Where Was ‘We Have a Ghost’ Filmed? Discover the Louisiana Filming Locations

We Have a Ghost, the new family comedy-horror movie that began streaming on Netflix on Friday, appropriately takes place in one of the most haunted cities in the United States: New Orleans, Louisiana.

Based on a short story by Geoff Manaugh, and written and directed by Christopher Landon, We Have a Ghost is a family-friendly ghost story about a teenager named Kevin (Jahi Winston) who moves into a new house with his family and discovers a ghost living in the attic. The ghost, who goes by Ernest (played by Stranger Things star David Harbour) isn’t actually very scary. In fact, he’s downright endearing. Kevin quickly befriends his new, mute ghost roommate, and vows to help Ernest figure out who he is, and why his spirit hasn’t yet moved on to the afterlife.

Also starring Anthony Mackie, it’s a heartfelt adventure that the whole family can enjoy. And you might enjoy it a little more if you’re familiar with the New Orleans area. Read on to learn all about the We Have a Ghost filming locations.

Where was We Have a Ghost filmed?

We Have a Ghost was filmed in Louisiana, primarily in the cities of Donaldsonville and New Orleans. Filming began in the late summer of 2021, but the production was forced to shut down for a month when Hurricane Ida blew through in September. According to the We Have a Ghost press notes, the production also dealt with “sweltering heat and dozens of lightning shutdowns.”

Said director/writer Christopher Landon in an interview for those press notes, “We shot the movie in the dead ass of summer in New Orleans, which anyone will tell you is crazy. You have actors you’re trying to keep dry who are standing outside, perspiring like crazy, their makeup is running — David’s crazy hairpiece is sliding off his head. And there’s lightning shutdowns that last for hours every day that eat away at your schedule.”

For the Presleys’ family home, the movie used two different homes in the New Orleans area. The one for exterior shots was on the corner of Marengo and Daneel streets in New Orleans, and one for interior shots was filmed at Roundtable Club, 6330 St. Charles Ave. The kitchen was custom-built on location, while the scenes in the attic were shot on a soundstage in a film studio. New Orleans locals may spot a few real-world locations, including Mardi Gras World, and a chase sequence on Mississippi Street and Railroad Avenue. They will also spy signs for local beers in the scene that takes place in a bar, including Dixie Beer, Purple Haze and Turbodog.

The car chase sequence was filmed in Donaldsonville, in Ascension Parish, which is a small city about an hour outside of New Orleans. You can see how the historic district was transformed for the film in this local CBS news segment.

As for the CIA office? That was actually the inside of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. (An appropriate name, given the name of our ghost.) Finally, that final scene in which Ernest the ghost says his goodbyes in front of a beautiful lakeshore with mountains in the background was actually shot on a hot, dusty field in the middle of Louisiana. The nature backdrop you see in the film was added in post-production by the VFX team.

Hey, that’s why they call it movie magic!