Do you like scary movies? What about ones that are also a little silly? Or perhaps more grim than goofy? Maybe you like ones that are all of that — and more?
There are plenty of great horror movies out there that fit such descriptions, but only a handful can claim the esteemed distinction of being set in the Pacific Northwest. These films are varied in tone, narrative, and style, each bringing some of the most terrifying visions you could ever dare to see over the past several decades.
Whether you’re looking to watch an older classic or a modern riff on the genre, here are the best PNW set horror films to seek out.
The Changeling (1980)
One of the all-time greatest haunted house movies, The Changeling also features an exceptional leading performance by the late George C. Scott that is up there with his very best work.
It tells the story of a music composer named John Russell who moves from New York City to Seattle after witnessing the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter. His new residence is an echoing mansion that he soon discovers has a painful history of its own which reveals itself to him in increasingly frightening visions, including one of the most unsettling séance scenes ever put to screen.
It is one of those films that was shot primarily in Vancouver, B.C. but there are many moments that actually bring us into Seattle from the interiors of the University of Washington to a whole host of establishing shots of landmarks at key turning points. It all comes together to make for a chilling film that more than deserves to be recognized as a horror classic.
The Stepfather (1987)
Shifting to more psychological horror works, The Stepfather offers up its own disquieting portrait of a serial killer who spends his days adopting different identities in search of a family to make his own. Played by a delightfully theatrical Terry O’Quinn, his new place of operations is the suburbs of Seattle where he has taken on the name Jerry Blake.
When he marries the widow Susan Maine (Shelley Hack) and begins to immerse himself in her life, he’ll have to contend with her 16-year-old daughter Stephanie (Jill Schoelen) who is more than a bit skeptical of this strange man that’s now in the picture. The film was also largely shot in Vancouver where it dressed up various locations in a so-so attempt to disguise itself as Seattle (much like the deceptions of the film’s central character). It spawned two rather lackluster sequels and a remake, but none could hold a candle to what made the original that started it all so effective.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
Now we get to the point on this list where films begin to ground themselves more authentically in Washington rather than just going to shoot with our neighbors to the north up in Canada.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is another psychological horror film about a stranger infiltrating a family. This time, it is a woman who goes by the name of Peyton Flanders, though she is not who she claims to be. Perfectly played by Rebecca De Mornay, she begins working as a nanny for a Seattle family who recently had a child. Unbeknownst to them, “Peyton” is out to get revenge against them by destroying their lives piece by piece.
The film is one of the few primarily shot in Tacoma, Wash. with a residence on Yakima Ave and the W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Wright Park serving as the main locations for the story. As the world of the central family begins to unravel before their eyes, De Mornay is magnificent. She just keeps ratcheting up the menace and elevates the entire experience until it all comes crashing down.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
No list talking about Pacific Northwest horror cinema worth its salt would be complete without David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Serving as a prequel to the acclaimed series Twin Peaks, while also being oh so much more than that, it takes us through the final days of the ill-fated Laura Palmer. Brought to life by the spectacular Sheryl Lee, in one of the best screen performances most actors could only dream of giving, the film looks deeper into who Laura was as a person before she became the subject of a mystery.
Set in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, and primarily shot in Snoqualmie, Wash., it steps away from the more self-aware yet soapy elements of the show to draw us into something deeply sinister yet also delicately somber. It is not an easy watch by any means, with scenes of abject horror that etch themselves into your memory, but it remains one of the most striking films ever made for good reason.
The Ring (2002)
One of the rare American horror remakes that is not just worthwhile but absolutely essential, Gore Verbinski’s The Ring taps into something nightmarish all its own that still casts a haunting spell.
At the center of the film is local reporter Rachel Keller, played with nuance by Naomi Watts, who works for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (RIP) and has recently learned of a cursed videotape that is believed to have the power to kill whoever watches it seven days after they do so. In the process of investigating this, she too watches the tape and gets a call informing her she has a week left.
With time now ticking down, she’ll have to figure out a way to potentially stop it by tracing down the source of the images she has seen. The most comprehensively PNW horror movie of the 21st century, everything is local from Rachel’s apartment to the former Seattle Post-Intelligencer building, all the way to the places she travels to seeking answers. With the vibrant yet disturbing images from the tape hanging over it all, it’s worth sharing with a friend.
The Ward (2010)
Though horror auteur John Carpenter is rightly known for his many outstanding works before this, his final feature, The Ward, still has something to offer, especially for Carpenter completionists.
Set in rural Oregon, though primarily shot at the Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake, Wash., it places us in the mind of Kristen who has recently been taken to a psychiatric hospital after setting fire to a nearby abandoned farmhouse. A tough role played well by Amber Heard, she soon discovers that all is not quite what it seems at the facility and someone is killing off her fellow patients one by one.
The details of what is going on are best kept under wraps, even as some of the developments will likely be apparent to discerning viewers. But what can be said is that the film remains a sufficiently solid genre entry that holds up far better than some of the director’s other late-career work. It isn’t his best by any means, but even mid-tier Carpenter can be relied on for a well-crafted film to spook you on a lazy afternoon.
Mandy (2018)
Starring Nicolas Cage as you’ve never seen him before, Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy is a surreal film that is more than a little slippery in a variety of ways. However, that only makes it all the more worth getting lost in. Set somewhere in the Pacific Northwest in 1983, the simple life of Red Miller (Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) is about to be thrown into utter chaos when a group of cultists decide to attack them. When this culminates in tragedy and forever shatters the life of the couple, Red will set out on a mission of revenge.
While actually shot in Wallonia, Belgium, it feels like it takes us into a hellish world of multicolored terror that exists in a dimension beyond our own. This makes for an evocative descent into darkness that also sees Cage taking part in a chainsaw fight. Truly what else could you want?
Green Room (2015)
As a warning, Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room is one of the most painfully gruesome works of horror you’ll ever see. Centered on a punk band touring the Pacific Northwest who are running out of cash to keep going, they take a new gig following a cancellation at an isolated venue outside Portland that they know next to nothing about. This turns out to be a grave mistake as it is actually a neo-Nazi bar where they witness a murder and are soon held hostage.
After realizing they will have to fight their way out or be killed themselves, the film becomes unrelentingly tense as death lurks around every corner for the band. Featuring a completely petrifying Patrick Stewart as the despicable skinhead leader Darcy and starring the astounding late actor Anton Yelchin as bandleader Pat, it is not for the faint of heart. It pulls no punches, dragging us further and further into the violence simmering under our own world as well.
Malignant (2021)
After some of the harrowing entries on this list, it is always important to make room for some silly ones. Not only is James Wan’s Malignant one of the most absurd horror movies of the modern era, but it’s one of the most wonderfully goofy the genre has ever seen.
Taking place in Seattle, we get to know the troubled Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) who is having visions of a killer that are starting to feel all too real. As she looks deeper into her own mind and past for answers, she discovers something that will upend her life as she knows it. The less that is known about this one the better, but suffice to say it is a wild ride.
Primarily shot in Los Angeles, it does pretend to recreate some local places like the Seattle Underground, though this only makes it all the more campy. The first of two uproarious films on this list to be written by Akela Cooper, it is a work that is best experienced with an open mind for the silliness it has in store.
M3gan (2022)
The most recent film on this list is another written by Akela Cooper, who seems to just love setting her bonkers horror stories in Seattle. The film follows Gemma (Allison Williams) who is trying to look after her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) following the death of her parents. As she works for a swanky and technologically driven Seattle toy company, she decides to make the artificially intelligent robotic doll M3GAN to become the young girl’s companion. What could possibly go wrong with that?
As it turns out, just about everything as M3GAN soon begins to resist her programming and come up with some ideas of her own about what she wants to do in the world. Yes, this one was also filmed in L.A. as well as New Zealand, but it still is just such a scream all the same. This dynamic dancing doll of death can flip and slice her way into your heart, or at least some other vital organ. It isn’t the scariest film set in the Pacific Northwest, but it has already proven to be one of its most memorable.
What did we miss?
Let us know about other perfectly frightening horror films set in the Pacific Northwest by emailing outreach@knkx.org.
