GRINDHOUSE TOURS

BOOK ONE: VERIFIED FILM LOCATIONS

Within 10 kilometers of your stay at the Grindhouse Motel, some of the most significant horror films ever made were shot. From Cronenberg's early experiments to Oscar-winning features, from television series to theatrical releases.

Everything here is real. All these places exist and you can go to them right now.

CHAPTER 1UTSC - GROUND ZERO

UTSC has been a horror and sci-fi filming location since 1969. The brutalist concrete makes it look fucked up and alien. Cronenberg shot his first feature Stereo here. They still film there.

Films Shot Here:

• Stereo (1969) - Andrews Building, ground floor corridors
• Crimes of the Future (1970) - Science Wing
• The Shape of Water (2017) - Science Wing as government lab
• Enemy (2013) - Hallways, parking garage, classrooms
• Dream Scenario (2023) - Recent production
• Total Recall (2012) - Multiple campus areas
• Splice (2009) - Laboratory exteriors
• The Void (2016) - Various locations
• Septic Man (2013) - Campus facilities
• Exit Humanity (2011) - Period setting

Television Productions:

• Hannibal (2013-2015) - FBI headquarters, multiple episodes
• The Expanse (2015-2022) - Science fiction locations
• Killjoys (2015-2019) - Space opera settings
• The Hot Zone (2019) - Disease outbreak drama

CHAPTER 2SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS

90-meter cliffs over Lake Ontario. They film here when they need dramatic cliff shots or outdoor horror.

Major Productions:

• Hannibal (2013-2015) - Multiple cliff scenes throughout series
• Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990) - Bluffer's Park Marina
• The Love Witch (2016) - Ritual scenes at Cathedral Bluffs
• Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) - Apocalyptic exteriors
• The Dark (2018) - Canadian production
• Pyewacket (2017) - Horror film
• Antisocial (2013) - Thriller

Specific Filming Sites:

• Cathedral Bluffs Park - Most filmed section. East lookout areas used for Hannibal scenes.
• Scarborough Heights Park - Chase sequences and action scenes. More wooded than Cathedral Bluffs.
• Cudia Park - Stairs down to beach. Character scenes in Hannibal. Steep terrain - use caution.
• Bluffer's Park Marina - Water access location. Used by Friday the 13th: The Series for lakeside scenes.

Note: The Bluffs are actively eroding. Some filming locations from the 1980s don't exist anymore. The cliff face recedes about 1 meter per year.

CHAPTER 3GUILD PARK - GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Guild Park has architectural fragments from over 60 demolished Toronto buildings. When they tore down old buildings downtown, they moved the good parts here. Greek columns, Gothic arches, stone doorways, bank facades, church entrances - all scattered across the park.

Films Shot Here:

• Deadly Eyes (1982) - The columns and archways appear throughout
• The Shrine (2010) - Gothic elements for atmosphere
• The Hexecutioners (2015) - Exterior scenes
• Bite (2015) - Transformation scenes
• The Drownsman (2014) - Chase scenes
• Hellmouth (2014) - Location work

What to Look For: The big Greek columns get filmed the most. They show up in wide shots for atmosphere. The Gothic archways look good at dusk - when most productions shoot here. The Osterhout Log Cabin (1795) sits in the park. It's one of Scarborough's oldest buildings.

CHAPTER 4INDUSTRIAL SCARBOROUGH

Warehouses around Kennedy and Eglinton. They've been filming horror here since the 80s.

Films Shot Here:

• Videodrome (1983) - CFMT building exteriors, 2615 Eglinton Ave E
• Scanners (1981) - Warehouse interiors
• Pontypool (2008) - Radio station, former CFMT building, 2615 Eglinton Ave E
• Cube (1997) - Interior spaces
• The Editor (2014) - Giallo production
• Father's Day (2011) - Horror film
• Manborg (2011) - Science fiction
• Monster Brawl (2011) - Horror comedy

Key Location: 2615 Eglinton Ave E - Former CFMT Building
This building is in both Videodrome (1983) and Pontypool (2008). You can see the exterior from the street, northwest corner. It's private property - view from the street only.

CHAPTER 5RESIDENTIAL STREETS

Regular suburban houses and streets. They film horror here because it looks like anywhere in North America.

Guildwood Village (7 km from Grindhouse Motel):

• Prom Night (1980) - Jamie Lee Curtis, multiple houses
• The Changeling (1980) - George C. Scott, mansion exteriors
• American Psycho (2000) - Patrick Bateman's parents' house

West Hill (4 km from Grindhouse Motel):

• It (2017/2019) - Both chapters, multiple streets for Derry, Maine
• Crimson Peak (2015) - Guillermo del Toro, Victorian house exteriors
• Silent Hill (2006) - Suburban streets

Bendale (3 km from Grindhouse Motel):

• Orphan Black (2013-2017) - Suburban locations
• The Strain (2014-2017) - Residential streets
• Channel Zero (2016-2018) - Multiple houses

Respectful Viewing: Exact addresses cannot be provided for privacy and security reasons. These are private residences. Photograph from public streets only. Do not trespass or approach private property.

CHAPTER 6: TELEVISION SERIES

TV series need lots of locations over months of shooting. Scarborough has everything within 10 kilometers - brutalist buildings, cliffs, Gothic ruins, warehouses, suburbs.

Major Series Filming Regularly:

• Hannibal (2013-2015) - NBC, UTSC as FBI headquarters, Bluffs for exteriors
• The Expanse (2015-2022) - Syfy/Amazon, UTSC for future settings
• The Strain (2014-2017) - FX, residential streets
• Channel Zero (2016-2018) - Syfy, multiple Scarborough locations
• Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990) - Bluffer's Park and area
• Tales from the Darkside (1984-1988) - Various residential locations
• Todd and the Book of Pure Evil (2010-2012) - Local streets and buildings
• Killjoys (2015-2019) - UTSC for alien facilities
• The Hot Zone (2019) - UTSC for CDC headquarters
• Orphan Black (2013-2017) - Bendale neighborhood
• Chucky series - Toronto-based production using Scarborough locations

BOOK TWO: HAUNTED LOCATIONS

Real Ghost Stories from the Same Area

The same area where they film horror has its own ghost stories. Local legends, paranormal reports, historical sites. All within the same 10km radius.

Whether any of this is true is up to you. The locations are real. You can go there.

GUILD PARK AND GARDENS (7 km from Grindhouse Motel)

The Gothic ruins aren't just good for filming. People report weird shit among the architectural fragments.

The Osterhout Log Cabin from 1795 - one of Scarborough's oldest buildings - has its own ghost stories.

The Guild Inn ran here until 1978 as an artists' colony. Some people think the creative energy left something behind.

SCARBOROUGH BLUFFS

The cliffs where they film TV shows are genuinely dangerous. People have died here over the years, both accidents and suicides. The Bluffs carry real tragedy alongside the filming history.

The 90-meter cliffs over Lake Ontario are legitimately hazardous.

TABER HILL (3 km from Grindhouse Motel)

This is verified history, not legend. Taber Hill is an Iroquois burial ground. The mound dates to 1250 A.D. Approximately 472 bodies.

Modern residents report:

• Apparitions of Aboriginal people
• Unexplained sounds in the area
• The smell of fish (traditional burial preparation)

This is a legitimate archaeological site with documented history.

OLD FINCH AVENUE BRIDGE (5 km from Grindhouse Motel)

Local legend says a young girl was murdered on this bridge after her birthday party. It's area folklore.

Reports include:

• Phantom figures on the bridge at night
• Unexplained phenomena
• Cold spots

The bridge is real and you can go there. The legend persists among locals.