Horror Are certain locations overused location for horror movies & books?

[Kevin]

A conversation over at our sister site, Cool Sci-Fi, about urban fantasy novels in London, brings up an interesting topic about certain locations being associated with certain genres, particularly horror & fantasy.

For example, if you read a lot of Stephen King novels then might associate the New England area, especially Maine, with horror stories. If you are a big fan of Anne Rice, especially the movie adaption of Interview With a Vampire, then you might associate New Orleans with vampires. Fans of the Twilight series of books & movie might associate the US North-West (Northern California, Washington, etc.) with vampires & werewolves.

Then there is London.

Victorian London is the setting for many classic horror stories like Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and some of the early Dracula works. London is also the setting for modern classic like An American Werewolf in London, 28 Days Later, and even The Mummy series with Brendan Frasier. Urban fantasy works like Constantine also take place there.

With that in mind, are certain locations used too much for genre works like horror movies & books? Why do some locations seem to be used over & over again? Is it familiarity with the location or trying to gain advantage by being associated with other works set in the same location? What locations are underused?

 

[Azhria Lilu]

What locations are underused?

You don't see much set in Derbyshire and, d'you know, that could be a great place for some kind of horror since we have lots of fields, forlorn broken down deserted buildings, and fog.... fog is important in horror movies

 

[Kevin]

You don't see much set in Derbyshire and, d'you know, that could be a great place for some kind of horror since we have lots of fields, forlorn broken down deserted buildings, and fog.... fog is important in horror movies

Would a fanfic by a junior member of your household count?

The fog is actually a good point for why some locations are overused! For example, just about every horror movie in London has at least one scene set by the docks in the fog. It seems like the directors try to get bonus points by also working in characters running along the rooftops of buildings by the docks in the fog of London. Stephen King used fog in Maine as the inspiration for his novella The Mist which was later adapted into a movie. Earlier John Carpenter used fog for The Fog set in a northern California town. Even today we see fog playing a small role on occasion in Once Upon a Time which is also set in Maine.

So to throw that into the mix as well.... are certain locations used repeatedly because they offer a natural advantage, such as fog?

 

[screenersam]

Transylvania is a well-known setting.
I have mixed feelings on this. London definitely seems like a natural locale, esp for 19th century tales; global populace, varied residents (from royalty to cutthroat), docks, and the aforementioned fog.
I'd like to see more of the genre set in the western US. The 'Gargoyles' movie is a great example of what can be done with the area.
Amazon.com: Gargoyles: Cornel Wilde, Grayson Hall, Jennifer Salt, Bill L. Norton: Movies & TV

 

[Biorider]

Salem for witches.. For obvious historical reasons.