‘True Detective’: Is Ennis a Real City in Alaska? Explained
After Louisiana, California, and the Ozarks, ‘True Detective’ Season 4 is moving to another location. ‘Night Country’ deals with the mysterious disappearance of a group of scientists working at the nearby Tsalal Station, and we know that the story takes place in Ennis, Alaska, a small city in the polar circle marked with high tensions among the local populace, and when strange disappearances start sweeping over the place during a months-long night, a lot of people will found themselves on the edge of their sanity. Now, Ennis is a good place to start this atypical ghost story, so we couldn’t help but wonder whether Ennis is based on a real place in Alaska.
A long night, a lot of snow, and a lack of resources are how we can describe ‘Night Country’
The story of ‘True Detective’s’ fourth season takes place in Ennis, Alaska, and the first thing we learn about the city is that it is supposedly run by the local mining and fishing industries, considering that there is a lack of pretty much everything else in this corner of the world.
The first episode starts at the third day of the long dark which will last for months. We also learn that there is a research station nearby that is occupied by eight men, they are extracting ice cores from deep within Alaskan ice to explore the “origin of life.”
But the group of eight men disappears without a trace, and we soon learn that the city’s police department is stretched thin as is, with few resources and few personnel willing to put in the work. We also learn that the city is no stranger to gruesome crimes, as Annie K. was murdered some years ago, and the crime has never ever been solved.
It really does sound like a gruesome place, does it? Well, just like most towns and cities where True Detective wonders, Ennis is not a real place; it doesn’t have a real-world equivalent, and in fact, the show wasn’t even filmed in Alaska. In the show, Ennis is supposed to be located in the North Slope Borough, Alaska but in reality it was filmed in Iceland.
Where was ‘Night Country’ filmed?
True Detective: Night Country, filmed in 2022 and 2023 entirely in Iceland, featured locations in Reykjavík, Akureyri, and Dalvík. Jodie Foster, the star, discussed the challenges of shooting in the extreme cold, particularly at night, to capture the dark winter setting of Alaska. Despite difficulties, the production was fortunate with favorable weather conditions, having snow when snow was needed, and calm conditions for shooting where the scenes called for them.
There were huge challenges, as you can imagine. First of all, we were working at night, trying to light at nighttime and in the snow. But we kind of had the gods on our side. When we needed all the snow, we got the snow, and when we needed it to be calm, we got the calm.
Jodie Foster for IslandAir
In any case, a change of scenery was a welcome one, and the mystery behind Ennis and what’s haunting it might turn out to be the greatest challenge in the anthology series yet.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!