CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — You might not think of West Virginia as a movie state, but the Mountain State has seen plenty of critically acclaimed movies run through its mountains.
This list was compiled using the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website. Here are some facts about cinema in West Virginia:
McDowell County was the only county to make the top 10 twice. Movies shot in McDowell County are “Primal Fear” and “The Glass Castle”.
Drama films came out strong with six of the 10 films featuring dramas in their categories. Documentary came in behind with four, while crime, thriller and biography were featured in three films.
Two Best Picture winners are on the list. These are “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Deer Hunter”. Both films won five Oscars. “The Deer Hunter” was nominated for nine overall and “The Silence of the Lambs” was nominated for seven overall.
Three films were nominated for an Oscar but did not win. “Matewan” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Edward Norton in “Primal Fear” was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. “Super Size Me” was nominated for Best Documentary.
The most critically acclaimed film on the list is “The Night of the Hunter” with a 99/100 on Metacritic from 8 reviews, while “Primal Fear” was the lowest, with an average of 47/100 from 18 reviews. reviews.
According to IMDb user ratings, here are the Top 10 Movies Shot in West Virginia.
1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Director: Jonathan Deme
Writer: Ted Tally (Screenplay), Thomas Harris (Based on the novel)
Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
Gender: Crime, Drama, Thriller
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 (1.4 million reviews)
Metacritical score: 85/100
Where in West Virginia? : clay county
Synopsis IMDb: “A young FBI cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibalistic killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.”
2. The Deer Hunter (1978)
Director: Michel Cimino
Writer: Michael Cimino (Story), Deric Washburn (Story), Louis Garfinkle (Story), Quinn K. Redeker (Story), Deric Washburn (Screenplay)
Stars: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale
Gender: Drama, War
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10 (335,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 86/100
Where in West Virginia? : Follansbee, Brooke County | Weirton, Brooke and Hancock Counties
IMDb Synopsis: “An in-depth examination of how the Vietnam War affects and disrupts the lives of several friends in a small Pennsylvania steel town.”
3. Night of the Hunter (1955)
Director: Charles Laughton
Writer: Charles Laughton (Screenplay), James Agee (Screenplay), Davis Grubb (Based on the novel)
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
Gender: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller
IMDb Rating: 8/10 (89,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 99/100
Where in West Virginia? : Moundsville, Marshall County
Synopsis IMDb: “A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he stole during a robbery.”
4.Matewan (1987)
Director: John Sayles
Writer: John Sayles
Stars: Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell
Gender: Drama, History
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10 (8,100 ratings)
Metacritical score: 73/100
Where in West Virginia? : New River Gorge | Thurmond, Fayette County
Synopsis IMDb: “A labor organizer comes to a beleaguered mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company.”
5. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)
Director: Jeff Feuerzeig
Writer: Jeff Feuerzeig
Stars: Daniel Johnston, Matt Groening, Gibby Haynes
Gender: Documentary, Biography, Music
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10 (10,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 77/100
Where in West Virginia? : Weston, Lewis County
Synopsis IMDb: “Daniel Johnston, singer/songwriter/artist of manic-depressive genius comes to light in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.”
6. The Last Mountain (2011)
Director: Bill Haney
Writer: Bill Haney, Peter Rhodes
Stars: Susan Bird, Don Blankenship, Ron Burris
Gender: Documentary
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 (299 ratings)
Metacritical score: 62/100
Where in West Virginia?: Appalachia
IMDb synopsis: “A coal mining company and a small community vie for the last great mountain in Appalachia in a battle for the future of energy that affects us all.”
7. Bill Again (2009)
Director: Damani Baker, Alex Vlack
Writer: Alex Vlack
Stars: Bill Withers, Clarence Avant, Corey Glover
Gender: Documentary, Biography, Music
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10 (629 ratings)
Metacritical score: 76/100
Where in West Virginia? : Slab Fork, Raleigh County
Synopsis IMDb: “A portrait of soul legend Bill Withers.”
8. Primordial Fear (1996)
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Writer: Steve Shagan (Screenplay), Ann Biderman (Screenplay), William Diehl (Based on the novel)
Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton
Gender: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10 (290,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 47/100
Where in West Virginia? : Keystone, McDowell County
Synopsis IMDb: “An altar boy is framed for the murder of a priest, and the truth is buried on many levels.”
9. Super Size Me (2004)
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Writer: Morgan Spurlock
Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker
Gender: Documentary
IMDb Ranking: 7.2/10 (108,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 73/100
Where in West Virginia? : Beckley, Raleigh County
IMDb synopsis: “While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the health consequences of eating a diet of only McDonald’s foods for a month.
10. The Glass Castle (2017)
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Writer: Destin Daniel Cretton (Screenplay), Andrew Lanham (Screenplay), Jeannette Walls (Based on the novel)
Stars: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts
Gender: Biography, Drama
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10 (33,000 ratings)
Metacritical score: 56/100
Where in West Virginia? : Welch, McDowell County
Synopsis IMDb: “A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of maverick nomads with a mother who is an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would spark children’s imaginations with hope as a distraction from their poverty.”
