From Spielberg to Hitchcock: Discover the Films Shot in Connecticut

By Joe O’Leary

December 6 @ 9:00 am

Credit: SergeKa / Canva

In November, Connecticut’s Office of Tourism announced the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail, which recognized 22 different holiday movies shot across the state. It celebrates the beauty of Connecticut’s varied towns and cities, many of which have played host to film productions featuring beloved stars.

Movie buffs, however, know that the Christmas Movie Trail is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Connecticut’s movie history. From classics dating back decades to modern hits and independent features, there’s another Connecticut Movie Trail that film buffs can traverse year-round.

The Office of Tourism website features a second collection of famous films shot here in Connecticut, with none other than Harrison Ford’s action hero Indiana Jones himself front-and-center. Indy’s fourth film, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” from 2008, shot a number of scenes at Yale University – who can forget Ford and Shia LeBoeuf riding a bike through the quad? – and the Essex Steam Train.

Speaking of A-listers, Julia Roberts’ “Mystic Pizza” was primarily filmed here in 1988. Production mostly took place where the title implies, in… Stonington, actually.

Before he sent stars racing through New Haven, Steven Spielberg filmed “Amistad” in Groton and Mystic, as well as a scene from “War of the Worlds” along the Farmington River. “A Mighty Wind,” another beloved film, shot scenes at Mohegan Sun.

Fairfield County’s rich landscapes are often a target for movies of all kinds. “Revolutionary Road,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, filmed all throughout Fairfield County, hitting a dozen towns from Beacon Falls to Southport. Although it’s a fictional town, Stepford, Connecticut is famously in Fairfield County, too – it filmed in Norwalk for both the 1975 and 2004 versions of “The Stepford Wives.”

The list goes much farther than just 11 films, though – Wikipedia lists more than 100 films shot in the state, with offerings ranging across every genre. Horror buffs may want to seek out some of the locations where Wes Craven’s second-to-last film “My Soul To Take” was shot in Stamford, where “Friday the 13th: Part 2” filmed in Kent and New Preston, or visit where indie horror icon Ti West worked on “The House of the Devil” in Lakeville.

Drama and history fans may want to look into the Hartford locations that became Chicago in 2022’s “Call Jane,” while comedy fans might want to head to New Milford to retrace Adam Sandler’s steps in “Mr. Deeds,” which became the fictional town of Mandrake Falls, New Hampshire.

Perhaps most interesting for film buffs may be retracing the steps of early film icons. There’s Alfred Hitchcock’s work on “Strangers on a Train” that included a trip to the Danbury Train Station; Bette Davis in “All About Eve,” performing in “Footsteps on the Ceiling” at the Shubert Theater; and 1947 Best Picture-winner “Gentleman’s Agreement” with Gregory Peck, which filmed in Darien.

The only thing bigger than the list of films shot in Connecticut is the list of films set in Connecticut; unfortunately, favorites like “Beetlejuice,” “The Conjuring” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story” are only from the Nutmeg State in spirit.