Scream: Every Filming Location In The Horror Movie Franchise
The Scream film franchise, created by Kevin Williamson and directed by slasher movie maven Wes Craven, consists of four meta-horror comedies that mock motifs and motives through delightfully satirical scares. Premiering in 1996, Scream became the first highest-grossing slasher, reinvigorating the genre for a new generation.
The iconic Scream series follows Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), perpetual victim and survivor of Ghostface, a snide serial killer whose identity shifts film to film. Set in motion by the murder of her mother, Sidney's ongoing battle with Ghostface spans throughout the series, her resilience earning her an applauded "final girl" status. Though every embodiment of Ghostface appears on the scene with their own twisted motive, they all set their sights on Sidney, wreaking havoc on those around her in an effort to finally take her down. Aided by Woodsboro deputy, and later sheriff, Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and newswoman-turned-crime writer Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), Sidney consistently defeats Ghostface and exposes the masked killer.
Set in the fictional town of Woodsboro, the Scream universe is made up of many different locations throughout the country. Gathering shots from California, Georgia and Michigan the filmmakers created the Woodsboro world, placing their characters in the safe realm of suburbia, only to unleash hell on their homes. Though Scream 2 and Scream 3 wander away from Woodsboro, the town's murderous history is recalled through the Stab films, a comical franchise within the franchise that makes "meta" feel like an understatement.
Hitting theaters in the winter of 1996, the first Scream film was met with huge success and moved horror further into the mainstream. Its satirical brilliance heightened by the presence of Wes Craven as director, the film turns the slasher genre inside out, citing past franchises such as Halloween and Craven's own Nightmare on Elm Street. Working off the rules installed by the slasher films of the 70's, Scream is a spoof on suburban fear, its setting serving as a vital point of parody. Using multiple locations around California, including Sant Rosa, Sonoma and Tomales, the filmmakers created the first facade of Woodsboro.
The notable fountain where Sidney and friends discuss the gruesome murder of Casey Becker can be found in the town square of Healdsburg, California, where the Woodsboro Police Station was also created, the Healdsburg station serving as its exterior. Sonoma Community Center was transformed into Woodsboro High School, the scene of multiple Ghostface attacks, specifically the murder of Principal Himbry (Henry Winkler). The video shop where Sidney's friend and horror film fanatic, Randy Meeks, works was played by Bradley Video of Santa Rosa, while the remote home that hosts the climatic party massacre is located in Tomales, California.
Scream 2 follows Sidney and Randy to college where their treacherous past repeats itself, forcing them to go up against Ghostface once again. In an effort to distance themselves from the Woodsboro murders, Sidney and Randy leave town and attend Windsor College. The two survivors are quickly thrown into a familiar hell, this time their college campus acting as the killer's new hunting grounds. Though not specifically stated, it is clear from license plates, zip codes and local news reports that the fictional school is set somewhere in Ohio, although the filming locations were all within California and Georgia.
The first scene of Scream 2 kicks off at the premiere of Stab, the first in a popular series of films depicting the now-famous Woodsboro murders. Th-ough the interior of the premiere scenes were filmed at Vista Theater in Hollywood, the exterior shots were gathered from the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena. A gory Ghostface killing in the theater preludes the coming attacks on Sidney and her friends, jump starting the events of the second film. From there the setting shifts to Windsor College which was made up of shots of Atlanta, Georgia and California, specifically shooting the sorority house murder of CiCi Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in the Pasadena area of Los Angeles.
It is no surprise that the entirety of Scream 3 was shot in California since the film is set in Los Angeles during the production of the latest Stab movie, the fictional franchise still thrilling audiences. Sidney, Gale and Dewey take to Hollywood after being lured by Ghostface, once again active and out for blood. Mainly taking place on the set of Stab 3 and at various homes belonging to the film's cast and crew, shots were gathered from many notable Los Angeles hotspots.
The fictional Sunrise Studios at the head of the Stab franchise is represented by the CBS Studio Center in the San Fernando Valley, while the home of Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) was located in West Hollywood. Weary, wrongfully accused of the murder of Sidney's mother in the first film, is now the successful host of his own talk show, but is killed in his home by Ghostface in Scream 3's opening scene. Featuring several grand Los Angeles homes, the filmmakers took to the Hollywood Hills and Silverlake for their shots of houses belonging to characters Jennifer Jolie (Parker Posey) and John Milton (Lance Henriksen).
The town of Woodsboro is a slice of sweet Californian suburbia, similar to many other communities seen in slasher films. Quiet until its not, Woodsboro has become the notorious origin of the Ghostface murders and the calm community is continuously sent into a frenzy of fear. Though Sidney escapes the grip of her hometown during the second and third films, Scream 4 sees her return to Woodsboro, tormented once again by Ghostface's wrath. This time around filmmakers chose to shoot Woodsboro in Michigan using towns around the Ann Arbor area to re-create the original Scream setting.
The town of Northville is home to the Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro which was used to represent the Woodsboro bookstore where Sidney hosts a book reading to promote her survival story Out of Darkness. Northville is also home to Kirby's (Hayden Panettiere) house, where the fourth film's final massacre is set. Woodsworth Middle School in Dearborn, a town just outside of Detroit was used as Woodsboro High, the school community once again reeling from the gruesome murder of a classmate at the hands of Ghostface.
Ann Arbor itself was the filming location for the house of Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), Sidney's young cousin with whom she stays while in Woodsboro. The neighborhood of North Burns Park was also used for Jill's friend Olivia's house, the scene of the latter's brutal murder. Lastly, the notorious barn where local film buffs host a yearly "Stab-a-thon" party can be found in Saline, Michigan.