Old Medfield State Hospital a popular location to shoot Hollywood movies in Massachusetts
MEDFIELD - A now-closed psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts has been a popular location in some big Hollywood movies. The old Medfield State Hospital is also considered to be one of the most haunted places in New England.
Medfield State Hospital in movies
"Shutter Island," "Knives Out," and "The Holdovers" are just some of the films that have been shot there. First established in 1896, the decades of history at the campus are still visible today.
"A movie was filmed here called 'X-Men: The New Mutants' and 20th Century Fox were the producers of that movie and they told me that they could've filmed that movie anywhere in the world and they decided to film the movie here because it's the last almost fully intact asylum in the whole world," historian John Thompson told WBZ-TV.
It was the first hospital in the country to be built on the "cottage plan," a hospital design where patients stayed in a village-like setting to feel more at home.
"This plan was to give people more access to fresh air and sunshine," said Thompson.
With eerie writings on the walls, chained up doors and boarded up windows, the abandoned buildings create a haunting atmosphere.
"Who's on the other side?"
"In some buildings, I have sensed that presence and that energy," said Thompson. "And what goes through my mind is, 'Who's on the other side?"
The hospital closed in 2003 and no one is allowed inside the buildings. The Belforge Performing Arts Center uses the old chapel for community events, concerts and other activities.
The town of Medfield bought the hospital from the state in 2015. It's now working to turn the grounds into apartments, but Thompson said the integrity of the buildings and architecture would have to remain intact.
Medfield State Hospital tours
The campus is open from dawn to dusk and Thompson occasionally conducts tours. For more information, contact the Medfield Historical Society.
"I think people don't like to talk about mental health issues and that people were placed in hospital settings," said Thompson. "There's really none left now and that's why this place is so important."
