The Goonies – 1985

Mention Astoria to a generation of folks who grew up during the 1980s, and often theyll have one response: The Goonies!

The much-loved kids adventure movie, with its treasure maps, villainous counterfeiters, pirate ships and booby traps, was set and filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach.

Visitors can still see the house where heroes Mikey and Brand lived, at 368 38th St., as well as the county jail and John Warren Field. While Ecola State Park provided the setting for the nefarious Fratellis restaurant, movie-lovers searching for the run-down building are out of luck a facade was constructed for the movie, then torn down.

Around 5,000 fans came back to Astoria for a four-day Chamber of Commerce-sponsored 25th anniversary celebration in June 2010. Star-studded events included a red-carpet VIP dinner and movie screening at the Liberty Theater, bus tours to movie locations, a concert featuring Corey Feldmans band Truth Movement, the Truffle Shuffle 5K Run/Walk and the grand opening of the Oregon Film Museum.

Although rumors of a movie sequel frequently pop up, and just as frequently die out, director Richard Donner confirmed in July 2010 that plans were in the works for a Goonies musical on Broadway. Remember: Goonies never say die!

The Ring Two – 2005

DreamWorks filmed the sequel to The Ring using Astoria as a backdrop. The Ring Two, has cheap thrills, a creepy climax and a few good shots of Astoria. The movie picks up with Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son, Aidan (David Dorfman), in their new home in Astoria.

The Daily Astorians name was used, but the film company used the Pacific Coast Medical Supply site at 1210 Marine Drive, for the newspapers office set.

Come See the Paradise – 1990

Only Hollywood would attempt to fly a kite while running on the mud flats of Youngs Bay the way Dennis Quaid did in the film Come See the Paradise. The neat thing is we dont have to pay admission to see paradise here on the North Coast. Were already there.

Kindergarten Cop -1990

John Jacob Astor Elementary School, 3550 Franklin Ave., was the main location for Kindergarten Cop, but other scenes were shot at the West End Mooring Basin where the Astoria Red Lion Hotel, 400 Industry St., was the setting for a romantic dinner with Arnold Schwarzenegger and his co-star, Penelope Ann Miller. During filming, the Bayview Cottages, 783 W. Marine Drive, were home to Schwarzeneggers character and his partner, Phoebe OHara, played by actress Pamela Reed. In the movie, Schwarzenegger stayed in room 5 and Reed in room 6. The interior of the motel rooms were replicated in a Hollywood movie studio.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III -1993

One of the hangars at North Tongue Point was made into a sound stage for this movie, and except for some filming done in New York, the entire film was shot here on the North Coast. A Japanese village was built in a clearing near Saddle Mountain, and Fort Stevens State Park was used for some filming.

Point Break -1991

Filming was done at Indian Beach at Ecola State Park in Cannon Beach and in Wheeler, on Nehalem Bay, for the feature crime/adventure film Point Break. An FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), goes undercover as a surfer to catch ringleader Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) and the Ex-Presidents gang of bank robbers.

Free Willy -1993

 In 1992, the feature film Free Willy, made use of some of the North Coasts locales. The 14th Street dock in Astoria was turned into a fish market, complete with fish tossers imported from Seattles Pike Place Market. And the breakwater at the Hammond Marina was the site where Willys leap to freedom was filmed.

Cthulhu -2007

Filmmakers invaded Astoria in October 2005 to shoot scenes for an independent horror movIe, Cthulhu (ka-THOOL-hoo). The story was inspired by H.P. Lovecrafts writings in the early 20th century that spawned the horror fiction genre.

Tori Spelling stars in the production. The crew used an art studio, known locally as the red barn. 

About 30 local residents were cast, and some were seen emerging as sea creatures along the beach.

Short Circuit – 1986

A few robots jumped off the Astoria Bridge in Short Circuit and although the house at 197 Hume St. was the home for star Ally Sheedys character, the majority of the film was shot in The Dalles.

Into the Wild – 2007

In the summer of 2006, a film crew headed by director Sean Penn came to Astoria to film Into the Wild, which Penn adapted from a best-selling novel by Jon Krakauer about a top Emory University graduate who abandons his privileged life and hitchhikes to Alaska, where his soul-searching journey into nature ends in death.

The old-fashioned Olney General Store, 89523 Oregon Highway 202, became the Orick General Store. Williamsport Road in Astoria was used for a scene in which a Humboldt County, Calif., sheriff stops the storys star for creating hazards by hitchhiking. Additional filming happened on Highway 4.

The film (www.intothewild.com), with a cast that includes names like Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt, was released in 2007.

Wendy and Lucy – 2008

Award-winning writer and director, Kelly Reichardt, from Portland, partially filmed 2008s Wendy and Lucy in Astoria. Michelle Williams portrays a woman whose life is derailed en route to a potentially

lucrative summer job. When her car breaks down, and her dog is taken to the pound, the thin fabric of her financial situation comes apart, and she is led through a series of increasingly dire economic decisions.

The Road – 2009

The Road was partially filmed in the Astoria area using area beaches and Fort Stevens State Park. This apocalyptic film based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy was released in late 2009, starring Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron, and Robert Duvall.

Movie Guide available:

Be sure to get a copy of the tour book of movie locations  from the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, 111 W. Marine Drive, (503) 325-6311 or (800) 875-6807