Despite the enormous cost to design and build sets for big budget movies, much of it becomes useless after filming is complete. Because of this, there are locations around the world that feature decaying but very recognizable movie buildings and props. And for the most part, you can just walk in and check them out.
The Fugitive
Lying abandoned in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina are the trains used in the 1993 film. CGI was not available when the Fugitive was filmed, so this scene was created by litereally smashing these locomotives into each other. The only portion that was added in separately was Ford jumping off of the train as it collides.
Field of Dreams
The field in Dyersville, Iowa is maintained as a tourist attraction, although plans to upgrade the area into a giant baseball and softball complex have been in the works for years.
Anna and the King
This film was intended to be shot in genuine Thai locations, but the Thailand film board denied the producers on claims of historical inaccuracies in the film. The abandoned set can be found in neighboring Langkawi, Malaysia.
Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra
This statue of the God Amun in the form of a ram still sits in its filming location in Morocco.
Bates Motel (The TV Show)
This particular Bates Motel filming location is in Aldergrove, BC and is actively used for the current TV show. It of course doesn’t qualify as abandoned, but does sit empty within the community outside of shooting season.
Batman (89)
This massive set, which included 18 sound stages and almost the entirety of Pinewood’s 95-acre backlot, stood empty for many years. However, it was ultimately torn down or moved to Los Angeles to be used on Batman Returns.
Big Fish
This entire town was built from scratch on an island along the banks of the Alabama river, where it still sits.
End of Days
Iron Man
Located within the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch, California is the set from this popular 2008 film.
Lone Star
Located a few miles west of Lajitas on Highway 170, this ghost town along the Rio Grande is easy to see from the highway.
Looper
This diner where Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character would go to eat after killing his target in the fields was located near Highway 1010 in Louisiana. It stood decaying for years before finally being torn down.
The Lord of the Rings
The shire and its hobbit homes are still present in this New Zealand field, where they are maintained as a tourist attraction.
Popeye
The people of Malta converted the abandoned movie set into a theme park, complete with Popeye actors.
Shindler’s List
This disturbing recreation of a concentration camp still stands in Poland.
Star Wars
The Tunisian Desert of Nefta still contains partially disassembled and buried sets from the original Star Wars.
The Abyss
The Abyss set was built in the turbine pit of an unfinished nuclear power station in South Carolina. It continued to sit empty after filming but was ultimately demolished in 2007, presumably with all the props and the submersibles, to make way for a new plant.
Zero Dark Thirty
Iconic props and set pieces remain at the the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in California.
