When Hollywood came to town: 8 movies shot in Daytona, around Volusia

Mark Harper, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·3 min read

Daytona Beach is nowhere near Hollywood. It's even hours away from Hollywood, Florida.

But location scouts have found cinematic locations around Volusia County, where producers brought some of the biggest movie stars. Here's a glance at eight such instances.

From 1981's "Ghost Story," from left is Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, Fred Astaire and Melvyn Douglas.
From 1981's "Ghost Story," from left is Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Houseman, Fred Astaire and Melvyn Douglas.

'Ghost Story' (1981)

Scenes from this horror/thriller were shot at Stetson University in DeLand. It turned out to be the final film for three Hollywood legends: Fred Astaire, Melvyn Howard and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. They and John Houseman portrayed a group of friends who liked to swap scary stories, leading to a real-life mystery.

Tom Cruise, center, portrayed Cole Trickle, a NASCAR driver, in "Days of Thunder," much of which was shot in Daytona Beach.
Tom Cruise, center, portrayed Cole Trickle, a NASCAR driver, in "Days of Thunder," much of which was shot in Daytona Beach.

'Days of Thunder' (1990)

A racing-themed drama/romance set mostly in the NASCAR hubs of Daytona Beach and Charlotte, this was the film that brought together Hollywood's biggest power couple of the 1990s, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Tony Scott, the team that collaborated with Cruise on "Top Gun," made "Days of Thunder" for $60 million and earned nearly $160 million, despite mixed reviews.

From 2010: 20 years later, 'Days of Thunder' still resonates

'Rosewood' (1997)

Shot mostly in Cassia in Lake County, "Rosewood" director John Singleton used Barberville for a scene. Also, two Volusia County buildings, an old church from Stetson University in DeLand and a 2-story Lake Helen home, were physically moved to Cassia to help recreate Rosewood, a Levy County town whose nearly-all Black inhabitants were forced to move when a white mob destroyed it in 1923.

'The Waterboy' (1998)

Starring Adam Sandler as a mentally-challenged, 31-year old waterboy-turned-football star, this sports comedy also features Henry Winkler and Kathy Bates. Scenes were shot at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, as well as a St. Johns River fish camp. Its box office sales reached $190 million.

'Monster' (2003)

This was the film that landed Charlize Theron her Best Actress Oscar as she portrayed serial killer Aileen Wuornos; "Monster" was shot in Daytona Beach and other parts of Central Florida, including Orlando and Sanford. Wuornos, a prostitute, killed seven men across Florida in 1989 and 1990, and "Monster" gives its viewers a look at her motives during her descent into violence, including her arrest at The Last Resort Bar in Port Orange. After her conviction in a DeLand courtroom, Wuornos was executed in 2002.

From 2012: Serial killer Wuornos' memory lives on 10 years after death

Willem Dafoe plays a biker on his way to Daytona Beach in "The Loveless," his first credited film. The 1981 feature was also the first of Kathryn Bigelow, who later became the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar.
Willem Dafoe plays a biker on his way to Daytona Beach in "The Loveless," his first credited film. The 1981 feature was also the first of Kathryn Bigelow, who later became the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar.

'The Loveless' (1981)

This was the first feature film of Kathryn Bigelow, who went on to become the first woman to win Best Director. It was also the first credit of Willem Dafoe, the four-time Academy Award-nominated actor. Daytona Beach is not the setting but the destination of this stylish 1950s tale of bikers headed to the races waylaid in a small Georgia town. Archival footage of NASCAR races is used.

George Clooney plays Frank Walker, a disillusioned inventor, in Disney's "Tomorrowland." A portion of the film was shot in New Smyrna Beach. (Disney Enterprises Inc.)
George Clooney plays Frank Walker, a disillusioned inventor, in Disney's "Tomorrowland." A portion of the film was shot in New Smyrna Beach. (Disney Enterprises Inc.)

'Tomorrowland' (2015)

Inspired by the Space Age and Walt Disney's vision for EPCOT, this sci-fi film features George Clooney as an inventor who travels with a girl, Britt Robertson, into an alternate universe. A scene in "Tomorrowland" takes place on Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach, while a shot of the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse also made it into the film.

From 2013: Canal Street transformed for Disney movie

"The First of May," released in 1999, was shot in Lake Helen and DeLand, and stars Julie Harris, Dan Byrd, Mickey Rooney and Joe DiMaggio.
"The First of May," released in 1999, was shot in Lake Helen and DeLand, and stars Julie Harris, Dan Byrd, Mickey Rooney and Joe DiMaggio.

'The First of May' (1999)

An 11-year-old boy runs away from his foster home and meets up with a woman (Julie Harris) in a retirement home with a colorful past — in the circus, where Mickey Rooney, Charles Nelson Reilly and even Joe DiMaggio play roles. "The First of May" was based on "The Golden Days," a young adult novel by DeLand writer Gail Radley. Much of the G-rated drama was shot in Lake Helen and DeLand.

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach meets Hollywood | 8 films shot in Volusia County area

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