While many settings make for fantastic horror movies, from an abandoned small town to a creepy hotel to a tropical island vacation that goes wrong fast, films that take place in schools are particularly great. Whether high schoolers are solving a big mystery or college students realize that there's a killer on campus, these movies have a lot more happening than just studying for a test and having fun with friends.
From some '90s gems to a particularly entertaining 2000 movie and a Blumhouse horror comedy that is a lot of fun, there are several scary films located at schools that make good use of their setting.
The Skulls (2000)
Starring the late Paul Walker as Caleb Mandrake, a member of the elite secret society The Skulls, this 2000 film is a corny but entertaining movie with a school setting. Joshua Jackson played Luke McNamara, a college student who wants to succeed at school and who gets drawn into this club when he becomes a member.
The Skulls is definitely a 2000s horror movie that holds up as Luke is a fully formed character with friends, dreams, a love interest, and a tough past, as he never grew up with money but was able to earn a scholarship to college. The movie wouldn't be as interesting if it didn't take place at a college, as it makes sense that Luke is interested in becoming accepted by wealthy, popular people since he has struggled in his life.
Scream 2 (1997)
Scream 2 is a great horror sequel and while fans of the franchise would definitely watch any Scream movie set anywhere, there's something special about Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) attending college. When Sidney shows up at Windsor College, she seems ready for a new life, and she has new friends and goes to parties and seems to be enjoying herself.
Before too long, people start getting killed again, and Sidney realizes that there's a new Ghostface. It's creepy that Sidney could get killed at any moment that she spends on campus, and while it might not be the best movie in the Scream franchise, Scream 2 still stands out for having a fun academic setting.
The Faculty (1998)
Kevin Williamson wrote the 1998 movie The Faculty, which tells the story of high schoolers who absolutely loathe the place that they go five days a week. When they realize that their teachers have been turned into aliens, things get even worse.
The Faculty works so well because of the school setting. Since this is absolutely the last thing that any teenager would expect to happen at school, the story is scary and fascinating. The characters are also mostly rebellious and not interested in studying or actually learning anything, which drives home the message that high school can be a drag sometimes. It's wild to imagine how it would feel to actually experience this situation, and if audiences put themselves in the main characters' shoes, the movie is even more entertaining and shocking.
Urban Legend (1998)
Urban Legend is definitely a lot of fun because it's set at a college. The movie was filmed at the University of Toronto and the campus works perfectly for a horror film, as there are beautiful old-fashioned stone buildings, trees everywhere, and a general Ivy League vibe.
The urban legends in the 1998 movie are told against the backdrop of this pretty campus, and if the film didn't take place at a school, it wouldn't be as enjoyable. The fact that Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) is watching her fellow students die is even more horrifying because schools are supposed to be safe places. Natalie definitely hopes that she can crack this case and get back to studying, attending fascinating classes, and spending time with her friends.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Happy Death Day is one of the most popular Blumhouse horror movies, and the comedy is set at a college campus, which helps the action along perfectly. Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is living a regular college life, partying and having fun, when someone murders her... and she keeps waking up again and again. The movie is a new take on Groundhog Day and manages to be even more terrifying than that sad movie.
The movie uses many hallmarks of student life, from Tree being in a sorority (at the beginning of the movie, her sorority sister Lori Spengler, played by Ruby Modine, gives her a birthday cupcake) to having a crush on her peer Carter Davis (Israel Broussard). Happy Death Day is a perfect horror comedy that wouldn't be the same if it had a different setting. Tree really just wants to be a regular college student and that makes her quest to find out why she keeps getting murdered even more important.