Oh the horror! Top scary movies filmed in New Jersey

New Jersey is extremely rich in cinematic history. There's something for every film genre. Whether it's the urban areas, the suburbs, the beach or the mountains, the Garden State provides an ideal landscape.

For horror movie buffs, New Jersey is a great place to scare the daylights out of you. No, we're not just talking about our politicians in Trenton, we mean actual horror flicks. New Jersey has been the backdrop for killer sharks, machete-wielding killers, alien attacks and, of course, possessed houses.

Whether you're getting into the spirit of the Halloween season, or just want to put a little fright in your night, here are the top scary movies filmed in New Jersey.

1
'13th Child'
2002
One of the spookiest urban legends about NJ has to be the Jersey Devil. The 13th child is based off of the lore behind the Jersey legend and is set within the Garden State. People are being murdered by someone or something with super human strength. The film was shot primarily at Wharton State Forest, Batsto Village, and Hammonton in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
2
'Amityville Horror'
1979
The Amityville Horror is the classic horror film that will make you afraid to be alone in the house at night. While the house was supposed to be set on Long Island, the filming of the movie took place in Toms River, Point Pleasant and Scotch Plains.
3
'Class of Nuke 'Em High'
1986
If you like bad humor, violence, horror and nudity, this is the movie for you! Leave it to NJ to be the backdrop for a breakout of a nuclear accident all brought on by kids doing drugs at a power plant.
4
'Dark Ride'
2006
Set in Asbury Park, a mass murderer is on the loose after escaping the asylum and now is terrorizing, what else, an amusement park!
5
'Friday the 13th'
1980
Jason Voorhees is one of the most legendary horror characters of all time and he was welding his machete right here in NJ! Scenes where Jason would take his revenge on unsuspecting victims were filmed in parts of Blairstown, Freehold, Hardwick, and Hope.
6
'Hellboy'
2004
Hellboy was a demonic creation by the Nazis during World War II. As he grew up, he used his powers to help the good rather than the forces of evil. Who said all devils are bad? A venue in part of the movie, the "Squeaky Clean Waste Management Plant," is supposedly set in the Garden State.
7
'Jaws'
1975
You know a movie is scary when plenty of people who watched the movie when they were younger are STILL afraid to go into the ocean to this very day! Jaws, the killer great white, may have terrorized Amity Island, the inspiration came from true shark attacks that happened along the Jersey Shore in 1916.
8
'Satan's Playground'
2005
The Jersey Devil is a popular figure for horror movies, it seems. The Devil's Playground, about a family lost in the woods that gets terrorized by none other than the Jersey Devil. The movie is primarily set in the Jersey Pine Barrens.
9
'The Toxic Avenger'
1984
What started out as a bad B movie turned into a cult classic. The main character Melvin goes from zero to hero after he is tortured by his coworkers and falls out a window into a barrel of toxic waste. From there he is transformed into an unlikely superhero. The film was shot across NJ in Boonton, Harrison, Jersey City and Rutherford.
10
'War of the Worlds'
2005
Extraterrestrials are planning to take over earth and, of course, where did they start? New Jersey! The Tom Cruise remake of the legendary Orson Wells feature film used locations in Bayonne, Newark and Howell to recreate the sci-fi thriller.