16 Movies Set in New England

This classic holiday movie from the 1950s quickly gained recognition and takes place in Vermont. The story follows Bob and Phil, two singers who tag team with Betty and Judy to put on their own Christmas show.

Before long, the four of them stumble across Gen. Waverly and, after finding out that he’s not doing too well, decide to do what they can to turn his holiday around. It’s one of those fun holiday movies that will just leave you feeling good and fuzzy at the end! 

Grown Ups is a hilarious movie with a star-studded cast, including Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Maya Rudolph, among others. It follows a group of old basketball buddies who get together for their old basketball coach’s funeral after hearing that he passed away.

A lot of fun and silliness ensues as they all get back together and start bonding. Don’t worry; there’s also a sequel if you enjoy this one! It takes place in a New England town, most likely in Massachusetts.

Jaws is one of the most classic movies set in New England of all time. This 1970s film is all about sharks and takes place in a town called Amity Island in New England.

Once a girl is killed by a shark, the entire town goes into a buzz trying to figure out what to do because a lot of their money comes from tourism. So, what do you do? Try to do what you can to get rid of the shark. Jaws is one film that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

While the actual location of Knives Out is never revealed, it most likely takes place in the greater Boston area, especially since that’s where the film was completely shot. With a star-studded cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, and Joseph Gorden-Levitt, this tale is one you won’t want to miss.

It follows the death of a popular crime writer and what happens when the family is seen as possible suspects. As the story goes on, you start to guess who could have murdered their family member!

Taking place in Gloucester, Massachusetts, CODA is a recently released film following a young girl named Ruby, who is the only one who can hear out of a deaf family. She and her family work very hard to keep the family business afloat, but she begins to take a liking to her duet partner at school.

This film recently took home tons of awards and is worth seeing! It even won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Legally Blonde is one of the more fun movies set in New England with a sequel! The story follows Elle Woods, who is a sorority girl turned law school student. It’s so fun watching Elle, played by Reese Witherspoon, truly become her own person after a breakup with her boyfriend.

By the end of the movie, you’re definitely rooting for Elle! This movie was so successful that it also became a musical that has been on and off Broadway over the past few years.

Everyone’s heard of Facebook, so why not learn more about how it began with The Social Network? This story follows Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) as he begins to work on a website idea that soon turns into the Facebook we know today.

Even though it is a biographical film, it's exciting watching this movie because it happened so recently. It’s based on the 2009 book written by Ben Mezrich and features other great stars like Justin Timberlake, Dakota Johnson, and Andrew Garfield.

Stephen King is the king for writing books that turn into movies set in New England. It is no exception! Originally released as a movie in the past, it was recently re-released with a star-studded cast including Jessica Chastain, Finn Wolfhard, and Bill Skarsgard.

The movie will send chills down your spine as you learn all about what happened to Georgie one day. The story unravels as you follow Bill and the rest of his friends start to uncover what happened that day, and it turns out to be a lot more sinister than you imagined!

Next is The Cider House Rules, a movie that takes place in Maine. Toby Maguire stars in this movie from the late 1990s that follows a young man who begins to work at a cider farm after he doesn’t get along with his mentor.

An entire story unfolds the longer he’s there in this drama romance movie. It won quite a few awards, including the Academy Award for Best Writing and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor with Michael Caine.

Good Will Hunting is one movie set in New England that everybody has to watch at least once. It takes place in the city of Boston and was shot a lot around the area surrounding the city, including Cambridge. 

The cast includes Matt Damon and was filmed in the 1990s. The story is about Will Hunting, who is an absolute genius but works as a janitor at MIT, so nobody knows it. After solving an expert-level equation, his life begins to change.

Yours, Mine & Ours is another great New England movie that takes place in New London, Connecticut. The film came out in 2005 and stars Dennis Quaid. The story follows a widowed man who marries his ex-girlfriend and what ensues with their eight children!

There’s also an older version of the movie that came out in the 1960s and is said to be loosely based on a true story, which makes the film all that much more enjoyable.

While it was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, Doctor Sleep takes place in New Hampshire! The story follows Dan Torrance, who has been dealing with what happened at the Overlook Hotel all those years ago. However, he ends up finding someone else with the “shine” too.

Before long, the two of them team up to try to stop a group of people who are trying to become immortal! It’s one of those exciting movies that you won’t be able to stop watching. The new film features Ewan McGregor and Kyleigh Curran.

Lemonade Mouth is a Disney Channel movie that takes place in Providence, Rhode Island! It’s a classic childhood film starring a group that ends up forming a band called Lemonade Mouth as they go through the struggles of high school.

What makes this movie even better? It features a fantastic album sung by the band, which makes you want to get up and dance the longer the movie goes on.

Filmed in Keene, NH, Jumanji is another one of the traditional films that’s kid-friendly and is truly fun for the whole family! It follows a teenager who finds a board game called Jumanji. Thinking it’s nothing but a board game, he plays the game… only to find out that it’s a whole lot more. This 90's classic features everyone's favorite Robin Williams.

In fact, he gets sucked into the game, and an entire story starts to ensue! If this movie ends up being one of your favorites, you’re in luck; there’s a whole new series with a similar concept by the same name but with video games instead of board games, featuring The Rock and Nick Jonas.

A darker movie that is still worth the watch is Patriots Day. This film follows the tragedy of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and will truly send chills down your spine because the events are still so recent.

The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Alex Wolff, and Kevin Bacon, among others. It’s a movie that will most definitely make you emotional but is a can’t-miss film on this list of movies set in New England.

Finally, one of the most New England-y movies of them all. The Halloween Classic Hocus Pocus!

Hocus Pocus is the film to watch if you’re looking for movies set in New England that are a bit kid-friendly and spooky. The story follows a teen named Max and his sister Dani, who inadvertently bring 3 witches back from the 1600s!

The witches are on the hunt to try to become immortal, and Max has to work to stop them before it's too late. Plus, if you love this movie, be sure to stop by Salem, Massachusetts, to visit many film spots!