10 Great Movies Filmed in Maine
People often overlook the state of Maine, perhaps because it’s tucked up high in that northeast corner of the map or perhaps because Maine-ers often stay put and don’t always encourage visitors. When you try to recall movies filmed in Maine, the first creator that comes to mind might be Stephen King. After all, he’s a Maine-er whose prolific horror books are often adapted to film. There are, however, numerous movies set in Maine that make our ‘best of’ list in a variety of genres.
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But for now, let’s get back to the subject at hand: great movies filmed in Maine.
1. Pet Sematary (1989)
Louis and Rachel Creed move from Chicago to rural Maine with two young kids. They discover a strange cemetery deep in the Maine woods beyond their house. Terrible accidents start to befall the family, and Louis turns to Jud Crandall for help. When Jud confides to Louis the true power of the cemetery, Louis decides to unlock its evil forces. Nothing good comes of it!
Stephen King wrote the books for numerous movies filmed in Maine. They shot this film in Bangor, Bucksport, Hancock, Ellsworth, and Acadia.
2. Needful Things (1993)
An old man named Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) opens an antique shop called ‘Needful Things’ in a rural Maine town. His shop always seems to stock the thing that the customer wants and needs most — it is an uncanny coincidence that all the townspeople can’t help marveling over.
Unfortunately, these purchases have a cost attached to them that none of the customers can foresee, and the outcome is evil. Gaunt is not the benign and friendly shopkeeper he appears to be. In fact, he intends to manipulate the citizens to attack one another, resulting in chaos that Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) can’t control. Stephen King wrote the book and adapted it into a terrifying film set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine but primarily filmed in British Columbia.
3. Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Dolores Claiborne, played by Kathy Bates, lives in a small Maine town. She works as a housekeeper for a wealthy but unkind Vera Donovan, played by Judy Parfitt. When Dolores is accused of killing Vera, Dolores’ estranged daughter Selena, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, comes from NYC to investigate what happened.
Selena discovers some shocking truths, not only about Vera’s death but also about suppressed memories from her childhood as well. Stephen King wrote the book and adapted it into a terrifying blockbuster film set in Maine.
