For a couple of years, I did a horror movie review website. Every so often, someone would contact me via email with a movie for me to check out, or friends would recommend something for me to check out. Inevitably, the movies with the best atmosphere would be horror films shot in abandoned buildings, like Session 9 as seen above. WebUrbanist has 5 of the most infamous abandoned building sites ever used as movie sets, complete with images and video.

When you’re making a movie, regardless of the budget you’ve got, the one thing that is key to making a good film is the right atmosphere. Without that, you’ve got nothing. Even a romantic comedy is enriched by a great setting.

Atmosphere isn’t something that can be made on computers at Lucasfilm. No matter how good digital imaging gets, there’s nothing as good as actual real-world spaces to place your actors in. Even when done well, the best digital sets take real-world scenes and settings and enrich them, like the photos of 1930’s New York City that were used to form the backdrop for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. There’s something to be said for authenticity.

Tags: movies, movie sets, abandoned buildings, famous scenes, movie locations, cult films

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