Movies Filmed in Pennsylvania are a joy to watch as they cut across different categories, from action to romance.
Hollywood movies are shot not only in Los Angeles but also in one of the neighborhoods in California.
California may be the hike of Hollywood, but this does not mean all movies must be shot there, as there are hundreds of movies in locations far away from the city.
Movie production crews and companies are increasingly moving to other locations when filming due to the need for a particular setting or other incentives.
Pennsylvania has been featured in a large number of movies over the years.
Let’s take a look at some of the movies filmed in Pennsylvania.
1. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Director: George A. Romero
- Cast: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Set in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two TV station workers, Stephen (David Emge) and Francine (Gaylen Ross), flee as the dead come back to life to feed on the living.
They come across two special police officers, Roger (Scott H. Reiniger) and Peter (Ken Foree), who steal the station’s helicopter and fly to a safer place instead of moving people to rescue camps.
They find a deserted mega-mall outside Pittsburgh and decide to hide there till the attack is over.
Can they withstand the hungry dead people outside, and will they remain sane all through the crisis period?
Dawn of the Dead is one of the most exciting movies filmed in Pennsylvania, particularly in places like Monroeville Mall, the Harold W. Brown Memorial Airfield in Monroeville, and downtown Pittsburgh.
2. Striking Distance (1993)
- Director: Rowdy Herrington
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore
- IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis ) comes from a family of cops, and his father dies while chasing a serial killer.
Tom is of the belief that the killer is a cop and is eventually demoted to a river patrol officer.
Two years later, women who had met Tom in the past started to die one after the other.
Tom has to conduct an illegal investigation to find the killer and prove his innocence.
The movie was filmed in places like Mount Washington, Monessen, Allegheny Courthouse, Monongahela, and other locations in Pittsburgh.
However, some scenes were reshot in Los Angeles.
3. Adventureland (2009)
- Director: Greg Mottola
- Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva.
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Another addition to the list of movies filmed in Pennsylvania is Adventureland.
A college graduate living in Pittsburgh, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg), has dreams of going on a European tour before studying at an Ivy League school in New York City.
However, his dreams will be shattered as his parents would suffer a huge career setback.
James gets a summer job at a local amusement park, Adventureland, to take care of his expenses.
James becomes attracted to Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart), a sweet coworker, and starts a relationship with her.
He also encounters Lisa P (Margarita Levieva), a fellow worker and dream girl of every man in the park.
The encounter may jeopardize James’ relationship with Em, but it also gives him an insight into what he wants for his future.
Adventureland was shot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The park scene was filmed in Kennywood, a park in West Mifflin; other scenes were filmed in Moon Township and Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
4. Creed (2015)
- Director: Ryan Coogler
- Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Bellew.
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Creed is a classic action thriller filmed in Pennsylvania in 2015. Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) ends up in a juvenile detention facility after getting in numerous trouble when he lost his mother.
He finds out his father, Apollo Creed, was a great boxer, and he wishes to be like him.
He moves to Philadelphia and meets Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a retired boxer, for training.
With much mentoring and training, Adonis gets a title job to beat a world champion; he needs the fight to take up the name Creed.
All scenes in the movie Creed were shot in various locations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including an empty store used as a boxing gym, the Victor Cafe, and Aston Township.
Nevertheless, the first scene was shot in Liverpool, England.
5. Creed II (2018)
- Director: Steven Caple Jr.
- Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Creed II, one of the most popular movies filmed in Pennsylvania, is a sequel to Creed 2015; Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) has made a name for himself in boxing; he wins many fights and proposes to his girlfriend Bianca (Tessa Thompson).
However, trouble comes when Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), the Russian boxer who killed Adonis’ father, arrives in Philadelphia with his son, Viktor (Florian Munteanu), to challenge Adonis.
Adonis sees an opportunity to restore the glory of his father’s name, but his mentor, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), is against the idea.
Will Adonis take up the challenge against his mentor’s advice? Is the fight genuinely worth it?
Like the prequel, Creed II was filmed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The locations include Port Richmond, Grey Towers Castle at Arcadia University, Temple University Hospital’s Boyer Pavilion, and Tioga Streets.
6. I Am Number Four (2011)
- Director: D.J. Caruso
- Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), an alien from the planet Lorien, escapes his planet during an attack and hides on Earth, and he is protected by his guardian, Henri (Timothy Olyphant).
The enemies try to kill the aliens in their sequential order, with John being number 4.
While on Earth, John develops powers like speed, enhanced strength, and agility and falls in love with Sarah Hart (Dianna Agron). John will have to protect himself, his love interest, and the earth.
All 20 locations used in the movies were in the metropolitan area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sites like Beaver, West Deer, Port Vue, North Park, New Kensington, Murrysville, Lancaster Township, and Hyde Park were used.
7. Unstoppable (2010)
- Director: Tony Scott
- Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
A runaway train carrying a cargo of deadly chemicals puts a train engineer, Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington), and a train conductor, Will Colson (Chris Pine), into a commotion.
If the train stops or crashes into a populated area of the town, there could be severe damage.
Although there is tension between the two men, they must come together to prevent the toxic spill that will wipe out the whole town.
The film production was headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and shooting took place in areas like Carnegie, Emporium, Turtlepoint, Milesburg, Mill Hall, Tyrone, Bradford, Port Allegany, Monaca, Julian, Unionville, Eldred, and Port Matilda. Minor filming took place in Ohio and New York City.
8. The Last Airbender
- Director: M. Night Shyamalan
- Cast: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Shaun Toub
- IMDb Rating: 4/10
One of the movies filmed in Pennsylvania, Avatar: The Last Airbender, is about four nations of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire, supervised by the Avatar.
They all lived in peace until the Fire Nation declared war on others.
The war and destruction on the other nations continued until Aang (Noah Ringer), an Avatar and the last Air Nomad, discovered he could control all four elements.
He unites with a waterbender, Katara (Nicola Peltz), and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to defeat Prince Zuko (Dev Patel), the authoritarian leader, and restore peace to their world.
Filming The Last Airbender happened in cities like Reading, Mount Penn, Ontelaunee Township, and Philadelphia. In two months, filming ended.
9. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
- Director: Josh Boone
- Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
A seventeen-year-old girl, Hazel Grace (Shailene Woodley), has to carry an oxygen tank due to cancer.
In a cancer support group, she meets Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), an eighteen-year-old boy who lost his leg due to cancer but is cured. They bond over their favorite books and later fall in love.
Will their love surpass the evil terminal disease? Filming began in August 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Numerous locations in Pennsylvania were used, including Oakmont, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, The Mansions on Fifth Hotel, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon.
10. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
- Director: Christopher Nolan
- Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
After eight years of Gotham being in peace and Batman taking the fall for the killings done by Harvey Dent, Bane (Tom Hardy), a ruthless killer, takes control of the underworld and the whole city.
Batman (Christian Bale) must team up with Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a jewel thief, and his butler Alfred (Michael Caine) to stop Bane and protect the citizens. Whose side are Batman’s allies on?
Production took place in multiple locations across Pennsylvania.
The movie was shot in places in Pittsburgh like Heinz Field, Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, and Carnegie Mellon University.
11. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
- Director: Stephen Chbosky
- Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
A 15-year-old boy, Charlie (Logan Lerman), is nervous as he joins a high school.
He hopes to become a writer and soon becomes the teacher’s favorite.
Charlie befriends Sam (Emma Watson), and her brother Patrick (Ezra Miller) falls in love with Sam but does not have the confidence to tell her; instead, he dates Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), their common friend.
When the relationship ends, Patrick tells Charlie to stay away from himself and his sister, thereby triggering Charlie’s existing mental illness. Chaie will have to learn how to cope with his situation.
Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of the movies filmed in Pennsylvania in 2011.
Locations like South Hills, South Park, Peters Township High School, Upper St. Clair, The Hollywood Theater in Dormont, the Fort Pitt Tunnel, and the Fort Pitt Bridge were used for the movie.
12. Jack Reacher (2012)
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
An expert sniper kills 5 random people, and when the police arrest him, he only writes the words “Get Jack Reacher “to his lawyer, Alex Rodin, instead of confessing. Jack sees the news report and returns to the city to investigate.
He finds out that the shootings were not the accused main target and someone was framing him. He joins forces with Rodin to find out who and why.
All shooting of the movie took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All the houses, offices, The Strip District, and the North Shore Riverfront Trail were in Pennsylvania.
