MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The Mobile area has been a popular filming location for movies and television shows for many years. The city’s diverse architecture, historic landmarks and natural beauty make it the perfect backdrop for a variety of productions.

The options increase when you zoom out to include all of southern Alabama, from small towns to white sand beaches.

No surprise, then, that many famous movies have been filmed here. But it might surprise you to learn which ones. From independent gems to blockbusters and classics, check out our list of movies filmed in and around Mobile:

Movies filmed in and around Mobile

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Keen-eyed viewers can catch several South Alabama locations in Steven Spielberg‘s 1977 sci-fi blockbuster, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon. The landing strip complex behind Devil’s Tower was built in an abandoned World War II aircraft hangar at the former Brookley Air Force Base. Visitors to Bay Minette can tour the L & N Railroad station, which served as the backdrop for the film’s evacuation scene. And east of Fairhope, you can still find the house where a little boy was abducted by aliens.

Get Out (2017)

With his directorial debut “Get Out,” Jordan Peele established himself as a serious horror auteur, picking up an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay. He also chose Fairhope and Mobile as the backdrops for his blistering psychological horror film. The movie’s opening abduction scene was filmed in Mobile’s Park Place district. Most of the action was filmed at The Armitage House in Fairhope. And the movie’s basement scenes brought filming back to Mobile, at Barton Academy.

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Netflix’s 2017 thriller “Gerald’s Game,” based on a novel of the same name by horror master Stephen King, was filmed in downtown Mobile. The movie stars Garla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, but locals will recognize another face. Nexstar’s WKRG News 5’s own Bill Riales appears in the movie, appropriately enough, as a television reporter. Producer and Fairhope native Scott Lumpkin said 90 percent of the movie was shot on the Gulf Coast. Director Mike Flanagan, also known for his 2019 Steven King Adaptation “Doctor Sleep” and the Nextflix series “The Haunting of Hill House,” often films in the American South.

Under Siege (1992)

Steven Seagal stars as a former Navy SEAL who must thwart a group of mercenaries, led by Tommy Lee Jones, after they take over the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri. Starring as the USS Missouri? In many scenes, it’s the USS Alabama, the centerpiece of Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile. The USS Drum, also at Battleship Park, portrayed the film’s North Korean submarine.

The Insider (1999)

This 1999 drama picked up seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor in a Leading Role for star Russell Crowe. Crowe’s co-star, Al Pacino, won the best actor Oscar in 1993 for “Scent of a Woman.” The Insider is based on a true story about a 60 Minutes segment about a tobacco industry whistleblower. A critical deposition hearing scene was filmed in the actual Pascagoula, Mississippi courtroom where the deposition was given.

Oculus (2013)

Remember when we said “Gerald’s Game” director Mike Flanagan likes to film in the South? He’d already worked on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, filming 2013’s horror film Oculus in Fairhope in just three weeks. The supernatural horror movie scored at the box office, earning $44 million on a $5 million budget.

The Final Destination (2009)

The fourth installment of the Final Destination series was shot mostly in New Orleans. But the opening crash sequence was captured at the Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Alabama. The movie follows a group of people who escape that crash, as Death stalks and kills them — Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten and Mykelti Williamson — one by one.

Heist (2015)

Two-time Academy Award-winner Robert De Niro traveled to Mobile to film 2015’s action thriller “Heist.” Directed by Scott Mann, the movie follows a casino heist led by an employee who needs the money to pay for his sick daughter’s $300,000 surgery. The Battle House Hotel was transformed into a 1940s-style “The Swan Casino.” Additional filming happened on the Causeway near Battleship Park.

Rage (2014)

Not just filmed in Mobile, 2014’s action crime thriller “Rage” is set in the Port City, where a career criminal turned legitimate businessman can’t escape his past. Nicholas Cage stars with Rachel Nichols, Peter Stormare and Danny Glover.

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

The seventh installment of the Friday the 13th franchise was filmed in October and November 1987 at Byrnes Lake in Baldwin County and in nearby Mobile in February 1988. Devoted Jason Voorhees fans will also know “The New Blood” was Kane Hodder‘s first appearance as the slasher film icon.

Jesus Revolution (2023)

Based on a book by Greg Laurie, 2023’s Christian drama is about a seemingly counter-culture movement toward Christianity in southern California in the late sixties. Locations in Fairhope, Daphne and Mobile proved suitable stand-ins for SoCal. The film stars Joel Courtney, Jonathan Roumie, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Kelsey Grammer. WKRG News 5’s Bill Riales sat down with some of the movie’s stars to talk about their experience filming on the Gulf Coast.

Full list of movies filmed in Alabama

We didn’t mention every movie filmed in and around Mobile, but we covered quite a few. There are many more. And there are many more movies filmed in Alabama. The Alabama Film Office keeps track of feature films made fully or partially on location in the state: