Movies Filmed in Wilmington, NC: From Stephen King to Cousins Beach

In 1983, producer Dino De Laurentiis brought Stephen King’s Firestarter, starring a young Drew Barrymore, to the Wilmington area. It’s widely considered the first major motion picture shot here, and De Laurentiis liked what he found: historic architecture, coastal light, oak-lined streets that could stand in for almost anywhere in America, and plenty of room to build. By the time Firestarter hit theaters in 1984, he was already building a studio on North 23rd Street.

That lot has changed hands and names over the years. It’s been the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group studios, Carolco and EUE/Screen Gems, and today it’s Cinespace Studios Wilmington, a 50-acre campus with 10 soundstages. Behind it is something you can’t build overnight: generations of local crew members, carpenters, costumers and caterers who know how to make a movie.

And from the very first reel, Wilmington had a knack for scaring people.

Why horror? Ask the local crew and you’ll hear the same answer: Wilmington’s small-town streets can play any town in America, the crews are seasoned, and there’s a full studio lot minutes from downtown. Here are the scary movies (and a few TV shows) that put Cape Fear on the horror map, roughly in order.

Not a horror movie, exactly, but David Lynch’s cult classic is unsettling enough to belong here. Wilmington plays the fictional town of Lumberton, and the moody Carolina Apartments on Market Street stood in for Dorothy Vallens’ building. The apartment interiors were shot on a set at the studio.

See it today: Carolina Apartments, 420 Market St. It’s a private residence, so admire it from the sidewalk.

Fun fact: Not every horror director wanted to work here. When De Laurentiis offered Sam Raimi his Wilmington studio for Evil Dead II (1987), Raimi took the production three hours inland to Wadesboro instead and built the infamous cabin in a school gym.

Southport, about 45 minutes south of Wilmington, plays the fishing town of Southport in this slasher (yes, they kept the name). Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Helen is crowned Croaker Queen at the Amuzu Theatre, and Fishy Fishy Café served as Barry’s gym.

See it today: Catch a show at the Amuzu Theatre or grab lunch on the water at Fishy Fishy Café. Then head back to Wilmington’s new Hollywood East Brewseum, where the killer’s actual rain slicker is on display.

Fox’s supernatural series about a resurrected Ichabod Crane filmed its first two seasons in Wilmington. Its spooky backdrops included historic Bellevue Cemetery and the moss-draped oaks of Airlie Gardens.

See it today: Airlie Gardens, about 10 minutes from Wrightsville Beach. Its Filmed at Airlie brochure maps out every production that’s shot there.

The fifth Scream filmed in Wilmington in the fall of 2020 and opened at No. 1 at the U.S. box office in January 2022. Most of it was shot on soundstages, but Ghostface got out on the town too.

See it today: Bowl a few frames at Cardinal Lanes or catch live music at Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern. Both appear in the film.

Not into scares? Wilmington has range.

Gen X, this one’s for you: in Empire Records (1995), the exterior of a downtown Front Street building, now the bar Rebellion, played the beloved record store. In We’re the Millers (2013), Wilmington stood in for Denver; Jason Sudeikis’ character is grabbed right outside Penders Café. Sandra Bullock’s 28 Days (2000) and Melissa McCarthy’s Tammy (2014) also filmed in the area.

For many fans, Wilmington is a TV town. Dawson’s Creek (1998–2003) and One Tree Hill (2003–2012) made the Riverwalk and downtown famous for a generation, and The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022–2025) did the same for the beaches. Other series shot here include Under the Dome, Sleepy Hollow, George & Tammy, and Netflix’s Florida Man and The Waterfront.

The Wilmington and Beaches CVB has excellent self-guided location tours for Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill and The Summer I Turned Pretty, so we won’t repeat them here.

Wrightsville Beach appears in Weekend at Bernie’s (1989), The Choice (2016) and Stuck in Love (2012), plus TV favorites Dawson’s Creek and The Summer I Turned Pretty. It’s our backyard, so here’s where to look:

• The Summer I Turned Pretty: Taylor and Belly walk the beach near Crystal Pier, and the South End of the island shows up throughout the series.
• The Choice: Dockside Restaurant & Bar, the Bridge Tender Marina and the Intracoastal Waterway all make appearances. Dockside is still one of the best places on the island to watch the sun set over the sound.
• Weekend at Bernie’s: Parts of the 1989 comedy were filmed on the island.
• Stuck in Love: Several Wrightsville Beach homes appear in this 2012 drama.

Our own address has a few credits, too. Back when we were the Blockade Runner, Andy Griffith filmed a Matlock episode (“The Vacation,” season 7) on property, and for decades the hotel was a favorite place for visiting stars to stay while filming in Wilmington.

Bookmark this list for your self-guided location tour.

• Hollywood East Brewseum: Wilmington’s newest film stop is part bar, part museum, with free admission at 1202 Market St. Look for costumes from Dawson’s Creek and 28 Days, the slicker from I Know What You Did Last Summer, and NC-brewed beers like One Tree Pils and The Sour I Turned Pretty.
• Wilmywood Movie & TV Location Walk: Costumed guides lead 90-minute tours of downtown filming locations on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
• TRIC Tours: Step inside the One Tree Hill nightclub, complete with replica props.
• Museum of the Bizarre: Strange, small and very on-theme for October.
• Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington: Not film-related, but downtown’s most famous haunts make the perfect double feature after a horror-location crawl.
• Cucalorus Film Festival: One of the South’s best-loved independent film festivals returns to downtown Wilmington November 19–22, 2026.