Starring Port Hope

Port Hope's small town beauty and architecture have made us a popular location for TV and film shoots.

Port Hope is great on camera

We're the quintessential small town with pretty streets, beautiful period architecture and the kind of warmth and charm that keep you coming back. Port Hope has become a destination for filmmakers and TV producers looking for historical flavour and ambiance. The period detective series, Murdoch Mysteries, films here often. Even the acclaimed Schitt's Creek flashes a cameo of the town.

IT horror movies and other famous screen appearances

Downtown Port Hope was transformed into fictional Derry, Maine for the chilling adaptations of Stephen King's IT for IT Chapter One (2017) and IT Chapter Two (2019). The filming was a huge contributor to the local economy with production dollar spending and visitors coming to see the set locations. You can take a selfie tour of IT local film spots.

The filming also sparked a Port Horror festival of movies that included a short film contest and vampire makeovers. Other notable films include Tommy Boy (1994), the buddy comedy road trip with Chris Farley and David Spade, and To Die For (1994), the crime mockumentary with Nicole Kidman.

Pennywise the clown and Georgie in Port Hope

You can take a selfie tour of IT local film spots.

Famous films and TV featuring Port Hope

Murdoch Mysteries (2008-present)

A Canadian TV period mystery drama staple. Port Hope's classic, well-preserved 19th century main streets and beautiful rolling topography are a favourite location for Murdoch Mysteries shoots, especially the close, gloomy facades along John St.

The Hardy Boys (2020-2023)

Season 1
(Filmed in 2019)
Season 2
(Filmed 2021)
Adaptation of the classic book series The Hardy Boys.
When the Hardy boys, Frank and Joe and their father, Fenton arrive in Bridgeport they set out to uncover the truth behind the recent tragedy that has changed their lives, and in doing so, uncover something much more sinister.

The Marsh King's Daughter (2023)

(Filmed in June 2021)
A woman who was abducted when she was young along with her mother is forced to confront her past after her infamous father escapes from prison. Starring Daisy Ridley.

Love in Whitbrooke (2021)

(Filmed in November 2020)
A project manager is offered the opportunity of a lifetime in London. But when she returns to her hometown and meets the perfect guy, her passion and talent for painting is rekindled, giving her a new outlook on life and love.

Schitt's Creek (2015-2020)

The Capitol Theatre marquee had a cameo in the beloved Canadian sitcom that stars SCTV alumni Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara.

Stephen King's It (2017) and It: Chapter 2 (2019)

(Filmed in 2016 and 2018)
The movie is based on Stephen King’s timeless novel “It” set in the summer of 1989, and follows seven young friends as they battle an evil presence lurking beneath their small town of Derry, Maine. The highly anticipated sequel sees the Losers' Club return to Derry 27 years later to defeat Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Starring James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Skarsgård, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, James Ransone, Jay Ryan, and a special appearance by the King of Horror himself.

Both films shot many iconic scenes in the residential and downtown streets of Port Hope, leading Port Hope to be dubbed "the real life Derry, Maine."

Star Falls (2018)

(Filmed in July 2017)
A Nickelodeon series entitled Star Falls was filmed in Port Hope during July 2017. Star Falls follows teen Sophia who persuades a Hollywood star and his family to live in her house while he shoots a movie in town, hoping he'll fall in love with her mom.

Falling Water (2016-2018)

(Season 2 filmed in September 2017)
A sci-fi drama series released over US networks. It follows three people who have never met but are connected by different parts of the same dream.

Our House (2018)

(Filmed in June 2016)
A supernatural thriller remake of the 2010 film Ghost From The Machine.

Orphan (2009)

A horror flick shot on Dorset Street.

A Holiday Romance (1999)

A classic Hallmark Christmas movie set in the fictional small town of Bethlehem shot around Port Hope.

Tommy Boy (1995)

The comedy road film with Chris Farley and David Spade shot on Walton and Queen street.

To Die For (1995)

The crime black comedy with Nicole Kidman filmed on Ward and King streets.