Maine in popular culture

The US state of Maine has been the setting of many works of literature, films, and works of popular culture.

Literature

• Charlotte Agell lives in Maine and has written several books set in Maine.
• Richard Blanco, the poet who read at President Barack Obama's second inauguration, lives in Bethel.
• Judy Blume set her 1990 children's novel Fudge-a-Mania in Southwest Harbor, Maine.
• Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978) lived in Deer Isle. All of his novels are set in New England, some in Maine.
• John Cariani is an actor and playwright whose play "Almost, Maine" is set in a fictional town.
• Janet Chapman writes several series of paranormal romance and contemporary romance novels set in Maine.
• Carolyn Chute (1947–) lives in Maine and set several novels in the fictional town of Egypt, Maine.
• John Connolly's Charlie Parker mystery series is based in and around Maine.
• Robert P. T. Coffin (1892–1955) — iconic Maine writer
• Thomas A. Desjardin (1964–) — a Maine native and resident, he has written several books on Maine history and the Civil War.
• Terry Goodkind's The Law of Nines takes place in Maine.
• John Irving wrote The Cider House Rules, a novel (and later a motion picture), set in several fictional Maine towns.
• Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) lived in South Berwick, Maine. Many of her novels and short stories were set in Maine.
• Carrie Jones set a series of best-selling books in Maine, the 'Need Pixies Series'.
• Elijah Kellogg Jr.[1] (1813–1901) — popular author of Horatio Alger, Jr.-style boy's books. Many of these out-of-copyright books are available online at books.google.com.
• Stephen King, a Maine native and resident of Bangor, sets much of his fiction in Maine.
• Dean Koontz wrote Night Chills, a horror/suspense novel, which takes place in the fictional town of Black River, Maine.
• H. P. Lovecraft, who set almost all of his stories in New England, occasionally mentions Maine.
• Robert McCloskey (1914–2003) authored several beloved children's books, including "Make Way for Ducklings" and "Blueberries for Sal".
• Leslie Meier authors the Lucy Stone mystery series that takes place in the fictional town of Tinker's Cove, Maine.
• Ruth Moore's novels were based almost entirely in Maine, although she rejected the label of "regional writer".
• John Neal (1793-1876), a Maine native, set many of his novels, short stories, and one play in Maine.[2]
• Elisabeth Ogilvie was born in Massachusetts, but spent summers in Maine; wrote High Tide at Noon and others about lobster families of Maine's Islands.
• Lauren Oliver's book Delirium is set in Portland.
• Van Reid wrote The Moosepath League series of books, which are humorous adventures set in 19th-century Maine.
• Kenneth Roberts (1885–1957) was a novelist of the Regionalist school, who wrote about Maine in works such as Arundel (novel)|Arundel, Northwest Passage (novel), Rabble in Arms and Boon Island (novel).
• Lewis Robinson's novel Water Dogs and many of his short stories in Officer Friendly and Other Stories are set in Maine.
• Harriet Beecher Stowe composed Uncle Tom's Cabin almost entirely in Brunswick.
• Henry David Thoreau wrote The Maine Woods, which he visited during his stay at Walden Pond.
• E. B. White lived in Brooklin, Maine and used Maine as the setting of Charlotte's Web. He also wrote many essays about his experiences in Maine including "Once More to the Lake."

Film

• Peyton Place, filmed in 1957, was set in New Hampshire but filmed in the Camden region of Maine.
• It Happened to Jane, a 1959 romantic comedy, is set in the fictional town of Cape Anne, Maine and prominently features the fictional Eastern & Portland Railroad, which was based loosely on the Boston & Maine Railroad and the New Haven Railroad.
• Carrie (1976) and Carrie (2013), are both based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, and are both set in Maine.
• Pete's Dragon, a 1977 Walt Disney live-action/animated musical is set in Passamaquoddy, Maine[3]
• The Whales of August, a 1987 film based on a play by David Berry, was shot on location on Maine's Cliff Island.
• Graveyard Shift, a 1990 film adaptation of the Steven King novel, was filmed in Harmony, Maine but set in the fictional Gates Falls, Maine.
• The Man Without a Face, a 1993 film starring Mel Gibson, was shot throughout Mid Coast Maine.
• The Beans of Egypt, Maine is a 1994 film directed by Jennifer Warren and is based on the 1985 novel by Carolyn Chute.
• The Shawshank Redemption, an award-winning 1994 movie based on the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, is set in Maine.
• Casper, a 1995 children's film, is set in the town of Friendship, Maine.
• Jumanji, starring Robin Williams, was filmed partially in North Berwick, Maine.
• Thinner, based on a novel by Stephen King, took place partly in Maine.
• Dark Harbor, a 1998 mystery/suspense film is set on an island off the coast of Maine.
• Belfast, Maine (1999) a documentary film on the quotidian life in Belfast, Maine by Frederick Wiseman.
• The Cider House Rules, based on the John Irving novel, is set in several fictional Maine towns.
• The Iron Giant, based on the novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, is an award-winning animated film that takes place in the fictional town of Rockwell, Maine, in the 1950s.
• Lake Placid, a 1999 comedy-horror film, is set by a fictional lake in Maine, starring Bridget Fonda and a large man-eating crocodile.
• Storm of the Century, a miniseries based on the Stephen King novel, takes place in Maine, along with many other adaptations of his books.
• Todd Field's 2001 Academy Award-nominated film for Best Picture, In the Bedroom, is set in many towns throughout Maine including Rockland, Owls Head, Rockport, Camden, Thomaston, Trevette and Old Orchard Beach.
• Wet Hot American Summer is set near Waterville, Maine.
• Darkness Falls, a 2003 horror film, is set in the fictional Maine town of Darkness Falls, but was filmed mostly in Australia.
• Dreamcatcher, 2003 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel, is set in and around the fictional town of Derry, Maine.
• Red vs. Blue, a comic science fiction video series, features a character named Maine.
• Welcome to Mooseport was a 2004 movie set in the fictional city of Mooseport, Maine.
• Empire Falls, a motion picture based on Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, was filmed almost entirely in Waterville and Skowhegan.
• The Mist, a Stephen King novel, is set in Maine.
• 40 West (2011) a drama filmed and produced in Maine.
• Home Alone 5 takes place in Rockland, Maine.
• It (2017), a supernatural horror film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, is set in the fictional town Derry in Maine.
• Blow the Man Down, a 2019 film written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy, is shot in Harpswell, Maine with the fictional name of Eastern Cove.

Television

• Maine Cabin Masters is a reality television series on the DIY network which follows builder Chase Morrill and his team as they renovate rustic cabins and camps in remote locations throughout Maine. The show premiered in February 2016.
• North Woods Law is a reality television series on the Animal Planet cable channel which follows Maine game wardens as they perform their duties; it premiered in March 2012.
• "Augusta, Gone" (2001), a television drama about a teenager's descent into drug use, is set on Mount Desert Island, Maine.
• Dark Shadows is set in the fictional coastal town of Collinsport, Maine.
• Hawkeye Pierce, a central character of the television sitcom M*A*S*H, is a resident of the fictional town of Crabapple Cove, Maine. The role of Pierce was played by Alan Alda. The series was based upon the writings of Dr. H. Richard Hornberger (writing as Richard Hooker), who following the war resided in Pittsfield.
• Murder, She Wrote, a detective series starring Angela Lansbury, is set in the fictional Maine village of Cabot Cove, but filmed in Mendocino, California.
• Kingdom Hospital, Stephen King's 2004 ABC mini-series, was set in Lewiston
• Haven, a science fiction series, is set in the fictional coastal town of Haven, Maine. It is based on Stephen King's book "The Colorado Kid."
• Passions, a daytime soap opera is set in the fictional supernatural town of Harmony. The first two months and opening credits were filmed in Camden and Belfast, Maine.
• Once Upon a Time a series starring Lana Parrilla, Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Carlyle is set in the fictional town of Storybrooke in Maine.
• The Dead Zone, a science fiction series starring Anthony Michael Hall, is set in the fictional small town of Cleaves Mills. Based on the novel by Stephen King.
• Under the Dome, a science fiction series set in the fictional Maine town of Chester's Mill, based on the novel by Stephen King.
• Down East Dickering, a reality-television show, is filmed entirely in Maine.
• It (1990), a supernatural horror drama miniseries, based on the Stephen King novel, is set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine.

Video games

• The titular town of the video game series Silent Hill (series) is located in Maine.
• The very beginning of Bioshock Infinite takes place off the coast of Maine.
• A fictionalized version of Mount Desert Island called Far Harbor exists in Fallout 4.
• The point-and-click horror game Phantasmagoria was set in Maine.
• Two Assassin's Creed games have had parts taking place in or around Maine, those being Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed: Rogue.

Web series

• The web series Ragged Isle tells the story of a small island lobstering community located twenty-one miles off the coast of Maine. The island in the show is a fictionalized version of the real-life Maine island of Criehaven.

References

1. Elijah Kellogg Jr Archived July 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. Sears, Donald A. (1978). John Neal. Boston, Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers. pp. 145–146. ISBN 080-5-7723-08.
3. But filmed in Morro Bay, California. Kyse, B. (August 2, 1976). San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune: Mouse shoots dragon. Retrieved on February 13, 2010 from http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/slovault/files/2009/03/dragon.jpg