Top 5 Movies Filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee by US Box Office

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Lights, Camera, Knoxville: Explore the Iconic Movie Filming Locations in Tennessee!

Lights, camera, action! Ready for a thrilling cinematic adventure in the heart of Tennessee? Put on your director’s hat and get ready to explore the enchanting city of Knoxville, where the magic of the silver screen comes to life.

Whether you’re a die-hard movie buff or simply seeking a dose of excitement, this city will leave you star-struck. Get ready to embark on a Hollywood-worthy journey as we take you through the fascinating world of movies filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Key Takeaways:

  • Knoxville, Tennessee is a haven for movie enthusiasts, boasting a slew of iconic filming locations.
  • Visiting these movie spots offers a unique blend of entertainment and exploration.
  • Get a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes magic and discover the real-life backdrops that set the stage for your favorite films.
  • From thrillers to comedies, Knoxville has played host to a wide range of genres, promising something for every movie lover.
  • Exploring these filming locations is an exciting way to immerse yourself in the world of cinema while experiencing the city’s charm.

Lights, camera, adventure! Picture yourself strolling through the very streets that your favorite movie characters once roamed. As you wander the vibrant neighborhoods of Knoxville, you’ll discover familiar sights that transport you into the heart of cinematic tales. It’s a thrilling way to see the city through a new lens, bringing the big screen right to your fingertips.

Imagine stepping into the shoes of your favorite actors, pretending to be the hero or the villain of your own movie. Channel your inner superstar as you explore the locations that have graced Hollywood productions. Whether it’s a quintessential café where the romance unfolds or a historic landmark that adds a touch of grandeur, each spot holds a piece of movie magic, just waiting for you to unravel it.

From nail-biting action sequences to side-splitting comedy scenes, Knoxville has witnessed it all. Each filming location carries its own unique story, giving you a glimpse behind the curtain of the cinematic world.

Let the city be your guide as you walk the footsteps of your favorite characters, and see firsthand how these iconic spots have been transformed into unforgettable moments on the silver screen.

Lights, camera, you! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of the movie magic in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Grab your camera, gather your friends or family, and embark on a thrilling adventure through the enchanting filming locations. Immerse yourself in the charm of this captivating city, intertwined with the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.

So what are you waiting for? Reel in the excitement, hit play on your own adventure, and discover the hidden treasures of Knoxville’s movie locations. Lights, camera, Knoxville – it’s showtime!

Lights, camera, action! Explore the captivating movies filmed in Knoxville, Tennessee. Discover the magic of each location and let the silver screen guide you through this enchanting city. Lights, camera, adventure awaits – check out the listicle below and start planning your cinematic journey in Knoxville today!

Road Trip- US Box Office: USD$68,540,777

Director: Todd Phillips

Main Cast: Breckin Meyer, Seann Williams, Amy Smart, Paulo Costanzo, Dj Qualls

Release Date: May 19, 2000

Filming Locations: Austin, Texas, USA; University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA; Cumming, Georgia, USA

Main Plot: Josh Parker and Tiffany Henderson are childhood friends turned high school sweethearts. They try a long-distance relationship when he attends the University of Ithaca, and she attends the University of Austin. Eventually, their long-distance relationship began to deteriorate. Not being able to contact Tiffany on the phone regularly made Josh insecure. Fearing infidelity, Josh started sending Tiffany video messages. Josh asked his friend Rubin to send his latest tape to Tiffany before going to his old philosophy class. Josh’s ancient philosophy professor told him he needed a B+ midterm to pass the course. Josh’s best friend, E.L., convinces Josh to stop worrying about Tiffany and focus on the beautiful Beth Wagner. Beth falls in love with Josh, much to the chagrin of philosopher T.A. Jacob. who is obsessed with her. Later, E.L. threw a party and auctioned off several schoolgirls, including Beth. She was afraid of Jacob and convinced Josh to outbid him. Josh and Beth escaped to his room and recorded their sexual act on his camera.

Famous quotes:

Rubin: “It’s supposed to be a challenge; that’s why they call it a shortcut.”

Motel Clerk: “By the way, Cheech, that credit card you guys gave me last night was maxed out, so don’t go spending all your cash on needles and guns just yet.”

Frat member: “There is. See, your boy here’s an evil bigot, and now he’s going to die.”

E.L.: “The window of opportunity to drink and do drugs and take advantage of young girls is getting smaller by the day.”

Josh: “She should be smart and funny.”

Josh: “She should be nice and attractive.”

Barry: “Show you as much, as much as you need to know, plus a, plus a whole lot more.”

Sequel: Road Trip: Beer Pong

Fun facts about Road Trip:

  • The university seen on the overpass in the opening scene is a university. 
  • Although the film was set on campus in Ithaca, Boston, and Austin, almost all of the college scenes were filmed nearby Georgia Tech, Emory University, and the University of Georgia in Atlanta. 
  • The motel clerk reads an issue of Celebrity Skin magazine with Drew Barrymore on the cover. At the time, Barrymore was engaged to actor Tom Green, who plays Barry in this movie.

October Sky- US Box Office: USD$32,570,685

Director: Joe Johnston

Main Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen, William Lee Scott

Release Date: February 19, 1999

Filming Locations: Petros, Tennessee, USA; Wartburg, Tennessee, USA; Harriman, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Valley Railroad, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA; Oliver Springs, Tennessee, USA

Main Plot: In the 1950s, in the mining town of Colwood, Homer Hickam is a child who sees only one future: to work in the local coal mine like his father. However, everything changed in October 1957 when the first Sputnik satellite entered orbit. This incident inspired Homer to learn how to build rockets. Through trial and error, Homer does it with his friends and the local nerds. Unfortunately, most townspeople, especially Homer’s father, think they are a waste of time. Only a high school teacher understands their efforts and tells them they can participate in the National Science Fair with college scholarships. Now the group must learn to perfect their craft and overcome the many challenges they face as they shoot for the stars.

Famous quotes:

Homer:  “Dad, I may not be the best, but I believe I got it in me to be somebody in this world.”

O’Dell: “God’s truth, Homer. What are the chances… a bunch of kids from Coalwood… winning the national science fair?”

John: “I’m not gonna crawl on my belly in front of those miserable union rats.”

Elsie: “Homer once said you love the mine more than your own family.”

Homer: “Man, we should be trying to get into that science fair instead of sitting around here like a bunch of hillbillies.”

Sequel: October Sky 2

Fun facts about October Sky:

  • The author wanted to name the film the same as the book it was based on, The Rocket Boys, but the studio thought the name would not sell well. 
  • The slag dump where the Rocket Boys tested their rockets still exists.
  • In the commentary, Homer Hickam laments the film for not showing the intellectual side of his father. 
  • In real life the Rocket Boys novel, Quentin Wilson was a conventionally handsome man. At the same time, Homer Hickam resembled the stereotypical “fool” created by Quentin’s appearance in the film. 
  • Coalwood, West Virginia, lost many residents when it no longer hosted its annual October Ski Festival. 

Walking Tall- US Box Office: USD$46,437,717

Director: Phil Karlson

Main Cast: Joe Baker, Elizabeth Hartman, Leif Garrett, Dawn Lyn

Release Date: February 22, 1973

Filming Locations: Jackson, Tennessee, USA; Henderson, Tennessee, USA; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Chester County Courthouse, Main Street, Henderson, Tennessee, USA; First United Methodist Church, 131 North Ave, Henderson, Tennessee, USA

Main Plot: The walking puppet, with the theme of a man defending his sense of right and wrong, was a surprise success on its debut. Selmer, a small town in southwest Tennessee, served as the real-life backdrop for the biographical film Sheriff Southern Heroine. Joe Don Baker did an excellent job in this role, and the violent movie was an unexpected success. Poser’s ex-sheriff was supposed to be revealed in the sequel. Still, he died in a car accident on his way back from a contract signing in California. The continuation had Swedish actor Bo Svensson, and the final episode announced the death of the Posers. While the “Marching Doll” franchise may not be on any classic movie list, the original is a great piece of ’70s Americana. It marked Baker’s career and launched the decades-long South Exploitation genre.

Famous quotes:

Buford: “There are only two rules, and that’s all… But don’t ever forget them. Number one, we enforce the law equally. Number two, any man caught taking a bribe gets his head knocked off by me”

Buford: “I’ve read the book, Your Honor, and it clearly states on page 53, paragraph 6, that the sheriff has the right to assign all courtrooms and judges’ chambers.”

Buford: “If you let them do this to me and get away with it, THEN YOU’RE GIVING THEM THE ETERNAL RIGHT TO DO THE SAME DAMN THING TO ANYONE.

John Witter: “Ya know, ideals and realities are very far apart.”

Buford: “I understand the difference between a poor honest judge and a rich dishonest one!”

Sequel: Walking Tall: The Payback

Fun facts about Walking Tall:

  • Buford Pusser’s real house was turned into a museum after his death. 
  • Two actresses associated with the film committed suicide: Elizabeth Hartman and  Brenda Bennett
  • Sheriff Tanner is from Alcorn County, Mississippi. 
  • It was the final film of Brenda Benet.

The Evil Dead- US Box Office: USD$2,400,000

Director: Sam Raimi

Main Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly

Release Date: 15 October 1981

Filming Locations: Marshall, Michigan, USA; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Morristown, Tennessee, USA; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Michigan, USA

Main Plot: What better way to get some fresh air than to take a little weekend trip? But when Michigan State University student Ash Williams with his friends, his girlfriend Linda, his sister Cheryl, Scott, and his girlfriend Shelly—arrive, nothing could prepare them for what’s to come when they hit the weather in a beat-up cabin. Before long, strange discoveries in the basement and mysterious spells lead to a night of pure horror as a hidden evil force infiltrates our world. The human body is corrupted by a parasitic power that causes the human body to mutate, and the thick bright red blood stains the solitude around the mountain. Is there freedom from the madness of demons and the torment of the evil dead?

Famous quotes:

Voice recorder: “It is through the recitation of these passages that the demons are given license to possess the living.”

Voice recorder: “I fear that the only way to stop those possessed by the spirits of the book is through the act of… bodily dismemberment.”

Cheryl: “Why have you disturbed our sleep, awakened us from our ancient slumber?”

Cheryl: “You will die! Like the others before you, we will take you.”

Linda: “It’s useless! Useless! It will come for him in time, and then it will come for you.”

Sequel: Evil Dead Rise

Fun facts about The Evil Dead:

  • The 13 crew members stayed in the same cabin used as the movie’s set, sharing a single room.
  • Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi’s friend Andy Grainger once advised them, “Fellas, no matter what you do, keep the blood streaming down the screen.” 
  • At the end of the principal shooting in Tennessee, the crew packed up a small time capsule and buried it in a cabin fire as an elaborate souvenir for anyone who found it. 
  • The original script encouraged all the characters to smoke marijuana when they first listened to the tape. 

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things- US Box Office: USD$29,058

Director: Asia Argento

Main Cast: Asia Argento, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, Jimmy Bennet

Release Date: January 19, 2005

Filming Locations: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee, USA

Main Plot: Sarah is 23 years old with a disability. She welcomes her biological son, Jeremiah, from the home of her beloved adoptive parents with the help of social services. Over the years, the boy shares his crazy, modest lifestyle and is initiated into alcohol and drugs. He is mentally, physically, and sexually abused by Sarah, her lovers, and her religiously fanatical family. 

Famous quotes:

Older Jeremiah: “You’re so beautiful, baby doll.”

Jackson: “You look like your mother a little back in the day.”

Older Jeremiah: “But… but I don’t wanna die.”

Sarah: “You ate poison! You ate poison.”

Sarah: “We gotta do something with your nose. Somebody fucked their slave, and you’ve got the nose to prove it.”

Older Jeremiah: “Fix it, please.”

Sequel: The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things: Story 2

Fun facts about The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things:

  • Sarah’s boyfriend’s montage is of men Asia met and dated while filming.
  • Peter Fonda wouldn’t punch John Robinson in the face, so the hands that punched John belonged to cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards.
  • In Sarah’s comedy scene, she’s out of the club with two other women. One of the women is the mother of Cole and Dylan Sprouse.
  • The title comes from a Bible verse in Jeremiah 17: 9: “The heart is deceitful above all and incurable. Who can understand it?”

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