Salem Film Office

Salem welcomes film productions of all sizes and scopes. A historic city, we have a diversity of neighborhoods, including waterfront, lighthouses, many styles of architecture, parks and business fronts.

Scouting

Salem has a wide variety of locations to choose from for your production, ranging from stately Federal architecture to gritty triple-deckers. Salem’s active waterfront, industrial spaces, parks and cityscapes can be explored independently or with a representative from the City of Salem or Destination Salem.

Contact us to brainstorm your next production and how Salem could be a perfect fit.

Permitting

We are happy to work with film crews on an individual basis to ensure all of your needs are met, including:

• Parking for crew and talent
• Police details in the event traffic needs to be interrupted
• Day and night shoot logistics

Film and Permit Fee Schedule

Electrical Department inspection fee

• Required for generator

Fire Detail

• Required for open fire
• Required for welding / torch
• Required for propane use
• Required for gas-powered generator

Health Fee

• Health inspection required for Craft Services
• Fee

Parking – $15/per vehicle per day

Parks & Recreation

• Use permit: http://www.salem.com/sites/salemma/files/uploads/2016_permit_request_form.pdf

Police Detail – $50/hour per officer, 4 hour minimum

• Required if traffic will be impacted
• Recommended for crowd control
• To schedule, contact Officer Derek White at (978) 744-0171 x. 50127 or email details@salempd.net

Cemetery Requests

• Approval needs to go through Cemetery Commission, 978-745-0195

Iconic Locations

• Hawthorne Hotel
• The House of the Seven Gables
• Salem Witch Museum
• Witch Dungeon Museum
• Witch House
• Fishing pier
• Forest River Park / Wooded area / Two small beaches / Baseball diamond
• Lighthouses: Derby Light, Pickering Light
• Pickering Wharf shopping area / waterfront boardwalk
• Salem Common park / playground / gazebo
• Salem Willows small amusement park / Arcade
• Several small beaches (sand and rock)
• Shetland Park (former Pequot Cotton Mills) industrial park

Production Resources

See PDF here.

Dining Guide to Salem, MA

Contact

• Ellen Talkowsky, Manager of Special Projects
  City of Salem
  (978) 619-5676 | etalkowsky@salem.com
• Massachusetts Film Office
  For issues pertaining to crew referrals, union issues and using state highways and state parks, please contact the Massachusetts Film Office at MAFilm.org.

Filmed in Salem

Bewitched, 1970
The Europeans, 1978
Burned at the Stake, 1979
The Coming, AKA Burned at the Stake, 1980
Three Sovereigns for Sarah, 1985
Young Goodman Brown, 1991
Hocus Pocus, 1993
A&E Television, City Confidential Secrets and Superstition in Salem, 1998
The Travel Channel, Places of Mystery: Witch City, 2000
PBS, Secrets of the Dead – Witches Curse, 2001
Showtime’s Penn & Teller: Bullshit, 2003
Living TV (UK), Dead Famous, 2004
Comedy Central, The Daily Show, 2004
WCVB Chronicle, 2006
SciFi Channel, Ghost Hunters, 2007
Bridewars, 2008
Opportunity Knocks, 2008
Dish Network, Magnificent Obsessions, 2008
Out TV (Canada), Chris & John’s Halloween Superstar, 2009
TLC, What Not to Wear, 2009
The Travel Channel, Ghost Adventures, 2010
Who Do You Think You Are? 2010
The Food Network, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, 2010
Sundance Channel, Love | Lust, 2011
Lords of Salem, 2011, 2012
American Hustle, 2013
Joy, 2015
WCVB Chronicle, 2017
James Martin’s American Adventure (UK), 2017
The Elaine Show (Ireland), 2018
First Name Films, Mass Hysteria, 2019
Hulu, Castle Rock, 2019
Netflix, Hubie Halloween, 2020