Willem Dafoe, left, and Robert Pattinson in a scene from “The Lighthouse,” set in a fictional Maine lighthouse in the 1890s. Photo courtesy of A24

It is hard to imagine a movie you could not set in Maine.

Dramas can be told against the hardscrabble backdrop of a Down East fishing village, or in a tony summer resort town. Horror or suspense plays well on isolated Maine islands or deep in the North Woods. A typical Maine small town, where everybody knows everybody, is fertile ground for both romance and comedy.

Hundreds of movies have been set in Maine, dating back to silent films and including blockbusters like Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), which takes places mostly in a Maine prison. One recent example of a Maine-set film getting national attention was “Lost on a Mountain in Maine,” released to theaters around the country Oct. 31. It is based on the true story of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who survived nine days alone on Mount Katahdin in 1939.

Luke David Blumm as young Donn Fendler in the movie “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.” Photo courtesy of Bluefox Entertainment

Not all Maine-set films are shot here. Lots of filmmakers who would like to make a movie in Maine often say they cannot financially, because several other states, including Massachusetts, offer so much more in the way of tax rebates and other monetary incentives than Maine does.

Still, it can be sort of magical and definitely fun to watch any movie set here. There is a lot of pride knowing your state — out of all 50 — has enough going for it to spark the imaginations of writers, producers and directors. Plus you can try to figure out what real places inspired the movie’s locale, or just make fun of the bad Maine accents or overly quaint and quirky characters.

As 2025 approaches, we decided to look at some of the best movies set in Maine over the past 25 years. To compile the list, we asked several Mainers who work in the movie industry, teach film or write about film, including Ken Eisen, programmer at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville; Mike Perreault, executive director of the Maine Film Center in Waterville; Jon Cavallero, professor of film studies at Bates College in Lewiston; Dennis Perkins, independent film columnist for the Portland Press Herald; and Tom Wilhite, a longtime TV and film producer from Camden.

Here then is our list of the 10 best Maine-set films of the last 25 years — including five shot here — in chronological order.

‘In the Bedroom’ (2001), dir. Todd Field 

This gritty drama about a midcoast family dealing with grief after the violent death of a loved one was filmed in Rockland, Camden and nearby towns. The cast features Sissy Spacek, Marisa Tomei and Tom Wilkinson. It was directed by longtime Rockport resident Todd Field, who was adamant it be shot in Maine, even though it was based on a short story called “Killings” by Andre Dubus and set in Dover, New Hampshire. Field wanted Maine lobstering to play a key role in the film’s story and the title refers to the rear compartment of a trap that holds two lobsters. It was nominated for five Oscars — picture, actor, actress, supporting actress and screenplay — but did not win.

Maine resident Todd Field, who directed “In The Bedroom.” Photo by Banko Jozsef

‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001), dir. David Wain

Set at a summer camp near Waterville in the early 1980s, this satirical spoof of teenage sex comedies featured a big-name ensemble cast, including Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks and Bradley Cooper. Though not a hit at first, it’s developed a cult following. The film’s director and co-writer, David Wain, said the camp in the film was at least partially inspired by his own time at Camp Modin in Belgrade. It was filmed at a camp in Pennsylvania.

‘Empire Falls’ (2005), dir. Fred Schepisi

Technically a two-part miniseries on HBO, this is a Maine film project through and through. It’s based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Empire Falls” by Portland author Richard Russo, about the daily dramas and long-festering resentments in a decaying Maine mill town. Russo, who had taught English at Colby College in Waterville, helped convince the filmmakers to shoot it in Waterville and Skowhegan — two of the places that inspired the town of Empire Falls in the book — as well as other Maine locations. The cast included Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt and Robin Wright.

Ed Harris jokes with fans during the filming of “Empire Falls” in Norridgewock. Jim Evans/Morning Sentinel

‘Charlotte’s Web’ (2006), dir. Gary Winick

This live-action film is based on E.B. White’s classic 1952 novel about a pig on a Maine farm saved by a quick-thinking spider named Charlotte. It features Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese and Oprah Winfrey voicing the barnyard’s inhabitants. White lived on a farm in Brooklin, on the Blue Hill peninsula, from 1933 until his death in 1985, and used it as the setting for his book. The movie was shot in Australia.

‘Olive Kitteridge’ (2014), dir. Lisa Cholodenko

If you want to have a theme night where you only watch HBO miniseries set in Maine and based on Pulitzer Prize-winning books by authors from Maine, this is what you pair with “Empire Falls.” It’s based on the book by Elizabeth Strout, about a somewhat cranky retired school teacher living in the fictional Maine town of Crosby. Strout, who lives in the midcoast and grew up partly in Harpswell, says Crosby is a combination of several Maine places. The cast includes Frances McDormand as the title character, Richard Jenkins as her husband and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison. All three won Emmys. It was filmed mostly on Cape Ann, in Massachusetts, and partly in Camden.

‘Neptune’ (2015), dir. Derek Kimball

This independent film was picked by several of the folks we asked for suggestions. Set in the late 1980s, it’s focus is an orphan girl raised on a Maine island, who becomes obsessed by the disappearance of a classmate. The very low-budget — about $37,000 — movie was filmed in Harpswell, South Cushing and Cape Elizabeth and featured several actors who routinely perform on Maine stages, including Tony Reilly, Christine Louise Marshall, Dylan Chestnutt and Maureen Butler.

‘IT’ (2017), dir. Andy Muschietti

Based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel — featuring the scariest clown ever, Pennywise — this became the highest grossing horror film of all time. It stars Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise and is set in the fictional Maine town of Derry, near Bangor. It tells the story of The Losers Club, seven kids terrorized by Pennywise. It was shot mostly in Canada. King, who has lived in Maine most of his life, has had more TV and film projects — at least 75 — based on his books than any other living writer. 

Catherine Eaton in a scene from “The Sounding” Photo by Asya Danilova and Mariya Bulat

‘The Sounding’ (2017), dir. Catherine Eaton

Filmed largely on Monhegan, some 12 miles out to sea, this is the story of a woman raised on a remote Maine island who rarely speaks, except to recite Shakespeare. The film’s star and director, Catherine Eaton, prepared for the role by living on another Maine island — she declined to name it — in a tent for several weeks to see how inhabitants might react to a newcomer who didn’t talk. Eaton, who has acted on TV, in films and on Broadway, brought a cast of other TV and film veterans to the island, including Teddy Sears (NBC’s “Chicago Fire”), Harris Yulin (“24” on Fox) and Frankie Faison (HBO’s “The Wire.”)

‘Blow the Man Down’ (2019), dir. Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy

This quirky murder mystery was filmed all over Harpswell, including in Cundy’s Harbor and on Orr’s and Bailey islands. While the story is gripping, it’s also fun to see how many local landmarks you can spot, including the Giant’s Stairs, Holbrook’s General Store and the Cribstone Bridge. It stars Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe as two college-age sisters who take over their late mother’s fish market in a small Maine town, and find themselves embroiled in dangerous situations and long-buried town secrets. Veteran character actress June Squibb, who starred in the recent surprise hit film “Thelma,” plays one of several town matriarchs.

Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe near the Giant’s Stairs on Bailey Island, in a scene from “Blow the Man Down.” Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios

‘The Lighthouse’ (2019), dir. Robert Eggers

Director Robert Eggers, who grew up near the Maine border in New Hampshire, drew on Maine influences heavily for this psychological drama about two lighthouse keepers on a remote Maine island in the 1890s. The dialogue was strongly influenced by Maine writer Sarah Orne Jewett and the visuals were informed by the Maine paintings of Andrew Wyeth. Eggers and his crew painstakingly researched the history and looks of Maine lighthouses then had one built — wait for it — in Nova Scotia, because it made more financial sense, Eggers said. The film stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe.