Rian Johnson’s 2019 murder mystery film Knives Out was filmed in various locations throughout the United States. The movie is set in a fictional Massachusetts town, but the filmmakers actually used locations in Massachusetts, Virginia, and other states to bring the story to life.
The main location for the film was the Ames Mansion in Borderland State Park, Mass. Production designer David Crank tells Variety “The producer had found this house along with some others, but we all liked this one house,” Crank continues, “When you walked in, it had character because no one had wiped it clean and modernized it,” he explained. “This house had been with the same family for a few generations. You walked in, and its style lent itself to what we were looking for.”
The exterior shots of the Thrombey mansion took place in Natick, a quaint town located about 10 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts. The 1880’s mansion’s lush gardens and serene lake scenes were also filmed on the estate’s sprawling 92-acre grounds.
Once they found the house, it was time to decorate. “This house was fun and interesting because we could build off of what it was offering,” Crank says.
Crank talks about his favorite room which was Harlan’s writing office. “Our art decorator, Jeremy Woodward, took over developing and designing Harlan’s books. Jeremy had this idea of designing the book covers for each decade. There was over four decades worth of books. He designed how the covers would change over time.”
Production Designer David Crank says, “This house was to be the personification of what was in Harlan’s head. David Schlesinger (set decorator) and I worked closely together, and he found incredible things to put into it.”
Crank and his team spent over a month coming up with design for the chair made of of Knives.
Other scenes in Knives Out were filmed in Boston, Massachusetts, including at the Boston Opera House and the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel. The filmmakers also used the Massachusetts State House for some exterior shots of the Thrombey family’s property.
One of Crank’s favorite details was an old dollhouse that the set decorator found. “‘I looked at it and said, ‘What’s the worst thing you could do with a child’s toy? Why don’t we turn it into a bar?’ ” He tells thehollywoodreporter.com
The filmmakers were able to create a world that felt both authentic and larger than life. The combination of stunning architecture, beautiful landscapes, and iconic landmarks made Knives Out a visually striking film that truly captured the essence of its setting.
Photos: Amazon
