If you’re looking to add a little local flair to your Halloween movie marathon, you’ll want to check out these films and TV series’ that were made right here in Austin, Texas! From traditional horror to some that are simply creepy and/or bloody, here are 10 Austin made films and TV shows that will put you in the mood for Halloween.
The Faculty
The Robert Rodriguez-directed thriller about high school students who suspect their teachers are aliens stars Josh Hartnett, Jordana Brewster, and a slew of other actors popular in the ’90s. Kevin Williamson wrote the film shortly after he experienced blockbuster success with Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The Texas School for the Deaf serves as the high school in the film, though other exterior scenes were shot in Lockhart.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
They say the original is always the best and that’s definitely the case with this series. Though rebooted many, many times, we recommend the 1974 classic about a group of teens in Texas who end up falling victim to a family of cannibalistic psychopaths. The original house from the film no longer exists, but you can visit the Last Chance Gas Station (1073 TX-304). It’s now a joint called We Slaughter Barbecue and features a music venue, movie-themed gift shop, and motel with cabins in the back for fans who want a full horror experience.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Yes, we just recommended the original, and we’ll stand by that choice for the best film of the franchise. However, we must include this 1994 film simply because it stars Texas treasures Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. Unlike the original, the house used in this film does still exist. It’s located on Cameron Road in Pflugerville.
Piranha
1978’s Piranha is a classic example of a low budget B horror film, one of many that were released following the success of Jaws. Set at a summer resort where flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into the resort’s rivers, much of the film was shot along the rivers of Wimberly, Seguin, and San Marcos. There’s also a pivotal scene near the end of the movie that was filmed on Lake Austin, right next to the dam.
Death Proof
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the exploitation horror film plays homage to slasher and muscle car films of the 1970s. Death Proof was released in the US as part of a double feature with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror under the collective title Grindhouse. Set in Austin both on and off screen, you’ll recognize the Texas Chili Parlor in a scene where Tarantino and cast take shots.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9Psv-hH7-/?tagged=deathproof
Planet Terror
We can’t include Death Proof without listing its counterpart Planet Terror, as well. In Robert Rodriguez’s addition to the Grindhouse double feature, an experimental bio-nerve gas is accidentally released at a remote U.S. military base in Texas, turning those exposed to the gas into flesh-eating, mutating zombies. The Texas Chili Parlor is again featured in this film, as is Guero’s on South Congress.
Machete / Machete Kills
Machete is an expansion of a fake trailer of the same name published as a part of the aforementioned Grindhouse promotion. More action than horror, the film and its sequel will fill your blood quotient if the two films listed above just aren’t enough for you. You’ll spot the Texas State Capitol, St. Mary’s Cathedral on 10th Street, and the Frost Tower in the film, though most of the scenes were shot at Trouble Maker Studios.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo34WuwF7HO/?tagged=dannytrejo
“From Dusk Till Dawn” (TV Show)
The film From Dusk Till Dawn wasn’t shot in Austin, but the El Rey television series was. Expanding on the chronicles of the Gecko Brothers, the American horror TV series ran for three seasons. You can currently watch all 30 episodes on Netflix. And who doesn’t love a good Netflix binge as the nights get colder?
“Fear the Walking Dead”
One of the most recent projects shot in the Austin area, “The Walking Dead” spinoff relocated to Austin for season four of the zombie-centric series. You’ll spot the Dell Diamond, Volente Beach Water Park, the now vacant Brackenridge Hospital, and many more Central Texas locations, as the group fights for their lives in and around the rapidly decaying city of Austin. Check out more of the local filming locations utilized on the series here.
“The Leftovers”
So this one is not technically horror, but it will most definitely creep you out. Season two of the HBO series was shot in Lockhart, and it’s all kinds of weird, just like our fair city of Austin. Fair warning, in case you don’t know, the series’ most burning question will never be answered: what happened to all those people who went missing? Like many scary movies, they leave you guessing.
“Supernatural”
And if all of these options just aren’t enough, you can host an epic binge-a-thon with “Supernatural.” Though not actually made in Austin, it does star two of our favorite new Austinites, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. However, if you decide to go this route, we suggest getting started STAT. The CW series is currently in its fifteenth and final season! That’s a whole lot of episodes.
Time Trap
The sci-fi film Time Trap isn’t necessarily scary either, but it’s definitely a thriller. The plot goes something like this: After a professor of archaeology goes missing during an excursion to a cave near Austin, a group of his students set out to find him. As they enter the cave in the Texas desert, the students realize that they may have found a place that breaks the rules of both space and time. According to our review at the time of release, this is definitely a movie that fans of hard-core science fiction will be delighted by, as well as residents of the Austin area where it was filmed. You can read more of that review here.
Featured photo via Columbia Pictures/ Texas Chainsaws Massacre The Next Generation.
Want more Austin area film info? You May Also Be Interested In:
Here’s Where All the Best Austin Movies Were Filmed
Grab Your Bestie to Watch These 10 Austin Odes to Friendship
Austin is the Real Breakout Star of Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’
Featured photo by Flickr user chispita_666, Creative Commons licensed
