10 Best Movies Filmed In New Orleans

New Orleans is a city that is known for its soul, and the art that comes out of it is just as stirring. The films that use Crescent City as their backdrop are no exception, and much of the time, the location is part of what makes the films so exceptional.

The Big Easy is rich in history, music, art, legends and food that all breathe life into the stories that unfold inside of them. In the long and full-bodied history of filmmaking in New Orleans, there are a few iconic movies that would not be the same without the Paris of the South as their setting.

Tightrope (1984)

Starring Clint Eastwood as Wes Block, the 1984 neo-noir film, Tightrope, tells the story of a New Orleans detective investigating the case of a serial sex killer in the city, as the killer turns the tables by starting to hunt down Block himself.

The true-crime history in New Orleans is thick and heavy, and so it is the perfect setting for this killer-centric tale. Richard Tuggle’s film is a psychological venture that makes the audience watch as pursuing a dark murderer forces Detective Block to grapple with the darker side of his own personality, making it one of the best Clint Eastwood slasher movies. Just as New Orleans is a hotspot for true crime enthusiasts, this film attracts a similar audience.

Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)

Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild takes the audience on a fantastical journey alongside a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy who sets out on a quest for her long-lost mother when both her father’s health and the environment around her begin to deteriorate, unleashing the monsters within.

Scenes involving the land that Hushpuppy hails from, which locals refer to as “The Bathtub,” were shot on an island called Isle de Jean Charles just off the coast of The Big Easy. In reference to creating the location, director Benh Zeitlin told The Atlantic that New Orleans culture played a part in its conception. The vibrancy of this culture is not only evident in the film, but a part of what creates such a magical watching experience.

The Big Easy (1986)

Part drama and part love story, Jim McBride’s The Big Easy explores the budding romance between a New Orleans police lieutenant and a district attorney as they prepare to deal with an impending gang war after a local mobster is killed.

Drama and love are two immovable components of New Orleans, and so the compelling story in The Big Easy manages to capture its spirit really well beyond the name itself. The film even features some NoLa hotspots, including one of the most popular French-Creole restaurants in the French Quarter, Antoine’s, renowned for being the oldest restaurant in the United States.

Girls Trip (2017)

Girls Trip is a 2017 comedy that follows four best friends who embark on a trip to New Orleans to attend the annual Essence Festival. With a cast that includes Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film is just as vivacious as the city itself.

With so many darker movies that complement the dark history of the city, it is a relief to see one of Tiffany Haddish’s best movies capture all of New Orleans’ fierce and romantic energy in the funniest way possible. Girls Trip is certainly true to the city, as the Essence Festival really exists and is held annually in New Orleans as a cultural celebration aimed at Black American women.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008)

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story of the same name. The romantic drama follows a man named Benjamin Button who ages in reverse as romance unfolds with his lifelong lover, Daisy Fuller.

While Fitzgerald’s story takes place in Baltimore, the film would not be the same without its chosen backdrop of New Orleans. The movie features a few well-known New Orleans locations, the most iconic of which is the Nolan House. The location works together with the unique storyline and great casting to create a wonderful production, as proven by the 13 Oscar nominations that it received, including Best Picture and Best Leading Actor for Brad Pitt.

12 Years A Slave (2013)

A telling of the true story of a man named Solomon Northup, Steve McQueen’s 2013 film 12 Years A Slave follows a free black man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery on antebellum plantations in Louisiana.

12 Years A Slave was shot on a few different plantations just outside of New Orleans, demonstrating the profound history surrounding the city. The Magnolia plantation served as one of the shooting locations, and it is historically the most similar to the plantation that the real Northup worked on, bringing an added element of realism to the biographical film that swept the 2014 Oscars as Best Picture.

Angel Heart (1987)

In the 1987 horror film Angel Heart, an NYC investigator finds himself in New Orleans while pursuing the disappearance of a man called Johnny Favorite. With his arrival, things begin to get really bloody in the Big Easy.

With all of the bloody legends that surround the city, horror easily finds a home in the French Quarter. Angel Heart is one of the most notorious horror films that takes place in the city, and it does a wonderful job of capturing New Orleans’ darker side with grim shots of the city streets. It even doses audiences with some New Orleans-specific gore, like a murder that involves a man drowning in a boiling pot of gumbo.

Ruby Bridges (1998)

Euzhan Palcy’s 1998 film Ruby Bridges tells the true story of Ruby Bridges, a Black American first-grader known for being one of the first children to attend an integrated school in the South. Her test scores allow her to enroll as a student at a formerly all-white school in New Orleans.

Ruby Bridges is the perfect example of New Orleans’ rich history. The narrative of the film is a particularly important history to people of color. Since her six-year-old self first stepped foot into an integrated school, Ruby Bridges has become a famed activist in the Black American community. In telling her story, the film does a wonderful job of highlighting the city in which she got her start.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

In Interview With The Vampire, a reporter interviews a New Orleans-based vampire named Louis as he recounts his time with Lestat, the vampire who turns him. Together, they turn a 10-year-old girl named Claudia, crafting a story that is considered the best Anne Rice movie adaptation.

As a city that is doused in all sorts of vampire lore and even some modern vampiric rumors, there is no better setting for any sort of vampire story than New Orleans. Interview With The Vampire is perhaps one of the most iconic productions from the city, with leading actors Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise taking viewers on a heartfelt horror adventure through New Orleans, setting faux fires to locations in the Quarter that tourists can visit today.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Elia Kazan’s classic film A Streetcar Named Desire is based on the play by Tennessee Williams. It tells the tale of the notorious character, Blanche DuBois, as she moves in with her sister Stella and Stella’s abusive husband Stanley in their small New Orleans apartment.

A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most iconic New Orleans films. The name of the film comes from “the Desire line,” a streetcar line that used to take patrons through the heart of the French Quarter. The emblematic storyline and imagery have shaped the movie into a New Orleans cultural artifact, so much so that the city is full of references to the work as the name of restaurants, bars, and more.

About The Author