Movie Sets Still Standing Years After Filming (10 Photos vol. 2)

November 11, 2026

By Vidar

More movie sets that stayed after filming

One showdown graveyard was built by soldiers and dug out again by fans. A killer’s house still stands on its hill. Here are ten more film sets that outlived their movies, from an island in Alabama to a frontier fort in China.

More: The Movie Ended, the Set Stayed (10 Photos)

👟 Spectre, Jackson Lake Island — Elmore County, Alabama, USA 🇺🇸

Tim Burton’s Big Fish (2003) left a whole small town on a private island in Jackson Lake, near Millbrook, and part of it is still there. Seven buildings were still standing in 2016, among them the church and the mayor’s house; a fire took the brick-front stores, hotel and post office, and lightning destroyed one of the houses in 2023. In the film, the people of Spectre hang their shoes on a line between two poles, and visitors now toss their own pairs over it.

💡 Forest Fact: Two Styrofoam tree trunks from the film were left standing at the far end of the main street, opposite the church.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsSpectre (Big Fish Set) — MillbrookTim Burton’s Big Fish · 2003 · Millbrook, AlabamaBig Fish film setJackson Lake Island1Alabama Living says the buildings are hollow shells decorated with realistic facades for the cameras.Alabama Living2Lightning was blamed for a fire that destroyed one Spectre house on 2 July 2023.WSFA 12 News201610 MarAl.com: seven buildings remain after a debris fire201627 MayAlabama Living: eight buildings remain; two storefront facades, a hazard by 2011, have since been removed201921 JulStreet of Spectre photographed by Connor Wiggins20232 JulLightning fire destroys one Spectre house · WSFA202513 DecExplore.com: signpost, church and shoe line still stand202530 DecIslands.com: set open to visitors year-roundRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Connor Wiggins / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🤠 Old Tucson — Tucson, Arizona, USA 🇺🇸

Columbia Pictures built more than 50 buildings here in 40 days in 1939, a copy of 1860s Tucson for the 1940 western Arizona. More than 500 films and TV shows followed, from Rio Bravo to Tombstone.

💡 Fire Fact: A fire destroyed more than 25 buildings in 1995, and the park closed in 2020. It reopened in October 2022.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsOld Tucson — TucsonColumbia Pictures · 1939 · Tucson, ArizonaBuilt for Arizona (1940)500+ films (Cronkite News)1Columbia Pictures reportedly built more than 50 buildings in 40 days in 1939, a copy of 1860s Tucson.Wikipedia2A fire on 24 April 1995 destroyed more than 25 buildings, KGUN 9 recalls.KGUN 9198413 AugStreet photographed before the 1995 fire · Larry D. Moore199524 AprFire destroys more than 25 buildings (recalled by KGUN 9 in 2025)202225 NovReopened in October 2022 under new management · Cronkite News20269 JulPima County searches for next operator; park remains open · KGUN 9202631 JulLocal group Save Old Tucson seeks the lease · KOLD202622 OctNightfall Halloween event running for its 34th year · KOLDRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Domenico Convertini / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

🏚️ The Psycho House, Universal Studios — Los Angeles, California, USA 🇺🇸

Norman Bates’ house is still up on its hill above the Universal backlot. It started as a cheap shell: it was pieced together from studio stock parts and had only a front and one side wall; the rest of the house was added in later years. Since Psycho came out in 1960, it has been moved around the lot, and both the house and the Bates Motel have been restored.

💡 Pink Fact: For the 1981 comedy Modern Problems, the house was painted pink.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPsycho House — Los AngelesUniversal Studios · Los AngelesBuilt for PsychoUniversal backlot1According to TheStudioTour.com, Universal pieced the house together from its stock set units to save money.TheStudioTour.com2According to Inside Universal, it began as a façade with only a front and left side; the rest was added later.Inside Universal1990Psycho house seen from the Studio Tour tram200627 NovPhoto of the house on the backlot by Diego Delso20158 AprInside Universal reports the house is being refurbished202212 JulPhoto from the Studio Tour by Benoît Prieur20241 JulPhoto of the house on the hill, Universal HollywoodMore photos1990 Seen from a Studio Tour tramPhoto: JGKlein / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2006 The house close up, before the 2015 refurbishmentPhoto: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Iscream icecream / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

🏛️ The Rome Set, Cinecittà Studios — Rome, Italy 🇮🇹

A second ancient Rome, about 10 km from the real one. It was built for HBO and the BBC’s series Rome between November 2003 and March 2004: two hectares of backlot, with a Forum 60% the size of the original. The show ended in 2007, but the Forum copy is still used for other productions set in ancient Rome, and visitors can see it on guided tours of the studios.

💡 Time Travel Fact: Doctor Who came here in September 2007 to film The Fires of Pompeii, reusing some of the sets from Rome.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe Rome Set, Cinecittà — RomeHBO and BBC · 2003–04 · Cinecittà, RomeHBO / BBC RomeCinecittà backlotForum at 60% scale1Guinness lists it as the largest standing set built for a TV programme: 2 ha of backlot at Cinecittà.Guinness World Records2A July 2018 fire destroyed much of it, including the Basilica Giulia, but left the surrounding temples intact, Cinefilos reported.Cinefilos2004MarSet completed after construction began in November 2003 · Guinness World Records2007SepDoctor Who films The Fires of Pompeii on the reused Rome sets201514 AugPhoto of the Rome set at Cinecittà · Carole Raddato20187 JulNight fire destroys part of the ancient Rome set · Il Post20188 JulBasilica Giulia burns, temples survive · Cinefilos202622 SepForum copy described as still used by other productions · RomewiseMore photos2015 A temple front elsewhere on the setPhoto: Carole Raddato / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Carole Raddato / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

🐎 Oasys MiniHollywood — Tabernas, Almería, Spain 🇪🇸

Carlo Simi designed this town in 1965 for Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly used it the next year. Today it is a western theme park in the Tabernas desert, with stunt shows.

💡 Name Fact: It was first called Poblado El Fraile, after its first owner, Alfredo Fraile, and in the early 1980s the hotel company Hoteles Playa took it over for tourism.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsOasys MiniHollywood — TabernasCarlo Simi · 1965 · Tabernas, AlmeríaFor a Few Dollars MoreTabernas desert1Carlo Simi designed the town for Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly used it too.Wikipedia2Alicante Today reported in March 2026 that owner Senator group plans to invest about €20 million by 2031.Alicante Today1965MayConstruction of the El Paso set begins for For a Few Dollars More20204 OctPhoto of the park entrance202227 AprPhoto of the saloon20247 SepVisit report with the noon stunt show · ESdiario202625 Mar€20 million master plan to 2031 reported · Alicante TodayMore photos2020 The park entrance gatePhoto: Ismael Olea / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)2022 Inside the saloonPhoto: CarlosVdeHabsburgo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: CarlosVdeHabsburgo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

⚰️ Sad Hill Cemetery — Burgos, Spain 🇪🇸

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ends here, in the middle of this graveyard near Santo Domingo de Silos. Several hundred Spanish soldiers built it in the summer of 1966: more than 5,000 grave markers on a site about 300 meters across. After filming it was abandoned, and creepers pulled the crosses down.

💡 Film Fact: Almost fifty years later, in 2015, the Sad Hill Cultural Association started digging it out, and fans paid €15 each to put a name on one of the new crosses. The dig became a documentary of its own, Sad Hill Unearthed (2017).

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsSad Hill Cemetery — Santo Domingo de SilosSpanish Army · 1966 · Santo Domingo de Silos, BurgosThe Good, the Bad & the UglyMore than 5,000 graves1Spanish soldiers built the cemetery in 1966 for the final duel of Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.Amusing Planet2From October 2015 the Sad Hill Cultural Association dug the abandoned site out again with volunteers.Sad Hill Cultural Association201911 FebPhoto of the restored cemetery by santiago lopez-pastor202214 AprView of Sad Hill Cemetery20239 OctPhoto of the cemetery by Francesc Fort2024SepReuters: restored set draws thousands of visitors20251 NovDiario de León feature on the cemetery with no dead202616 Jul60th anniversary: duel re-enactment announced for 26 July 2026More photos2022 Rows of rebuilt grave markersPhoto: Alaila68 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Trastolillo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🏨 Hotel Sidi Driss — Matmata, Tunisia 🇹🇳

Luke Skywalker’s home had two halves: the outside was filmed on a salt flat, the inside here, in a hotel dug into the ground in Matmata. Hotel Sidi Driss is five pits joined by tunnels, and the largest, about 60 feet across, became the Lars homestead interior in 1976. It is still a hotel, and you can sleep there.

💡 Star Wars Fact: The crew came back for Attack of the Clones (2002), and parts of the set were left behind in one of its courtyards.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHotel Sidi Driss (Lars Homestead Interior) — MatmataStar Wars production · Matmata, TunisiaStar Wars filming siteFive pits and tunnels1According to Star Wars Locations, the hotel is five pits joined by tunnels; the largest, about 60 feet wide, became the Lars homestead.Star Wars Locations2According to Galaxy Tours, scenes were filmed here on 1 April 1976 and again on 11 September 2000.Galaxy Tours19761 AprLars homestead scenes filmed for Star Wars · Galaxy Tours200011 SepAttack of the Clones scenes filmed in the same pit · Galaxy Tours200614 DecUnderground courtyard photographed by Drew Hess200914 FebAgeing set dressings seen in the right courtyard · The National20185 NovAP: Star Wars fans keep the hotel in business202225 MarHotel photographed by Habib M'henni202622 MarHotel photographed for Wikimedia CommonsMore photos2022 Set pieces left in a courtyardPhoto: Habib M’henni / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2026 Courtyard with set pieces and a palmPhoto: TOUMOU / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Neil Rickards / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

🏜️ Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio — Yinchuan, Ningxia, China 🇨🇳

These walls are real, and the film crews kept coming back. Zhenbei Fort was a frontier outpost about 35 km outside Yinchuan, with walls from around 1500 and 1740. Writer Zhang Xianliang pointed filmmakers to it, and Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum became its first hit. A Chinese Odyssey, starring Stephen Chow, was shot here too, and the fort is now a film-set park with a village, a bazaar and a landlord’s courtyard.

💡 Writer Fact: Zhang Xianliang first saw the fort’s clay walls in 1961, just out of a labor camp and with no money. About forty years later he owned the studio.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsZhenbeibu Western Film Studio — YinchuanZhang Xianliang · Yinchuan, NingxiaRed SorghumA Chinese Odyssey1China Daily says the fort was built in 1500, in the Ming dynasty, as a frontier stronghold.China Daily2Red Sorghum, filmed here, won China’s first Golden Bear in 1988, China Daily says.China Daily201123 JunTravel blog visit report from the studio · You’re Not From Around Here201428 SepThe Paper recalls the classic films shot at the studio201818 DecChina Daily profile of the studio and its 1500 fort20215 AprPhoto of the studio gate area20215 JunCGTN video tour of the sets202524 NovChina Daily promotes winter visits, Nov 2025Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Yanxutong1215 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🏞️ Hengdian World Studios — Dongyang, Zhejiang, China 🇨🇳

Chinese palaces and old streets, built to be filmed. Hengdian began in 1996 with the Guangzhou Street shooting base, a 19th-century street built for Xie Jin’s The Opium War. Its Qin palace was built for Chen Kaige’s The Emperor and the Assassin (1998), and Zhang Yimou’s Hero (2002) was shot there too.

💡 Palace Fact: Hengdian has a life-size copy of Beijing’s Forbidden City, one of its 18 sets as of 2007.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHengdian World Studios — DongyangHengdian Group · 1996 · Dongyang, ZhejiangBegan with The Opium WarQin palace of Hero1Hengdian began with a 19th-century Guangzhou street built for Xie Jin’s The Opium War.China Daily2NPR counted 18 sets in 2007, including a life-size copy of Beijing’s Forbidden City.NPR200713 AugNPR: 18 sets incl. a life-size Forbidden City20072 DecPhoto of Guangzhou Street and Hong Kong Street20183 JanThe World of Chinese visits the 'Dream Factory'202411 JanPhoto of the replica Tian'an Gate202531 JanEnthronement show at the Qin palace's Unification Hall20264 NovAFP: tourists act in microdramas on the setsMore photos2007 Harbour set by Guangzhou StreetPhoto: kanegen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)2024 The Tiananmen Gate replicaPhoto: Yumeto / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: kanegen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

🏮 Toei Kyoto Studio Park — Kyoto, Japan 🇯🇵

An Edo-period town on the grounds of a working film studio. Toei opened its Kyoto open sets to visitors on November 1, 1975, and period dramas are still shot here, so visitors can sometimes watch a shoot. After the first phase of a renovation, it reopened as Uzumasa Kyoto Village in March 2026.

💡 History Fact: Uzumasa’s film history goes back to 1926, when the 24-year-old star Bando Tsumasaburo opened a studio in a bamboo grove on the land where Toei’s Kyoto studio stands today. At its peak the district had eight film studios and was known as the Hollywood of Japan.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsToei Kyoto Studio Park — KyotoToei · Uzumasa, KyotoEdo-period street setsWorking Toei studio1Toei reportedly opened its Kyoto open sets to visitors on 1 November 1975.Wikipedia2After the first phase of a renovation, it reopened as Uzumasa Kyoto Village on 28 March 2026, blooloop reported.blooloop19751 NovOpened to the public as a theme park201611 FebPhoto of the sets from a stairway near the entrance202521 NovRebrand as Uzumasa Kyoto Village announced · TTG Asia202627 FebRenewal and new name reported · Travel Voice202628 MarReopened as Uzumasa Kyoto Village · blooloop20262 AprReport on the reopened park · japan-guide.comMore photos2016 The street sets from abovePhoto: Maksym Grinenko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →