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

On December 21, 2024By Littum

Netflix’s The dead don’t die recently created a renewed interest in which real-world locations the film used for filming.

The 2019 film with a star-studded cast headlined 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 upon its debut; however, in the time since, it has cemented itself as a cult hit among fans.

The horror film sidesteps the typical zombie tropes and offers an absurdist comedy 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 an accident.

Where was The Dead Don’t Die filmed?

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

The small-town cult horror hit was meant to portray the picturesque tranquility of workaday America, perfectly contrasted by the blood-curdling horror of the dead rising from their graves.

Because Centerville was a creation conceived for the film, the film needed a few idyllic locations for filming, which it found in several rural communities in upstate New York.

Elizaville, Ancram and Fleischmanns, New York housed the production on the film, with a handful of locations across the three communities featured in the film.

Elizaville Diner, Elizaville

Elizaville Diner exterior as seen in The Dead Don't Die with several cars parked in its parking lot — *The dead don’t die*

One of the primary early set pieces in the The dead don’t die is a diner where the first signs of a potential 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 facade for the restaurant seen in the film, offering a picture-perfect “trapped in an era” diner feel with its silver chrome trim and 50’s-style baby blue siding.

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

In addition to its appearance in the film, Elzaville Diner is known to many for its appearance on the cover of Michael Engles Diners in New York book.

West Taghkanic Diner, Ancram

The interior of the West Taghkanic Diner with several customers seated at its 50's style counter in The Dead Don't Die — *The dead don’t die*

As for the interior of the film’s central greasy spoon, that was shot 11 miles down the road from Elizaville in Ancram, New York.

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

This is where the film begins, showing two restaurant employees being massacred by the undead, and where Danny Glover’s Hank character finds the bodies and raises the alarm for a potential zombie apocalypse.

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

Delaware Court Motel, Fleischmanns

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

Another filming location that sees its fair share of bloodshed The dead don’t die is the central motel setting.

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

Located at the north end of the Fleischmanns’ short main street is the Delaware Court Motel, where Adam Driver’s Officer Ronnie Peterson and Bill Murray’s Chief Cliff Robertson encounter several dead 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 highly anticipated Wizards of Waverly Place reboot) as a young traveler named Zoe.

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church Cemetery, Fleischmanns

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

The last primary Dead Don’t Die the filming location was also in Fleischmanns, New York.

The film was shot at the small town’s Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church Cemetery. This graveyard is where many of the zombies in Centerville seem to come from, as seen in a sequence where the undead overwhelm the police car driven by Adam Driver and Bill Murray’s local lawmen.

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.

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

The dead don’t die streaming on Netflix.