The beauty of Hollywood movies is that film producers usually choose other states or locations instead of California, the home of Hollywood.
Texas, also known as the Lone State, is a famous state for filming movies. Its incredible landscapes and historical buildings make it an excellent choice for these projects.
The state’s landscape is so alluring that every corner has a unique style. From the beautiful sunsets you can see across the horizon to the piney woods covering many acres of land or the beach running along the coastal side, Texas is undoubtedly a beauty for movies.
Many movies are filmed in Texas, and we will list some of them in this article.
1. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
- Director: Arthur Penn
- Cast: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Estelle Parsons
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Bonnie and Clyde is the first movie on our list of movies filmed in Texas. While most people mistake the name to be synonymous with amazing lovers, the movie is about Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), an ex-con who meets Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), a bored waitress looking for a change in life.
The duo becomes attracted to each other, while Clyde sees Bonnie as someone who can help him achieve his goal; Bonnie, on the other hand, is impressed with Clyde’s lifestyle.
They fall in love and start a crime spree, robbing banks with incredible skills. Instead of getting backlash, the duo became celebrities, and people wished to join their gang.
However, in the eyes of the law, these two are criminals who deserve to be killed. The movie is set in Texas, and the location was also the Lone State.
This movie was filmed in Texas at various locations, including Red Oak (the bank robbery scene), Waxahachie, Rowlett, Denton, Pilot Point (the bank robbery scene), Garland, Dallas, Midlothian, Crandall, Lemmon Lake, and many others.
2. Blood Simple (1984)
- Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
- Cast: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), a Texas bar owner, finds out his wife, Abby (Frances McDormand), is having an affair with one of his employees, Ray (John Getz).
He hires a private investigator, Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh), to get evidence of the illegal affair.
When the culprits discover their affair is known to Marty, they plan to elope. The jealous husband pays Visser to kill Ray and Abby, but the shady investigator has other plans.
The movie shows a long chain of misunderstandings, mischief, lies, and murder.
Blood Simple was filmed in Austin and Hutto, Texas towns. Different locations used are Pflugerville (the bar), 310 E. 6th St. (Abby’s house), 5303 W US Highway 290 Service Rd (a motel on this street was used), Covert Park at Mount Bonnell (Visser and Marty’s meeting point), 13422 Dessau Road, and Round Rock.
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
- Director: Tobe Hooper
- Cast: Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Gunnar Hansen.
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a horror and crime film, made it to our list of movies filmed in Texas. Sally (Marilyn Burns) gets news of her grandfather’s grave being desecrated by vandals.
This act moved her to recruit her friends – Pam (Teri McMinn) and Kirk (William Vail), brother Franklyn (Paul A. Partain), and boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danziger) to investigate the damage.
While on the trip, the travelers pick up Neal (Edwin Neal), an unpleasant hitchhiker who cuts himself and Franklyn.
The travelers are forced to stop at a farmhouse to get gas. Unknown to them, the house belongs to a murderous, cannibalistic family. Can Sally and her friends survive this dangerous situation?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was set in Texas and filmed in Texas. The cemetery used in the movie was Bagdad Cemetery at Bagdad Road, Leander, Texas.
Bilbo’s Texas Landmark, La Frontera, Round Rock, Kingsland, Austin, San Marcos, Watterson, Round Rock, and Hester’s Crossing Road and Co Road 172 were other locations.
The famous farmhouse is still in Texas, and fans of the movie visit the location to this day.
4. Selena (1997)
- Director: Gregory Nava
- Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Jon Seda, Edward, James Olmos, Lupe Ontiveros, Constance Marie.
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
It will interest you that the film that brought Jennifer Lopez to the limelight is one of the movies filmed in Texas.
Selena is a true story of Selena (Jennifer Lopez), a Mexican but Texas-based Tejano singer with excellent natural vocal skills.
With the help of her father, Abraham (Edward James Olmos), she starts to perform in small venues and falls in love with Chris Perez (Jon Seda), her guitarist.
With time, Selena became famous, playing at the Houston Astrodome, a stadium in Monterey, Mexico, and topping the music charts.
However, the young singer died after the president of her fan club shot her. This award-winning movie was filmed mainly in Texas, while two scenes were shot in California and Mexico.
Famous places like Corpus Christi, Strawberry Fairgrounds, Alamodome, Lake Jackson, and Ingram Park Mall were used.
5. No Country For Old Men (2007)
- Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
- Cast: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt.
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
No Country For Old Men is your best bet for an action, crime, and thriller film. Set and filmed in Texas, this movie is about Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a hunter who finds the remains of drug dealers who killed each other during a fight.
Among the remains, Moss finds two million dollars and keeps them to himself instead of reporting to the police.
Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a psychopath killer hired to retrieve the money, would kill anyone and anything to achieve his goal.
On the other hand, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) and his deputy Wendell (Garret Dillahunt) are on their trail to get Moss before Anton finds him.
Can Moss run away from the psychopath killer and the law? Texas was the best place to film this movie; the town of Marfa perfectly captures the isolated area the movie tries to portray.
The Big Bend National Park was also used as the movie location.
6. Boyhood (2014)
- Director: Richard Linklater
- Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Boyhood, one of the most innovative films, made it to our list of movies filmed in Texas. This groundbreaking movie is centered around a nuclear family living in Texas.
The father, Mason (Ethan Hawke), mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette), oldest child, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater), and youngest, Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane), make up this family.
Still, the movie is basically about the youngest family member. After his parents divorce, young Mason, also known as MJ, has to live in a single-parent family.
The movie captures his childhood and adolescence and how each family member and other circumstances affect his life till he becomes an adult.
Boyhood, the movie with about 175 wins and over 200 nominations, was filmed in Texas. Different places in Texas were used as different sets for the film.
Places like Pedernales Falls State Park, Museum of Natural Science, Minute Maid Park, Sul Ross State University, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Joe Dan Mills Elementary School, Big Bend National Park, and multiple other locations.
7. Spy Kids (2001)
- Director: Robert Rodriguez
- Cast: Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming, Tony Shalhoub.
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
It is one of the best kid’s action movies filmed in Texas, specifically Austin town. The storyline centers on technology and spying.
The movie is about Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino), the world’s greatest spies and inventors of high-tech gadgets.
This couple gave up spying and going on missions when they fell in love with each other and decided to raise a family instead.
Things were going well till their former colleagues started to disappear one after the other.
The wicked techno-wizard Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming) and his evil sidekick, Minion (Tony Shalhoub), are responsible for the kidnap, and they later take the Cortezs.
The children, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni (Daryl Sabara), also go on a secret mission to save their parents and the world.
Most scenes in the movie Spy Kids were filmed in locations in Texas, such as the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Travis Park, Austin Studios, Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, Trois Estate, and many more.
8. Armageddon (1998)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patton.
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Armageddon, a science-fiction movie, is on our list of movies filmed in Texas. Set in New York City, it involves NASA finding a massive asteroid as giant as Texas coming in collision with the Earth.
The only solution is to drill a hole into the asteroid’s surface and detonate a nuclear weapon.
NASA recruits the service of Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), one of the best deep-core drillers, to train other drillers within ten days so they can carry out the task.
Due to the limited time, Harry brings his team to learn the process, become astronauts, and finish the job.
Will his team of roughnecks be the last chance at saving humanity? Armageddon was filmed in various locations, but mainly in Texas.
Places like Ellington Air Force Base, Johnson Space Center – 2101 NASA Rd., Denton County, Pilot Point, Aubrey, and Sanger.
9. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
Five years after the battle between Autobots and Decepticons, humans think all alien robots are dangerous, and the government sets up a unit to hunt them down.
Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), a CIA agent, is in charge of the operation, but the team is helped by an alien robot who is actively searching for Optimus Prime.
A robotics expert, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), buys an old truck and discovers it is Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen).
When the unit’s agents are looking for the Autobot, Optimus must help Yeager and his daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz), escape.
Together with other Autobots, Optimus and Yeager must terminate the alien robot. This movie was filmed in Texas and other US states; some scenes were filmed in countries like China and Iceland.
Places used in Texas are Pflugerville, Lockhart, Taylor, Elgin, and Austin.
10. Apollo 13 (1995)
- Director: Ron Howard
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, and Kevin Bacon
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
This Hollywood movie, filmed in Texas, is about three astronauts, Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), on the Apollo 13 mission. Things went smoothly after they left the Earth’s orbit.
However, when an oxygen tank explodes, the moon landing is called off, and the crew is trapped in a dangerous experience that could potentially kill them.
These NASA astronauts must do everything possible to get back to Earth. While the space-bound crew fight for their way back, Mission Control, astronaut Ken Mattingly (Gary Sinise), flight director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), and a heroic ground crew are also trying to get them home.
Apollo 13 was filmed in many locations, including Texas; some places used are Johnson Space Center and Ellington Field. Locations in California and Florida were also used.
