California’s gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather make it the perfect locale for filming movies, but you probably don’t know that a lot of them have also been shot right here in Marin County! If you’ve been enjoying a little binge-watching lately, you may recognize the (familiar) scenery in these movies!

 

Thirteen Reasons Why

This Paramount TV/Netflix series is a teen drama that revolves around high school student Clay Jensen and the aftermath of high school student Hannah Baker’s suicide. Thirteen episodes of the first season were filmed mostly in Marin County, Vallejo, and Sebastopol. Catch the entire series in Netflix.

 

Bumblebee

Bumblebee, or Transformers: Bumblebee, is the sixth installment of the Transformers live action series and the first in the film series not to be directed by Michael Bay. The movie was filmed entirely in California and Marin locations include the Marin Headlands, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Tamalpais State Park, and San Rafael, Peacock Gap area.

 

The Fog

This 1980 supernatural horror film is directed by John Carpenter, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Starring tars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook, it tells the story of a strange, glowing fog that sweeps over a small coastal town in California and brings with it the vengeful ghosts of mariners who were killed in a shipwreck there 100 years before. The film was shot entirely in West Marin.

 

Basic Instinct

While it was shot mostly in San Francisco, the movie also features scenes staged in the Marin Headlands, Stinson Beach, and Dominican University in San Rafael. This 1992 movie stars Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in a gripping and intense detective thriller.

 

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

It’s no secret that George Lucas is a Marin native through and through, and his production company Industrial Light & Magic, which did most of the film’s visual effects, is located in Marin County. There are also scenes filmed in the area as well, such as Nicasio, which shows up at the end of the movie, and Fairfax.

 

Blue Jasmine

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 comedy drama written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Cate Blanchett, who plays the role of a rich Manhattan socialite who falls on hard times and moves in with her sister. The movie features a few Marin locations, including the Headlands Center for the Arts, a mansion in Belvedere and the Larkspur Escalle Winery, plus some areas in and around Tiburon.