Mar 28, 2020

Twiddy’s Guide to North Carolina Movies

When Hollywood Meets the Outer Banks

Blog / OBX Guides
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Whether you’re at home dreaming of a North Carolina getaway or you’re settling down in your OBX vacation rental for the night, we’ve created a list of North Carolina movies for y’all to enjoy! All of these movies (and tv show) were either filmed in North Carolina or are about North Carolina. Let us help you choose the perfect movie so that you can kick back, relax, and enjoy the show!

Filmed on the Outer Banks Director from the Outer Banks Oscar-Winning North Carolina Movies TV Show Based on OBX Our NC Movie List

Did you know…

north carolina movies - rodanthe house
Nights in Rodanthe Filming Location

Two famous movies were filmed on the Outer Banks?

Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and Brainstorm (1983) were both filmed on the Outer Banks! Nights in Rodanthe, an adaption of Nicholas Sparks’ 2002 novel, filmed in an oceanfront home in Rodanthe (about 60 miles south of Corolla). This romantic drama featuring Richard Gere and Diane Lane shows many incredible shots of the OBX coastline and even the wild horses on the 4×4 beaches. If you’re in need of some Outer Banks beauty, this is the film to watch!

wright brothers memorial
Brainstorm Filming Location

Brainstorm, a sci-fi thriller featuring Christopher Walken and Louise Fletcher, filmed mainly in North Carolina. While most of the production was in the Research Triangle, a few of the final scenes were filmed at the Wright Brothers National Monument in Kill Devil Hills. If you are into futuristic and suspenseful movies, watch this film!

north carolina movies - peanut butter falcon
Photo from Tyler Nilson's Instagram: @tylernilson

A Hollywood film director grew up on the Outer Banks?

Tyler Nilson, born and raised on the Outer Banks, is now a film director based in Hollywood, California. His recent film, Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), is set on the Outer Banks and is a heartfelt film about friendship and love. It will make you smile! It will make you laugh! It will make you cry!

north carolina movies - forrest gump curve
Oscar-Winning North Carolina Movies

Multiple Oscar-winning movies were filmed right here in North Carolina?

Forrest Gump won 6 Oscars in 1995 including Best Picture and Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and had scenes filmed on both the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone and the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. In addition, Dirty Dancing, filmed partially in Lake Lure, won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1988.

north carolina movies - netflix outer banks
Kitty Hawk Kites dresses up as Kildare Island Surfboard Co. for Outer Banks Season 2 release.

A hit Netflix show was based on our very own Outer Banks?

By now, y’all are probably familiar with the incredibly popular Netflix teen drama Outer Banks. Winning the People’s Choice Award for the Most Bingeworthy Show of 2020, we couldn’t help but watch it all in one sitting! Based on the coastal beach towns along northeastern North Carolina, Outer Banks follows a group of teenagers as they go on a treasure hunt in a fictional Outer Banks town named Pelican, North Carolina. While the show did not film on the Outer Banks, its creators based much of the world on the OBX we know and love. Twiddy and Company’s own Edward Ponton had the opportunity to interview one of the show’s creators, Jonas Pate, and discuss the ideas behind the show’s creation and his vision for Outer Banks. Check it out here!

North Carolina Movies

Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) – A heartfelt adventure film, set on the Outer Banks but filmed in Georgia, written and directed by Outer Banks local, Tyler Nilson.  (Rated PG-13)

Nights in Rodanthe (2008) – A romantic drama, set and filmed on the Outer Banks. (Rated PG-13)

Brainstorm (1983) – A sci-fi thriller with a few scenes filmed at the Wright Brothers National Monument in Kill Devil Hills. (Rated PG)

Patch Adams (1998) – A comedy-drama, starring Robin Williams, that was filmed in Asheville and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (PG-13)

The Hunger Games (2012) – A sci-fi adventure film, based on the popular novel by Suzanne Collins, that was shot in parts of Asheville, Shelby and Charlotte. (Rated PG-13)

Dirty Dancing (1987) – A romantic drama dance film partially shot in Lake Lure. (Rated PG-13)

Bull Durham (1988) – A romantic comedy film about baseball shot in Durham. (Rated R)

A Walk to Remember (2002) – A coming-of-age romantic film, based on the 1999 novel by Nicolas Sparks, shot entirely in Wilmington. (Rated PG)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) – A slapstick comedy film about NASCAR, starring Will Ferrell, mostly shot in Charlotte and at a mansion near Lake Norman. (Rated PG-13)

The Fugitive (1993) – An action thriller film, starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, shot mostly in Jackson County in the Great Smoky Mountains. (Rated PG-13)

The Color Purple (1985) – A coming-of-age drama, directed by Steven Spielberg, filmed in Anson and Union counties near Charlotte. (Rated PG-13)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) – A superhero comedy, based on fictional “heroes in a half-shell,” shot in Wilmington. (Rated PG)

The Green Mile (1999) – A crime drama, starring Tom Hanks and based on the 1996 novel by Stephen King, with some scenes filmed in Blowing Rock. (Rated R)

Forrest Gump (1994) – An Oscar-winning comedy-drama, starring Tom Hanks, with some scenes filmed on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone and on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. (Rated PG-13)

Twiddy & Company

Twiddy & Company

Mar 28, 2020

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