10 great places to act out a scary movie scene

— -- With Halloween upon us, our attention turns to all things creepy — and classic horror films saturate the TV airwaves. Some of the most memorable horror movies were filmed not on soundstages, but in real places. Don Sumner, creator of best-horror-movies.com, shares his list of favorite locales with Tim Smight for USA TODAY.

Union Cemetery Burkittsville, Md.

This graveyard in Burkittsville, about 40 miles west of Baltimore, is where the student filmmakers of 1999's The Blair Witch Project began their creepy documentary about the legendary Blair witch. "The story, of course, is completely fabricated," Sumner says. "But the town and the cemetery really exist. If you pay a visit, you might also consider a side trip to Seneca Creek State Park — the 'Black Hills' where the students became lost and terror-stricken."

The Michael Myers HouseSouth Pasadena, Calif.

In the 1978 horror movie classic Halloween, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis in her first film role, psychotic killer Michael Myers returns to his childhood home to wreak havoc on Halloween night. "The abode of Michael's childhood and later shenanigans is a real South Pasadena house, located at 1000 Mission St.," Sumner says. "The house now serves as a chiropractor's office, but it retains the unmistakable aura of the infamous Myers house."

Monroeville MallMonroeville, Pa.

About 10 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Monroeville Mall served as the principal location for 1978's Dawn of the Dead, written and directed by zombie-meister George A. Romero. "This film — a sequel to Romero's cult classic, Night of the Living Dead— is a continuation of the plight of humanity after an abrupt transformation of the dead into walking flesh-eaters," Sumner says. "In the movie, survivors barricade themselves in the shopping mall and fight for their lives." 412-243-8511; monroevillemall.com

The Exorcist StairsWashington, D.C.

"The Exorcist is considered by some to be the scariest and most disturbing horror film of all time," Sumner says. Much of this 1973 movie was shot in the D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown, including two grisly death scenes that take place on a set of sinister-looking stairs. "In reality, these 75 steps, located on the corner of Prospect Street and 36th Street NW, are often used by health enthusiasts seeking an aerobic workout."