Where was The Dead Don’t Die filmed? Impressive locations revealed

Where was The Dead Don’t Die filmed? Impressive locations revealed

Netflixs The dead don’t die has recently sparked renewed interest in the real locations in which the film was filmed.

The 2019 film featured an all-star cast led by Bill Murray (who has since appeared in other genre films such as Ant Man 3), Adam Driver and Selena Gomez, didn’t set the world on fire in their debut; However, it has since become a cult hit with fans.

The horror film avoids the typical zombie tropes and offers an absurd, comedic take on the genre. It tells the story of two police officers in a sleepy New York town who witness the resurrection of the dead and all the bloody horror that comes with such a catastrophe.

Where was The Dead Don’t Die filmed?

Most of them The dead don’t die takes place in a single location: the fictional town of Centerville, New York.

The small-town setting of the cult horror hit was intended to represent the picturesque calm of everyday American work life, in perfect contrast to the blood-curdling terror of the dead rising from their graves.

Because Centerville was a film-specific creation, the film needed some idyllic locations, which it found in several rural communities in upstate New York.

The filming locations for the film were Elizaville, Ancram and Fleischmanns, New York, with a handful of locations in the three communities featured prominently in the film.

Elizaville Diner, Elizaville

The exterior of the Elizaville Diner as seen in
The dead don’t die

One of the most important early set pieces The dead don’t die is a diner where the first signs of a possible zombie outbreak appear.

The Elizaville Diner in Elizaville, New York was that diner (at least from the outside). The Elizaville staple served as the exterior of the restaurant featured in the film, and with its silver chrome trim and 1950s-style baby blue wall paneling, it provided a picture-perfect, era-like atmosphere.

The Elizaville Diner has been in operation in one form or another since 1956 and moved across state lines in 2005 from its original location in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Aside from its appearance in the film, the Elzaville Diner is known to many for its appearance on the cover of Michael Engle’s Diners of New York Book.

West Taghkanic Diner, Ancram

The interior of the West Taghkanic Diner with several customers sitting at the counter 1950s style in The Dead Don't Die
The dead don’t die

As for the inside of the film’s central grease spoon, it was filmed 11 miles from Elizaville in Ancram, New York.

The actual diner that fans see in the film, with its red booths and old-fashioned counter, is the West Taghkanic Diner in Ancram.

This is where the film begins, showing two restaurant workers being massacred by the undead and where Danny Glover’s Hank character finds the bodies, raising the alarm of a possible zombie apocalypse.

At the time of writing, West Taghkanic Diner is closed for major renovations (via its official website); However, it is expected to reopen in spring 2025.

Delaware Court Motel, Fleischmann’s

Bill Murray as Chief Cliff Robertson and Adam Driver as Officer Ronnie Peterson approach a man in a blue shirt at the Moonlight Motel in The Dead Don't Die
The dead don’t die

Another filming location where there is a lot of bloodshed The dead don’t die is the central motel setting.

The Moonlight Motel scenes (both interior and exterior) were filmed at the Delaware Court Motel in Fleischmanns, New York.

Located at the north end of Fleischmanns’ short main street, the Delaware Court Motel is where Adam Driver’s Officer Ronnie Peterson and Bill Murray’s Chief Cliff Robertson come across more bodies as the zombie apocalypse takes hold.

It’s also where the leading cops cross paths with former Disney star Selena Gomez (who recently returned to her Disney Channel roots on the long-awaited series). The Wizards of Waverly Place reboot) as a young traveler named Zoe.

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church Cemetery, Fleischmanns

A zombie emerging from a graveyard in The Dead Don't Die
The dead don’t die

The last area code Dead doesn’t die The filming location was also in Fleischmanns, New York.

The film was shot at the Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church cemetery in the small town. This burial site appears to be where many of the zombies in Centerville come from, as seen in a sequence where the undead overwhelm the police car driven by Adam Driver and Bill Murray’s local law enforcement.

This is also where the film’s climactic twist takes place: Tilda Swinton’s Zelda is shockingly beamed up by a UFO to end the film, adding aliens to the film’s supernatural mix.

The Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church Cemetery is adjacent to Fleischmann’s Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church, where people have gathered for over 100 years.


The dead don’t die is streaming on Netflix.

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