How to Boston
Get the best of the city, delivered to your inbox weekly.
The holiday movie “Spirited,” starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, was filmed in Boston and other Massachusetts locations last year and began streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 18. It’s not the first holiday movie filmed in New England — and it likely won’t be the last.
New England is the perfect region for capturing holiday spirit, according to John Stimpson of H9 Films in Worcester, who directed several holiday films over the years such as “Christmas on Ice,” Christmas a la Mode,” and “The Spruces and the Pines.”
“The authenticity of New England is what has made our movies successful,” Stimpson said. “It’s quintessential Christmas … the architecture, the feel of the smaller towns, the gazebos, the Christmas tree farms. You don’t have to fake it. It’s the real deal.”
Here are 14 holiday movies that used New England as a scenic backdrop. (Know of more? Let us know in the comments below.)
Boston, Braintree, Devens, Everett, Framingham, Lynnfield, Melrose, Weymouth, and Worcester: “Spirited” (2022)
Norwood: “A Show-Stopping Christmas” (2022)
Falmouth: ‘A Cape Cod Christmas‘ (2021)
Worcester: ‘Christmas on Ice‘ (2020)
Old Wethersfield and Hartford, Conn.: ‘Rediscovering Christmas‘ (2019)
Worcester, Sutton, Auburn, and Boxborough, Mass.: ‘Christmas a la Mode‘ (2019)
Wethersfield, Conn.: ‘Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane‘ (2018)
Shirley, Ayer, Bolton, Groton, Sudbury, Mass.: ‘A Snow White Christmas‘ (2018)
Lowell, Mass.; Portland, Kennebunkport, and York, Maine: ‘Buttons, A New Musical Film‘ (2018)
Essex and Old Lyme, Conn.: ‘Christmas at Pemberley Manor‘ (2018)
Ayer, Bolton, Stow, and Townsend, Mass.: ‘The Spruces and the Pines‘ (2017)
Grafton and Worcester, Mass.: ‘The March Sisters at Christmas‘ (2012)
West Warwick and Cranston, R.I.: ‘Saving Christmas‘ (2017)
Bethel and Portland, Maine: ‘12 dogs of Christmas‘ (2005)
Get the best of the city, delivered to your inbox weekly.
Stay up to date with everything Boston. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com