Where Was Netflix’s Devil in Ohio Filmed? Location Explained
If you’re a fan of cult-related horror mysteries, you’ll probably enjoy Devil in Ohio – the new Netflix series revolving around a psychiatrist, Suzanne, who shelters a girl, Mae, claiming to be a cult escapee. The story is based on a best-selling novel, which was partially based on a true story that happened in Ohio. So, was Netflix’s Devil in Ohio filmed in Ohio or somewhere else?
Although Ohio is in the name of the show itself, and the plot is situated in the state, Devil in Ohio was actually filmed in Canada’s British Columbia, mostly in and around Vancouver. However, showrunners really put effort into making it look like authentic Ohio, especially the landscape.
Many shows and movies nowadays are shot outside of the big US cities or even borders. Filmmakers tend to opt for Canada because it’s close, cheaper, and the beautiful, spacious landscape gives a lot of options to make the scenery look like it was filmed somewhere else. Keep reading to learn more about Devil in Ohio and all its filming locations.
Devil In Ohio Synopsis & Details
Synopsis: “When a psychiatrist shelters a mysterious cult escapee, her world is turned upside down as the girl’s arrival threatens to tear her own family apart.”
“When 15-year-old Jules Mathis comes home from school to find a strange girl sitting in her kitchen, her psychiatrist mother reveals that Mae is one of her patients at the hospital and will be staying with their family for a few days.
But soon, Mae is wearing Jules’ clothes, sleeping in her bedroom, edging her out of her position on the school paper, and flirting with Jules’ crush. And Mae has no intention of leaving.”
Creator: Daria Polatin (also the novel author)
Stars: Emily Deschanel, Sam Jaeger, Gerardo Celasco, Xaria Dotson, Madeleine Arthur
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Type: Netflix Original TV Series
Where Was Netflix’s Devil In Ohio Filmed?
As I’ve mentioned, Devil in Ohio is based on a best-selling novel by Daria Polatin. The novel is partially based on a true story that happened in Ohio, so Polatin situated her story in a fictional town just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. So, given that the story is happening in Ohio, it’s logical to assume the show was filmed there, right?
Well, not quite. As it turns out, the producers chose to go with a cheaper but equally great filming location, which is British Columbia in Canada. Polatin talked with The Columbus Dispatch about the series, talking about the filming locations as well.
Filming in Canada is practical for several reasons. The budget is the most obvious one – it’s much cheaper to film in British Columbia than in most parts of the US. Plus, it’s much, much more spacious than the big cities like LA or New York – the centers of the industry.
It gives creators much more freedom to manipulate the surroundings and make them seem authentic to almost any location you can think of. The same happened with Devil in Ohio, but Polatin explained they worked hard to make the setting as authentic to what Ohio really looks like as possible:
“We really tried to make the forest, the woods look like Ohio. You try not to get those big British Columbia evergreen trees, [because the real story] did take place in Ohio.”
As for what particular town in Ohio, Polatin explains:
“We made up a fictional town in the story, but we really wanted to be as specific as we could for the Ohio viewers and give those Easter eggs for the audience. Suzanne and Peter met while they were studying at OSU, and Peter talks with an old friend about Mirror Lake.”
“I wrote the specific dialogue on the radio to be discussing Ohio teams. I was really, really trying to make it specific. [In one scene], they’re watching a football game and there’s a touchdown and the crowd goes: “OH-IO!”
“I went (to Ohio) before I wrote the book — for separate reasons, I was visiting friends and family — I felt that it was a very specific but also very universal (place). It’s very Everytown in a really wonderful way.
I thought that it would be hopefully relatable, and people could see themselves (in it). It’s like the story takes place a town away. It kind of has that “it could happen to you” feeling.”
Now, most of the shooting was done in and around Vancouver in British Columbia, but there are other locations where the show took place.
All Devil In Ohio Filming Locations
Most of the show’s exterior scenes, as I’ve mentioned, were filmed in British Columbia, Canada, namely in and around Vancouver. The scenography team made sure to make it appear to be Ohio and did a nice job doing so.
Interior scenes and sets were filmed in Burnaby, just outside of Vancouver, in Northbrook Studios. They had four stages, making it very easy to change sets and film rather quickly. Other minor locations were recognized, such as Poppy Estate Golf Course in Langley and also Murrayville, Langley, a small community in the Township of Langley.