There are all sorts of settings for horror films. But I find that, the conventional settings often fall into these categories:

The house/home. This is a big one for horrors, especially modern horrors. This is because the home is often the safest place for people, and houses are meant to be safe - they provide privacy and a place to relax. This is why horrors are often based there. People are vulnerable at home because they think they're safe, and having your safety jeopardised is an unsettling thing for the viewer to see. The reason why it evokes such a terrified response in viewers is because of how they empathise with the location - it's a normal place, where such horrors shouldn't happen.

The graveyard or church/religious building. These are frequently used in supernatural horrors or anything involving religion. Since we find the unknown and the supernatural so scary, what better setting to have this occur than a place where people are buried? Plus, a lot of people are scared of evil due to their own religious place - evil is more terrifying if it occurs in a place of worship.


The public establishment. This can include schools, hospitals, museums, offices... Anything that's public and a building, really. But often times, schools and hospitals are used because they're meant to be places of safety, and violating this safety in horror films make them all the more scary for the audience, making them feel unsafe. This is because they can empathise with the situation.