Classic horror always conjured up fear by asking us to imagine a scary place far away. See: Dracula’s castle or Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. Gothic horror is nothing without its intriguing accents, faraway castles, and arduous journey.

When the genre jumped to the silver screen, a lot of horror films were set in rural areas, on country backroads, and in rundown shacks off the highway. Think Texas Chainsaw Massacre, for example, and its spiritual successors like Jeepers Creepers and the first two installments in Ti West’s X trilogy.

...