Halloween, that special scary day of the year, is coming up on October 31. And, although Halloween is usually about going trick-or-treating or attending thematic events dressed up in special scary costumes, this year, the pandemic changed things a bit. Thus, it may be much safer to stay at home this year and watch a horror film (or two). Below is a selection of horror movies filmed in Romania - a popular location for Halloween, as it is also known as the Land of Dracula.

The Nun

Corin Hardy's horror-thriller The Nun, a spin-off of the 2016 movie The Conjuring 2, was shot entirely in Romania. The shooting took place in the famous Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, but also at the Corvinilor Castle and in Sighisoara, in Transylvania.

The 2018 movie stars Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, and Bonnie Aarons. It tells the story of a young nun and a priest sent to investigate the suicide of a nun at an abbey in Romania. There, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in The Conjuring 2.

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The Ritual

The Ritual follows a group of college friends on a hiking trip into the Swedish wilderness - a journey taken in the memory of their friend Rob, killed a few months earlier. But a wrong turn leads them into a mysterious forest where evil awaits. 

And, although the action is taking place in Sweden, the movie was actually filmed in Romania's Carpathian Mountains.

The Netflix horror movie was directed by David Bruckner and stars Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton.

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The Devil Inside

The 2012 horror film The Devil Inside, directed by William Brent Bell, was also partially shot in Romania, more precisely in Bucharest. Filming also took place in Rome (Italy) and Vatican City.

The documentary-style film tells the story of a woman who gets involved in unauthorized exorcisms while trying to discover what happened to her mother, who allegedly committed a triple murder during her own exorcism. It stars Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, and Evan Helmuth, but also several Romanian actors.

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Mirrors

Mirrors is a horror and mystery film filmed almost entirely in the Academy of Sciences building in Bucharest. Inspired by the 2003 South Korean horror film Into the Mirror, Alexandre Aja's movie features Kiefer Sutherland as Ben, a troubled ex-cop who must save his family from an evil force that uses mirrors as a portal to enter this world and their home.

The 2008 movie also stars Paula Patton, Cameron Boyce, and Amy Smart. A sequel titled Mirrors 2 was released in 2010.

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Seed of Chucky

Bucharest was also a shooting location for Seed of Chucky, the black comedy horror released in 2004.

In this film, which is the sequel to 1998's Bride of Chucky, a young doll named Glen, the son of killer dolls Chucky and Tiffany, resurrects his parents, causing chaos. Directed by Don Mancini, it stars Brad Dourif (as the voice of Chucky), Jennifer Tilly (as herself-fictionalized version/the voice of Tiffany), and Billy Boyd (as the voice of Glen/Glenda).

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An American Haunting

Following the story of Brent Monahan's novel The Bell Witch: An American Haunting, this horror film partially shot in Romania, is reportedly based on what is said to be the true story of an evil spirit that caused the death of a man in Tennessee. 

The gothic ghost story An American Haunting, released in 2005, is a UK/Canada/Romania/US co-production starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, James D'Arcy, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. It was written and directed by Courtney Solomon.

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irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Pixabay.com)