed much of his movie in Ohio, including Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland.

Llamageddon (2015)

A little bit horrifying and still oddly cute, Earth-invasion flick Llamageddon stars Louie the llama, a Preble County native. In the film Louie plays a wooly terror from outer space who crash-lands on our planet and wreaks death and destruction.