What is your all-time favorite movie? Do you know where that movie was filmed? There are so many images of the Hudson Valley in movies and this trend is becoming more and more popular with up and coming movies.

The Hudson Valley is beautiful and captivating that it is no wonder that the movie industry has been filming more and more in our wonderful region.

Whether filmed at the magnificent and historic Mohonk Mountain House or the cities of Kingston or Yonkers, the images displayed are unique to the area.

According to the Hudson Valley Film Commission, over 500 films and movies have been made in the Hudson Valley. Their website has an extensive list.

PRO-TIP:
Their Streamfest is regularly updated with more ideas of things to watch. It is not just limited to movies but also shows filmed in the Hudson Valley.

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Hudson Valley in Movies

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The Hudson Valley has long inspired filmmakers and television writers. Its abundance of nature, bridges, historic sites, majestic river views and more provide the perfect backdrop for cinematic movies and small-screen television shows.

Below is a list of some award-winning films that showcase the Hudson Valley in movies.

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The Secret of My Success (1987)

This comedy starring Michael J. Fox was partially filmed in Katonah. In the 1987 movie “The Secret of My Success” with Michael J. Fox, the entrance to Lasdon Park and driveway are used as the entrance and driveway to character Brantley Foster’s (played by Michael J. Fox) Boss’s house when he’s asked to drive his Boss’s wife home. The limousine turns left into Lasdon Park and is seen driving up the approach road. This precedes the scene when Brantley is swimming with the Boss’s wife – only to find that she is actually his Aunt (married to his Uncle) at the company.

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Big (1988)

This is a fantasy comedy-drama movie was directed by Penny Marshall. The film starring Tom Hanks & Elizabeth Perkins is a family favorite and is still a classic. Josh Baskin makes a wish to be big on a machine at Playland Park in Rye, NY after being told he is too short to go on a ride. This film is a favorite of everyone and showcases the Hudson Valley in movies so well.

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Regarding Henry (1991)

Starring Harrison Ford, is the victim of a shooting. During the process of his recovery, he heals into a different, much nicer person. Also starring Annette Benning, this film was shot between New York City, White Plains and Millbrook, NY.

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Nobody’s Fool (1994)

This comedy drama was partially filmed in Beacon, starring Paul Newman is about an older man whose estranged son arrived in town bringing his own son along and what transpires. This film shows off the Mid Hudson Valley in movies.

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You Can Count on Me (2001)

This drama starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin & Matthew Broderick. This Oscar-nominated movie is about a single mother living in the Catskill Mountains. Some scenes were filmed in Phoenicia, NY while other parts of the movie were filmed in Margaretville, NY. This film showcases the Upper Hudson Valley in movies.

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Super Troopers (2001)

This comedy is described by my husband as a “cult classic”. Starring the Broken Lizard Comedy Group, this movie showcases these pranksters as State Troopers from Vermont attempting to solve a crime. Filmed in many areas of the Hudson Valley, including, Mount Pleasant, Fishkill, Newburgh, Briarcliff Manor, Wappingers Falls, and Beacon.

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Mr. Deeds (2002)

This comedy favorite of many, starring Adam Sandler, is about a sweet, lovable guy leading a simple but happy life in the tiny hamlet of Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire. He then inherits a large sum of money and is out of his element. Some scenes were also shot in Carmel, New York and exhibits the Hudson Valley in movies.

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War of the Worlds (2005)

This science-fiction action movie starring Tom Cruise with Dakota Fanning and was loosely based on a novel by the same name. The story centers around a dock worker attempting to reunite his children with their mother when aliens invade. Some parts of the movie were filmed in Athens. NY.

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The Departed (2006)

In this American crime thriller film, directed by Martin Scorcese has a star-studded cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin.  A number of scenes featuring Leonardo DiCaprio were shot at the county courthouse and library in White Plains.

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American Gangster (2007)

The biographical crime movie is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War. Starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and was nominated for 21 awards, including two Oscars, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

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Taking Woodstock (2009)

This comedy-drama movie is all about the 1969 Woodstock Festival and is based on a memoir by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte. Although this movie is based on the Woodstock Festival in Bethel, NY, the movie was actually filmed in New Lebanon, NY and East Chatham, NY. This is the epitome of what people think about when they think of the Hudson Valley in movies.

Related Article:
See Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Yourself and be Inspired for a Visit.

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Our Idiot Brother (2011)

This comedy-drama stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer. The ‘Idiot Brother’ comes along and wreaks havoc on his three sisters’ lives’. It premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Filming took place in Cold Spring, NY.

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The Bourne Legacy (2012)

This action-packed movie starring Jeremy Renner. Although Matt Damon was in previous ‘Bourne’ movies, he chose not to be in this one. With some filming done in Hudson, NY, this final installment of the movies focuses on the exposure and possible destruction of a black ops program.

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11:55 (2016)

Filmed in Newburgh, this drama is about a US Marine who returns home where he struggles to escape his violent past. This film showcases the rawness of the Hudson Valley in movies.

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Little Boxes (2016)

This dramedy film is about an interracial family struggling to adjust when they move from Brooklyn, New York to a small town in Washington State. The scenes in the fictional town of Rome Washington were actually filmed in Harrison, New York and Newburgh, New York. This film shows that portraying small towns is easy when highlighting the Hudson Valley in movies.

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The Girl on the Train (2016)

This mystery-thriller movie is one of my favorites. Based on a best-selling novel, the movie stars Emily Blunt as a train passenger who witnesses a murder from the train window. Nominated for several awards, this movie was filmed in White Plains, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Irvington, NY.

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A Quiet Place (2018)

Filmed primarily in Dutchess and Ulster counties, this science-fiction horror movie stars Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Written by Krasinski, the movie follows a family who struggle to survive and raise their family in a post-apocalyptic world. Filming took place in the towns of Pawling, Beacon, and New Paltz. This film shows us that the Hudson Valley in movies does not always need to be light-hearted and bright; it can also be dark and scary.

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The Seagull (2018)

This historical drama is based on the play by the same name. Starring Annette Bening, and is set in the early 1900’s Russia, where a love triangle unfolds. Much of the film was shot at Arrow Park in Monroe, NY.

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BlacKkKlansman (2018)

This biographical comedy crime film is directed by Spike Lee and is based on a 2014 memoir by Ron Stallworth. Set in the 1970’s, this movie about the first African-American detective in Colorado Springs that set out to infiltrate and expose the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. Many scenes were filmed in Ossining, NY.

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Eighth Grade (2018)

This coming-of-age film is an independent film released at the 2018 Sundance film festival. The story focuses on a middle school teenager who struggles with anxiety but strives to gain social acceptance from her peers during their final week of eighth grade. The film was shot in Suffern, NY with shooting taking place at Suffern Middle School. For the mall scenes, exterior shots were taken at Palisades Center in West Nyack, New York, while interior scenes were shot at the nearby The Galleria at White Plains.

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Avengers: Endgame (2019)

This very popular superhero movie is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team, the Avengers. The movie included a star-studded cast:  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. Some scenes were filmed in Dutchess and Ulster Counties.

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Audrey (2020)

This documentary shot the reshoots in Saugerties, Lake Katrine and Hudson. This film examines the remarkable life and career of actress, fashion icon and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn.

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I Know this Much is True (2020)

This television mini-series stars Mark Ruffalo as he plays two roles, identical twins brothers. The mini-series was filmed on location in Poughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls, Newburgh and Kingston.

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The Undoing (2020)

This limited series starring Nicole Kidman. The series was filmed in Port Ewen, Esopus, Kingston and the Town of Ulster.

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What Breaks the Ice (2020)

This Hulu original film stars Madelyn Cline and is about two teenage girls from different worlds that form an unlikely friend in the summer of 1998, but their fun comes to an end when they find themselves in the center of a murder mystery. This movie was filmed in Putnam County and Dutchess County.

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A Quiet Place II (2021)

Starring Emily Blunt and also showing some flashback scenes of John Krasinski, the movie continues the struggle of the family trying to stay alive while the creatures continue to hunt them. Filming occurred in Pawling, Dover, and New Paltz.

Fun Fact: Did you know this fact about Mohonk Mountain House?
Although “The Shining” was about a fictional hotel in Colorado, many believe the book & movie was inspired by the Mohonk Mountain House.

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Coast (2021)

Filmed in Kingston, this movie starring Ciara Bravo is about a 16 year old desperate to escape her small coastal farming town.

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One December Night (2021)

Hallmark Holiday Movies are always popular and even more so when they are filmed right here in the Hudson Valley. Starring Peter Gallagher and Bruce Campbell, as two music managers that must put their differences aside to oversee the televised reunion performance of their rock star fathers with a fractured past.

This movie was filmed in Goshen, Maybrook, and Newburgh, NY.

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Redemption in Cherry Springs (2021)

Starring Rochelle Aytes as a reporter, this story is about her returning home after the fallout from a story and what happens after returning home. This Hallmark Channel Movie was filmed in Newburgh, NY.

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Slapface (2021)

This indie horror film about Lucas and his neglectful older brother who live alone in a rundown home after their mother’s death. The film was shot at Umbra Sound Stages in Newburgh, New York and on location in the Hudson Valley with bar scenes filmed at The Golden Rail Ale House in Newburgh.

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Ted K (2021)

Starring Sharlto Copley as the Unabomber. The film depicts the events leading to his arrest. This historical crime drama was filmed in Columbia County.

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The Hating Game (2021)

This romantic comedy starring Lucy Hale is about a woman who embarks on a ruthless game against her cold and efficient nemesis that is complicated by her growing attraction to him. This romantic comedy was shot in Kingston, NY.

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Things Heard and Seen (2021)

This horror/thriller movie stars Amanda Seyfried as a young artist who begins to suspect that their home harbors some dark secrets. This film was shot in Dutchess County.

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A Fairy Tale After All (2022)

Filmed in Poughkeepsie and Millbrook, this film is about a stubborn teenage outcast that finds herself confronted by whimsical characters when she is transported into a world of fantasy and fairy tales while attending a school marionette show.

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A Holiday Spectacular (2022)

Set in 1958, this Hallmark Channel Christmas movie filmed in Beacon, Newburgh, Staatsburg, and Albany, NY.

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Linoleum (2022)

This Science-Fiction Comedy-Drama stars Jim Gaffigan as a science show host that wants to be an astronaut and builds a rocket ship in his garage. This film was shot in the Town of Ulster, Kingston, and Saugerties, NY.

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Master (2022)

This psychological horror thriller stars Regina Hall as a newly-appointed and first Black master of Ancaster, an elite university in New England. This movie was filmed at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.

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Stay Awake (2022)

Starring Chrissy Metz, this film looks at opioid addiction and the epidemic. Two brothers navigate teenage life, while dealing with their mother’s prescription drug addiction. This movie was filmed in Saugerties and Kingston, NY.

Looking for things to do in the Hudson Valley in Movies locations?

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Until the Next Adventure…

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