Scream Queens Filming Locations Reveal A Strange Truth
- 01. Behind the Scenes: The Real Scream Queens Filming Locations Fans Never Noticed
- 02. Season One: Mapping the New Orleans "Wallace University"
- 03. Season Two: The Shift to Los Angeles Studios
- 04. Hidden Details Only Local Fans Notice
- 05. Table of Key Filming Locations and Uses
- 06. How the Production Team Used Location for Tone
- 07. FAQ
Behind the Scenes: The Real Scream Queens Filming Locations Fans Never Noticed
The fictional Wallace University of Ryan Murphy's "Scream Queens" is mostly New Orleans and Los Angeles, with season one filmed largely on the uptown campus of Tulane University and in the surrounding Metairie and Old Metairie neighborhoods, while season two shifted production to Los Angeles soundstages such as 20th Century Fox Studios.
Location choice was central to the show's tone: the Gothic grandeur of historic New Orleans architecture gave season one its lush, Southern Gothic aesthetic, while the tighter, stage-intensive work of Los Angeles allowed the more contained, hospital-set horror of season two.
Season One: Mapping the New Orleans "Wallace University"
Season one of "Scream Queens" (2015) disguised real New Orleans sites as the halls, quads, and dorms of Wallace University. Production officially filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 12, 2015 through April 23, 2015, with additional pickups in July ahead of the September 22, 2015 premiere.
The series' campus look was anchored in the uptown campus of Tulane University, where the Fox crew shot in the Lavin-Bernick Center dining hall, Newcomb Quad, Lavin-Bernick Center Quad, Gibson Quad, and exteriors in front of Gibson Hall, among other classroom buildings.
- The exterior of the fictional Kappa Kappa Tau sorority house (KKT) was filmed at a private residence on Northline Street in Metairie, later identified as 560 Northline Street, Metairie, LA 70005.
- Pilot scenes set on "sorority row" were shot in the 1600 block of Palmer Avenue in New Orleans, a neighborhood that doubled for the manicured Greek housing of Wallace.
- Additional exterior shots, including running scenes and chase sequences, were captured in Old Metairie and nearby residential streets that gave the illusion of a contiguous campus.
According to Tulane public-relations director Barri Bronston, the Fox crew began scouting campus locations in February 2015 and continued filming into the summer, blending student life with nightly horror setups.
Season Two: The Shift to Los Angeles Studios
For season two, the series relocated to Los Angeles, California, where the production base shifted to studio lots and soundstages, with principal filming dates running from July 20, 2016, to December 6, 2016.
The main facility used was 20th Century Fox Studios at 10201 Pico Boulevard in Century City, Los Angeles, where the hospital interior and most of the corridor-based horror sequences were constructed and shot.
- The hospital set was built on a Fox soundstage, allowing directors such as Brad Falchuk and Paris Barclay to control lighting, camera angles, and the timing of the red "Chanel" alerts that punctuate many scenes.
- City exteriors around Los Angeles stood in for the hospital's exterior and surrounding streets, minimizing travel while keeping the story grounded in an urban environment.
- Some final-scene sequences reused minimal exterior plates from New Orleans as a continuity nod to season one, but the bulk of season two was a tightly contained, studio-centric production.
By moving to Los Angeles, the "Scream Queens" crew gained fine-grained control over squibs, blood rigging, and camera choreography, which became especially important for the more elaborate kill-of-the-week sequences in season two.
Hidden Details Only Local Fans Notice
Several behind-the-scenes quirks of the New Orleans shoots elude most viewers. For example, faculty and students at Tulane University were sometimes kept unaware of the exact nature of the gore being filmed until after the fact, since the crew staged "student life" scenes in the day and人造 blood setup at night.
Residents of the Metairie-Northline neighborhood noticed that the "Greek row" shots required repeated parking-restriction signage and temporary sidewalk closures, even though the fictional Wallace was hundreds of miles away from any real campus.
Observers also point out that the show's use of local New Orleans crew and extras subtly shifted the dialogue cadence and crowd reactions, giving the campus scenes a distinctly Southern rhythm that differs from the more polished Los Angeles feel of season two.
Table of Key Filming Locations and Uses
| Location | City/Region | Season | Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uptown campus of Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | Season 1 | Main campus of Wallace University, including quads, dining hall, and classroom exteriors. |
| 560 Northline Street | Metairie, LA | Season 1 | Exterior of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority house (KKT). |
| 1600 block of Palmer Avenue | New Orleans, LA | Season 1 | Sorority-row street scenes and exterior Greek-life shots. |
| 20th Century Fox Studios | Los Angeles, CA | Season 2 | Hospital interiors, soundstage-based horror sequences. |
| Los Angeles city streets | Los Angeles, CA | Season 2 | Exteriors for the hospital complex and surrounding neighborhoods. |
How the Production Team Used Location for Tone
The "Scream Queens" creative team deliberately leveraged the contrasts between New Orleans and Los Angeles to shape the show's two seasons. Season one leaned into the Southern Gothic vibe of historic New Orleans architecture, using wrought-iron balconies, live oaks, and repurposed residential façades to evoke a darkly privileged campus.
For season two, the switch to Los Angeles studio lots allowed more controlled, stylized horror: long corridor tracking shots, repeated layout re-use, and modular wall rigs that let the camera spin around the Kappa and medical-staff characters.
This location-based shift also simplified logistics for Ryan Murphy's fast-paced production style: studio-centric shooting in Los Angeles reduced travel time, while the New Orleans campus base in season one required a more mobile, on-location approach.
FAQ
"It's always a little surreal seeing your campus in a horror-comedy," said a Tulane spokesperson, noting that the "Scream Queens" campus shoot was one of the most logistically complex productions the university had hosted in recent years.
Whether you're a fan of the campus mayhem of season one or the hospital-centric chaos of season two, the "Scream Queens" filming locations reveal how much of the show's tone is built into the architecture, streets, and soundstages behind the scenes.
Everything you need to know about Scream Queens Filming Locations Reveal A Strange Truth
Where was the Kappa Kappa Tau house filmed?
The exterior of the **Kappa Kappa Tau sorority house** was filmed at a private residence on 560 Northline Street in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans that was dressed to look like a traditional Greek-row house for the first season.
Which real university does Wallace University look like?
Wallace University is visually modeled on the **uptown campus of Tulane University** in New Orleans, with many scenes shot on Tulane quads, in front of Gibson Hall, and inside the Lavin-Bernick Center.
Why did "Scream Queens" move filming to Los Angeles?
Season two moved to **Los Angeles, California**, primarily to take advantage of 20th Century Fox Studios' soundstages, which made it easier to build and control the hospital sets and streamline the more sequence-heavy, camera-intensive horror choreography.
How long did the New Orleans portion of filming last?
The core New Orleans shoot for season one ran from **March 12, 2015, to April 23, 2015**, with additional location and campus pickups in July before the show premiered in September.
Are any of the "Scream Queens" locations open to the public?
Most of the **Tulane University locations** used for campus shots are open to the public, but the Kappa Kappa Tau house on Northline Street in Metairie is a private residence and not accessible as a tour site.