By Amy Arnett
In honor of our 15th year in publication, we have compiled some fun lists of 15.
West Virginia is often featured in films. All of the movies included in this list have plot points or filming locations in West Virginia, as well as a few films that mention the Mountain State.
1. October Sky
In McDowell County, WV in the 1950s, a young Homer Hickam was inspired by the launch of Sputnik to create his own rocket. His story of the “Rocket Boys” became a major motion picture in 1999.
2. We are Marshall
Marshall University’s chant became the title of this 2006 film, which follows the rebuilding of the football program at Marshall University following a tragic plane crash in 1970 that killed 37 of its football players.
3. Matewan
This film follows the historic Battle of Matewan that occurred in the Mingo County town in 1920 as a result of a coal miners’ strike.
4. Still Bill
Legendary singer Bill Withers is from West Virginia. This 2009 movie about Withers’ life was filmed in West Virginia.
5. The Mothman Prophecies
One of West Virginia’s most notable tragedies and a source of folklore, the collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967, became the subject of this 2002 movie starring Richard Gere.
6. A Beautiful Mind
The subject of this movie, John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, was born in Bluefield, WV in 1928.
7. Patch Adams
This biopic of Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams follows the creation of the Gesundheit! Institute, which was built on several acres of land Adams purchased in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
8. Lassie
This classic film about a loyal, heroic collie was filmed in Hinton, WV in 1994.
9. Unstoppable
This 2010 movie based on two railway workers trying to stop a combustible train from wiping out a city was filmed partially in West Virginia in Benwood, Follansbee and Wheeling.
10. The Body Guard
Though this movie focused mainly on the romance between Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, true fans will recognize the “Flying WV” in a few of the scenes. Costner’s character was a former football player at West Virginia University.
11. Gods and Generals
This 2003 movie based on the rise and fall of Stonewall Jackson was partially filmed in Harper’s Ferry, WV.
12. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton
Following the unlikely events of a West Virginia girl that wins a contest to date a movie star, this film features aerial shots of the New River, but no filming was done here.
13. XXX
The action-packed Vin Diesel blockbuster was filmed partially in West Virginia, with scenes taking place on the New River.
14. Super 8
This Spielberg sci-fi flick was filmed in Weirton in the summer and fall of 2010.
15. The Silence of the Lambs
Although it was not filmed in the state, this 1991 classic includes mentions of West Virginia.
6 Comments
You forgot about “The Night of the Hunter” with Shelly Winters and Robert Mitchum, filmed in 1955.
Also, we now have “Angel’s Perch” which I hear is a fantastic movie and will be going to see this weekend in Huntington or South Charleston.
The movie the “Deer Hunter”, with Robert Deniro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep was filmed in the northern panhandle and eastern Ohio (as well as in Pennsylvania) in steel factories towns. Although much of the movie was filmed on location in Southeast Asia, Weirton and Brooke County are featured in some movie scenes as well as Steubenville and Mingo Junction, Ohio. The film won 5 Academy Awards in 1979 and shows the trials and tribulations of friends and families affected by the war in Vietnam.
“Fools Parade”, starring James Stewart, George Kennedy, and Kurt Russell was filmed in 1971 entirely within Marshall County with prominent landmarks like the WV State Penitentiary the city of Moundsville are focal points.
These are two highly acclaimed films with strong WV ties.
Richard Gere’s “Primal Fear” used the Mercer County Courthouse (in Princeton, WV) for filming the trial scenes.
Loved we are Marshall and silence of the lambs .
I worked as a reenactor extra on Gods and Generals,and couldn’t believe how friendly and down to earth the great people of your great state are. Just got back from a weeks vacation down there and now I know what heaven will be like.