Warning: The following contains some spoilers for Don’t MoveNetflix’s new horror movieDon’t Moveis now available to watch on the streaming platform, and here is more insight into the real locations that served as the movie’s setting.Don’t Moveis a tense horror film, directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto and produced by iconic horror director Sam Raimi. The moviefollows its main character, Iris, as she attempts to escape from a serial killer after being injected with a paralytic drug.
Audiences are first introduced to Iris and Richard at the top of a mountainous hiking trailand their first chase scene occurs in the surrounding forest. One of the primary factors thatcreates tension inDon’t Moveis the movie’s vast outdoor setting. Even once the characters move into cars or buildings, these features fit seamlessly into the natural surroundings and bring the characters' journeys to life. Despite the tense subject matter, the beauty of the landscape stands out, which might leave fans wondering where the movie was actually filmed.
Seaside & Monterey County, California
California Appears In A Few Scenes At The Beginning Of The Film
While the entirety of the film takes place in California, only a few scenes in the beginning ofDon’t Movewere actually shot there.These first scenes help to establish a sense of place for the main character, Iris, such as her house and neighborhood in Seaside, California. This allows audiences to better understand the kind of life Iris lives, her relationship with her husband, who is seen briefly, and her desire to escape to nature to remember her son.
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As Iris leaves her home and drives to the state park, one notable location that can be seen is Bixby Bridge in Monterey County, California. Bixby Bridge further helps audiences understand the beauty of Iris’s surroundings, and, as one of the most famous bridges in the United States, definitively places Iris within the Big Sur area of California.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Most Of Don’t Move Was Actually Filmed In And Around The Bulgarian Capital
Aside from the few scenes in the beginning of theSam Raimi produced-horror filmthat depict the real California,for most ofDon’t Move’s run-time, Bulgaria stands in for the California wilderness. The Bulgarian capital, Sofia, and its surrounding areas provide the lush green trees and hiking trails that can be seen throughout the movie. This makes for the perfect replacement for the hiking trails of nature parks in Big Sur.
Bulgaria
Woods around Big Sur, California
This greenery is especially noticeable in the chase scene in which Iris attempts to hide from Richard among the trees and eventually makes her way to a river. Sofia also stood in for California in several scenes where the characters encounter buildings. This was even the filming sight of the climactic final lakeside fight.
Vitosha Mountain, Bulgaria
Don’t Move Makes Use Of The Popular Hiking Locale For Effective Scares
In one striking scene early in the film, Iris is seen making her way across a river of boulders.This scene was filmed on Vitosha Mountain near Sofia, Bulgaria. The location seen inDon’t Move, specifically, is known as Zlatnite Mostove. It is a large stone river that is one feature of the mountain’s beautiful landscape.
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BecauseDon’t Movemakes use of Sofia as the backdrop for many of its scenes, it only makes sense that the filmmakers would choose to move to a nearby popular hiking destination when they needed more rugged scenery. This scene highlights the effort that it takes Iris to reach her destination. This points towards the importance of the location for her character.
Vidin Province, Bulgaria
The Rocky Landscape Looks Impressive On Film
The final notable location that can be seen inDon’t Moveis Vidin Province, Bulgaria. That province’s rocky landscape stands in for the rocky terrain of Big Sur, which can be seen surrounding Bixby Bridge earlier in the movie. Similar to Vitosha Mountain, Vidin Province showcases a more rugged landscape which emphasizes the effort that Iris exerts, first in getting to her hiking destination of her son’s memorial, then in attempting to escape from Richard.
The scenes filmed in Vidin Province are especially important to Iris’s character arc throughoutDon’t Movebecause, while she initially climbs up the mountain to end her life in the same place her son died, she instead meets Richard. After fighting through the paralytic agent that Richard injects her with while simultaneously trying to cross the rocky terrain, Iris comes to the realization of just how badly she wants to live.
The vastness of the wilderness helps make the movie the thrilling watch that it is, and its importance to Iris and Richard’s journeys almost makes the scenery a character in itself.
WhileDon’t Move’s use of Bulgaria as California may come as a surprise to audiences at first, it is clear that the filmmakers made the substitution believable.The vastness of the wilderness helps make the movie the thrilling watch that it is. These elements' importance to Iris and Richard’s journeys almost makes the scenery a character in itself inDon’t Move.
Don’t Move
Cast
A grieving woman must escape a serial killer in the remote forests of Big Sur after being injected with a paralytic agent. With only 20 minutes before her body shuts down, she embarks on a desperate race against time, battling fear and her fading physical strength in this tense survival horror thriller.
