The Last Witch Hunter, released in 2015, is a fantasy action film directed by Breck Eisner. Written by Cory Goodman, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless, the film was inspired by Vin Diesel’s personal Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Diesel stars as Kaulder, an immortal witch hunter cursed by the Witch Queen to live forever. After slaying her centuries ago, Kaulder roams the modern world hunting rogue witches, but when the Queen is resurrected, he is forced into one final confrontation to save humanity. The film also stars Elijah Wood, Rose Leslie, Julie Engelbrecht, and Michael Caine.
Although set in modern-day New York City, the film was largely shot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Let’s break down the various filming locations that helped bring The Last Witch Hunter to life.
WHERE WAS THE LAST WITCH HUNTER FILMED?
Principal photography for The Last Witch Hunter began on September 5, 2014, and concluded by December 5, 2014, primarily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lionsgate chose Pittsburgh not only for its visual versatility but also due to the Pennsylvania film tax credit program, which offers financial incentives to production companies. The city doubled for modern-day New York City throughout the film.
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER FILMING LOCATIONS
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Most of the film’s scenes were shot in Pittsburgh, chosen for its wide variety of architectural styles that mimic other cities. As Amanda Brand, the film’s unit publicist, explained, “It’s cheaper to shoot here than it is in New York. Plus, Pittsburgh can resemble almost any city in the world.”
DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH
Much of the filming took place in the South Side and later shifted to Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh. The city’s skyline, gritty alleys, and historical buildings provided a convincing stand-in for New York City.
UNION TRUST BUILDING & THE CARLYLE – DOWNTOWN
The towering Union Trust Building on Grant Street and The Carlyle (previously Union National Bank) on Fourth Avenue were also used for office interiors and lobby scenes. These majestic, historic buildings doubled as government or corporate institutions within the movie.
POINT PARK UNIVERSITY
Students and faculty at Point Park University, located Downtown, even witnessed scenes being shot near their campus, continuing Pittsburgh’s reputation as a rising film production hub. t’s not the first time that a big movie has been filmed close to Point Park students. In the past few years, movies like “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Perks of Being a Wallflower” have been filmed in or near the city.
WILLIAM PENN HOTEL – DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH
An intriguing scene in The Last Witch Hunter takes place deep beneath the historic William Penn Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh. In the film, this hidden chamber serves as the meeting place for The Axe and the Cross, a secret religious council tasked with monitoring and controlling the global witch population. Though fictional, the setting adds a layer of mystery and secrecy to the story, blending real-world architecture with supernatural lore.
TRINITY CATHEDRAL GRAVEYARD AND FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
These historic religious sites on Sixth Avenue were used for exterior scenes in the film. In one prominent sequence, Lionsgate shot night scenes in the Trinity Cathedral graveyard, lending a Gothic, eerie feel perfect for a supernatural thriller. Scenes were shot here in mid-October. Vin Diesel openly praised the city during filming, famously shouting, “I love Pittsburgh!” to excited fans near the set. The steps of the First Presbyterian Church also served as a visual backdrop for dramatic moments involving Kaulder’s quest.
CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL – OAKLAND NEIGHBORHOOD
The Carnegie Music Hall in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh was transformed into an opera house or theatre for a key scene in the film. Its ornate interiors matched the grandeur of a major New York performance venue. This helped ground the fantasy action in a believable urban setting.
EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Another Pittsburgh church featured in the movie was the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Its gothic revival architecture suited the tone of the film, especially during scenes involving ancient witchcraft, ritualistic symbols, and the clash between good and evil.
WAMPUM MINES, BEAVER COUNTY
One of the most unique locations was the Wampum Underground Commerce Center, a vast limestone mine located along Route 18 near Pittsburgh. The dark, pillar-filled mine became the witches’ prison in the film. Its 1,500 stone columns created a surreal and eerie atmosphere, perfect for the underground lair where witches were held captive.
According to Debbi Sudano, the mine’s general manager, scenes were filmed here from November 1 to December 19, 2014. Despite the cavernous, spooky feel, the location is typically used for vehicle storage. The transformation of the space into a film set showed the creative potential of Pittsburgh-area locations.
STRIP DISTRICT, PITTSBURGH
The film’s studio work was carried out at 31st Street Studios, located in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District. The space was even large enough to accommodate a full airplane (without wings) for an elaborate set piece. The former mill building offered ample room for interior scenes, special effects setups, and large-scale set constructions.
GREB’S BAKERY & STRIP DISTRICT
Additional filming took place at Greb’s Bakery on 27th Street in the South Side and underneath a railroad trestle at 33rd Street in the Strip District. These gritty, urban backdrops matched the darker tone of the film’s witch-hunting sequences.
CHURCHILL VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB – CHURCHILL BOROUGH
The production also made use of natural settings at the Churchill Valley Country Club, including a stream, wooded areas, and an open clearing off McCrady Road. These outdoor locations provided the forested atmosphere for the movie’s flashback and mystical scenes.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Although not a primary location, there is a possibility that a few establishing or minor scenes were filmed in Philadelphia. However, most of the production remained rooted in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.
Additional Filming Sites on Pittsburgh’s North Side
Along with the well-known filming locations, The Last Witch Hunter also used a number of lesser-known but still important locations on—Pittsburgh’s North Side. The Allegheny YMCA and SMART Solution Technologies were two of them. Both were on West North Avenue. Most likely, these buildings were used for interior shots, secondary scenes with characters interacting, or scenes with hidden witch lairs. There was also a church building at 2235 Federal Street Extension that added to the film’s mysterious and scary feel. A private home on North Avenue was also used to paint more personal or domestic scenes. Even though these locations weren’t shown as much as the main sets, they were very important in making the urban fantasy setting of the movie feel real.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST WITCH HUNTER?
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER (2015) starring Vin Diesel as Kaulder, opens eight centuries in the past. A powerful coven, led by the Witch Queen (Julie Engelbrecht), unleashes the Black Plague to wipe out humanity. A brave witch hunter named Kaulder joins a group of knights to stop her. In the last battle, Kaulder kills the Queen with his flaming sword, but before she dies, she curses him with immortality, which means he will have to live alone forever.
In the present day, Kaulder still works for the secret order Axe and Cross, which keeps an eye on supernatural threats. Still haunted by his past, he recovers forbidden runes from a teenager and reconnects with his handler, the 36th Dolan (Michael Caine), who retires and dies mysteriously. Kaulder and the new 37th Dolan, played by Elijah Wood, find out that dark magic was used to keep the 36th from dying. This starts an investigation that leads them to a bigger plot.
Kaulder uses his lost memories to look for answers and asks Chloe (Rose Leslie), a witch who can walk through dreams, to help him. Chloe’s magic helps Kaulder see visions of his past, including the moment he became immortal and his link to the Queen’s heart, which keeps him alive. At first, they were wary of each other. He finds out that the heart wasn’t destroyed but rather hidden, which makes him the Queen’s Way back.
The villainous warlock Belial (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) captures the 36th Dolan and sacrifices him to revive the Queen. During a fierce battle, the Witch Queen strips Kaulder of his powers, revealing that his immortality was just a mechanism to protect her return. As she escapes into the city, Kaulder regroups with Chloe and Dolan 37 to stop her final plan: unleashing a new plague using the Witches’ Prison.
In the final confrontation, Kaulder fights the resurrected Queen in a dreamscape. Chloe is nearly killed, and Dolan 37 reveals himself as a traitor, hoping to gain power by aiding the Queen. She kills him after learning he has no magic. With the plague spell nearly complete, Kaulder summons lightning with the stolen weather runes and destroys the Queen once and for all.
The film ends with Kaulder rejecting the control of the Axe and Cross, choosing to live for himself for the first time in centuries. With Chloe and the 36th Dolan—who now remains as a friend rather than a guide—Kaulder steps into a new chapter. The Queen’s heart, still beating, remains locked in his vault, hinting that his battle may not be over.
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER TRAILER
Stay tuned to NetFilming for more news about filming locations for horror movies and behind-the-scenes information.
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