When it comes to the United States, my favorite places aren’t the typical tourist hotspots. Instead, I love visiting locations where my favorite films were shot.
There’s the eerie house from The Sixth Sense in Philadelphia, the New York firehouse from Ghostbusters, the Ohio prison where The Shawshank Redemption came to life, the Las Vegas casinos immortalized in Casino, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Rain Man, and the endless highways where Thelma & Louise and Natural Born Killers took their unforgettable road trips.
But at the very top of my list? The psychiatric hospital in Salem, Oregon, where One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was filmed.
A Place of Dark History
It’s worth mentioning that Ken Kesey, when writing his novel, had this exact hospital in mind. The Oregon State Hospital has a truly chilling reputation.
One of the oldest clinics in the United States, it was infamous for practices like dousing patients with icy water, electroshock treatments, and lobotomies performed as “preventative measures.”
Patients were tortured, beaten, and even killed within its walls—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. For instance, in 1942, 47 patients died after a cook mistakenly used roach poison instead of powdered milk.
It’s no wonder Kesey set his story here. And he didn’t even know the worst part: decades after the book’s publication, around 5,000 unclaimed canisters containing the remains of patients were discovered on the hospital grounds.
Many of these remains are still unidentified today. If you think this dark history is all in the past, think again—the hospital has faced lawsuits as recently as 2022, accusing the state of abuse and mistreatment of patients.
How Did Filming Even Happen Here?
The most puzzling part of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is how the hospital’s then-director allowed the filming after such a damning book. Apparently, he believed in the therapeutic potential of the production for real patients. Director Milos Forman decided to cast actual patients as extras instead of professional actors.
The main cast, including Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd, spent weeks rehearsing in the hospital, eating in the cafeteria, and even participating in therapy sessions.
When Jack Nicholson arrived late to rehearsals, he reportedly couldn’t tell who were actors and who were patients. During the three-month shoot, the cast fully immersed themselves, sleeping on the hospital beds used in the movie and leaving only for brief outdoor breaks.
Stepping into the Movie
Arriving at the hospital, you immediately recognize the old brick building, despite its renovations. This is the very spot where McMurphy taught Chief to play basketball and where Chief smashed through the massive window with a marble sink to escape.
Fun fact: that very sink—yes, the one Nicholson tries to lift, saying, “At least I tried”—is on display in a small museum on-site.
The museum also features Chief’s oversized mop, still grimy from when actor Will Sampson cleaned floors for real to get into character. But the most spine-tingling exhibit is the original TV set from the film. It endlessly loops the scene where McMurphy and the others pretend to watch baseball, defying the oppressive Nurse Ratched.
Watching that scene on the same TV is an almost psychedelic experience—it feels like you’re part of the movie. And isn’t that the point? One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of those films that becomes a piece of you.
A Tour Guide Straight Out of the Movie
The tour of the museum was led by an elderly woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Nurse Ratched. I’ll never forget how she lovingly pointed out old torture devices—jaw clamps, suspicious-looking mallets—and gestured toward the wooden chair where patients were subjected to electroshock therapy.
“These methods were quite effective,” she said nostalgically. I thought, “Wait, could this actually be the real Nurse Ratched? The timeline fits!”
Don’t Forget Cannon Beach
While in Oregon, don’t miss Cannon Beach, where the final scene of Point Break was shot. Though it stood in for Australia, the wind-swept beach with its iconic round rocks is quintessentially Oregon.
Bring a beanie like McMurphy’s—it gets windy! Sit among the stones, watch your dog chase waves, and reflect on what it truly means to be sane or mad. What is normal, anyway, and who even cares?
Behind the Madness: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Its Real-Life Hospital
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), directed by Milos Forman and starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher, is a psychological drama about a rebellious convict, Randle McMurphy, who fakes insanity to avoid prison labor but ends up clashing with the tyrannical Nurse Ratched in a psychiatric hospital.
Filmed on location at Oregon State Hospital in Salem, the production famously cast real patients as extras, with the cast living on-site to immerse themselves in the setting.
Jack Nicholson initially couldn’t distinguish actors from patients, and Will Sampson, who played Chief Bromden, mopped floors to get into character.
The baseball scene was largely improvised by Nicholson, and the hospital’s director approved the shoot, believing it would benefit patients. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and remains a masterpiece exploring individuality and human resilience.
