South Carolina was named after King Charles I of England, as “Carolus” is Latin for Charles. Located at the southeastern portion of the United States, South Carolina is bordered by North Carolina, Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean. It is recorded as the 40th most extensive and 23rd most populous US state.
South Carolina features 3 geographic regions – the Atlantic coastal plain, the plateau Piedmont, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of its geographic diversity, it has been a backdrop of various movies and TV series. Following are some of the most popular films that took place in South Carolina.
Movies Filmed in South Carolina
The Big Chill (1983)
The American comedy-drama The Big Chill is directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starred by Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and many others. It follows a story of seven former college friends who reunited for the funeral of another college friend, then spending a weekend at a vacation home in South Carolina. It was filmed across South Carolina, including Varnville, Beaufort, Atlanta, and at the Tidalholm Mansion.
(1h 45min | R)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Days of Thunder is a sports action drama movie directed by Tony Scott. It follows the story of a young stock-car driver, Cole Trickle (Cruise), as he enters the world of NASCAR racing. As such, the movie also featured some real-life NASCAR racers – Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. The race scene of the movie was filmed at Darlington Raceway, 1301 Harry Byrd Highway, Darlington, South Carolina. Other filming locations are Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona, and Florida.
(1h 47min | PG-13)
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Sleeping with the Enemy is a drama thriller starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, and Kevin Anderson. It was directed by Joseph Ruben based on the novel of the same name by Nancy Price. It is a story about Laura Burney (Roberts) who faked her own death to escape her abusive husband. It received negative reviews from the critics but became a hit at the box office. It was filmed in Abbeville and Clinton, South Carolina. Other scenes were filmed in North Carolina.
(1h 39min | R)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump is an award-winning drama romance film directed by Robert Zemeckis based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. It shows the life of Forrest Gump, portrayed by Tom Hanks, a slow-witted yet warmhearted man who witnessed and unintentionally influenced a number of historical events in the US. It was a huge success in the box office, won 6 Academy Awards, and received several award nominations. Among its many filming locations in the Bluff Plantation at Yemassee, South Carolina shot as Gump’s house. Other filming locations include Arizona, Georgia, Maine, Utah, Montana, North Carolina, and California.
(2h 22min | PG-13)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Die Hard with a Vengeance is an action-thriller directed by John McTiernan. It was the third film in the Die Hard series and was followed by Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). This third installment stars Bruce Willis as John McClane and Samuel L. Jackson as Zeus Carver who worked together to stop a German terrorist (Jeremy Irons) from robbing the Federal Reserve Building. It was the highest-grossing film in 1995. It was mainly filmed in New York but there were also scenes filmed in Berkeley County, Charleston, and Beaufort, South Carolina. Other filming locations also include Connecticut and Maryland.
(2h 8min | R)
Something to Talk About (1995)
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, Something to Talk About is a romantic comedy-drama starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid. It is about an estranged couple, Grace and Eddie. Grace found out that her husband is having an affair, and so decided to return to her parents’ home together with her daughter, Caroline (Haley Aull). It was filmed in Beaufort, Ridgeland, and Jasper County, South Carolina. Other scenes were filmed in Savannah and Perry, Georgia.
(1h 46min | R)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is the second sequel in the Ace Ventura series where Jim Carrey portrays the role of a detective named Ace Ventura who’s well-known for capturing animals. In this movie, Ace Ventura has been requested to go to Africa to find a missing bat. Starring with him is Ian McNeice, Simon Callow, and Sophie Okonedo under the direction of Steve Oedekerk. Among its filming locations are Charleston, Berkeley County, Yemassee, Colleton County, and Editon Island in South Carolina. Other filming locations include Texas and Canada.
(1h 30min | PG-13)
Last Dance (1996)
Starring Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid, and Peter Gallagher, the Last Dance is a drama-thriller is about a clemency lawyer (Morrow) who developed a friendship with a young woman (Stone) while trying to save her from a death sentence. This 1996 movie is directed by Bruce Beresford. It was filmed in Beaufort, Clarendon County, Jasper County, and Ridgeland, South Carolina. There were also scenes filmed in Tennessee and in India.
(1h 43min | R)
G.I. Jane (1997)
Directed by Ridley Scott, G.I. Jane is a fictional war drama film about the first woman, portrayed by Demi Moore, who had a training similar to the US Navy SEALs. Also starring were Viggo Mortensen and Anne Bancroft. Some scenes were filmed in Beaufort, South Carolina. Other scenes were shot in California, Florida, Virginia, Washington, and England.
(2h 5min | R)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
The Legend of Bagger Vance is directed by Robert Redford based on Steven Pressfield’s book entitled The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life. It is a sports film about a war veteran and golfer who relies on his mystical caddy to recover on his golf game and in life. It stars Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Charlize Theron. It was filmed in Hilton Head, Kiawah Island, Beaufort, Bluffton, and Charleston, South Carolina. There were also scenes filmed in Georgia.
(2h 6min | PG-13)
The Patriot (2000)
Starring Mel Gibson and directed by Roland Emmerich, The Patriot is a historical drama movie about a peaceful farmer who became a leader of the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution after a British officer murdered his son. Also starring in the movie are Heath Ledger and Joely Richardson. Most parts of the movie were filmed across South Carolina – in Rock Hill, Moncks Corner, Brattonsville, Charleston, Edisto Island, Chester, Lowrys, York, and Georgetown. Other scenes were filmed in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
(2h 45min | R)
Cold Mountain (2003)
Cold Mountain is a war movie directed by Anthony Minghella based on the novel of the same name by Charles Frazier. Starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger, Cold Mountain follows the story of a Civil War deserter (Law) who tales on a journey to Cold Mountain, North Carolina to reunite with the woman he loves (Kidman). Its filming locations include Charleston, South Carolina. Other filming locations include North Carolina, Virginia, and Romania.
(2h 34min | R)
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook is a romantic drama movie directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. This movie adaptation stars Rachel McAdams (Allie) and Ryan Gosling (Noah). It is about a couple who fell madly in love in the 1940s. Their story is being read from a notebook by an older present-day Noah (played by James Garner) to an older present-day Allie (Gena Rowlands) who is a fellow resident in the nursing home. The movie was filmed in different spots across South Carolina, including Mount Pleasant, Moncks Corner, Edisto Island, and Charleston. Other filming locations include California and Canada.
(2h 34min | PG-13)
Movies filmed in Rhode Island | Movies filmed in South Dakota