We watched Practical Magic over the weekend, as one does in the fall. I spent at least half of the movie just ogling over the gorgeous interiors and picturesque shots throughout the film. It occurred to me after, that Practical Magic was one of the movies that first sprouted the seed of desire to move to the East Coast, buy an old New England farmhouse and fix it up. (And yes, I’m aware it was actually shot on an island outside of Seattle, but I didn’t know that when I first saw the movie in 1998.)
I’ve always been very drawn to aesthetics, which is probably why I was so intuitively drawn to New England…New England excels at charm. The old houses, the trees, the little historic towns… everything is so charming. I felt I knew and belonged to this place long before I ever set foot here, and that’s probably due to a few of my favorite movies that take place right here in New England…
Here are 5 movies set in New England that will make you want to move here…
1. Practical Magic.
As stated above, this movie was technically filmed in the Pacific Northwest, but it’s meant to take place off the coast of Massachusetts and my goodness does it feel like New England. The house is incredible, every detail makes my heart go pitter-patter and the cute island town they live outside of is so lovely as well. I could watch this move for the aesthetics alone, but the story is super fun as well.
2. Baby Boom.
The most darling and underrated Diane Keaton movie, in my opinion. I saw this movie as a kid and it is literally the reason I had a lifelong obsession with moving to New England and buying an old farmhouse. You would think her money-pit experiences would have warded me off, but nope! I’ve been dreaming of this life ever since. All I’m missing is a big apple orchard…
3. Dan in Real Life.
Dan in Real Life is one of my all-time favorite movies and I love the way it captures coastal New England. I love the family relationships and tone of the film as much as I love their quirky coastal Rhode Island home. This movie will make you want to pick up and move to the Ocean State.
4. Hocus Pocus.
We all grew up with Hocus Pocus but can we just take a minute and acknowledge the gorgeous shots of the town of Salem all through the movie? Growing up in Northern California where we didn’t really have a fall, I was so drawn to the golden and red leaves everywhere in this movie, the pretty historic houses and just the overall feel of it. It turns out, the real life town of Salem is actually super charming as well.
5. Little Women.
You know I could never do a round-up like this without mentioning the G.O.A.T. of all New England movies, Little Women. Orchard house is an unrivaled gem and the real life home (which you can tour in Concord) is so very charming. One of the things I adore about Concord is that it still looks and feels a lot like it did back when Louisa May Alcott wrote her beloved novel. This was another movie that made started my lifelong obsession with New England.
Now go watch those and tell me they don’t make you fall in love with New England…
