Follansbee Public Library, 844, Main Street, The Orchard, Follansbee, Follansbee District, Brooke County, West Virginia, 26037, United States of America
Scene: (Steel Town of Clairton)
Boulder Glacier Route, Whatcom County, Washington, United States of America
Scene: (Michael releases the deer)
Superior Avenue, Downtown Cleveland, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, 44114, United States of America
1961, Old 220 Road, Mount Eagle, Howard, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 16841, United States of America
Croton Road, Johnstown, Hartford Township, Licking County, Ohio, 43013, United States of America
Widen, Clay County, West Virginia, 25211, United States of America
Decatur County, Kansas, United States of America
Michael Cimino’s shattering Vietnam epic follows steelworkers from a Pennsylvania mill town to the horror of war and back – yet almost none of it was shot where it’s set. The “Clairton, Pennsylvania” of the film is really Ohio and beyond, the Allegheny deer hunt is the Cascades of Washington State, and the notorious Russian-roulette scenes were filmed on the real River Kwai in Thailand.
Where was The Deer Hunter filmed?
The Deer Hunter was filmed across eight US states and Thailand – the steel-town scenes around Cleveland and Mingo Junction, Ohio; the deer hunt in Washington State; and the Vietnam sequences in Thailand.
Every Deer Hunter location, explained
1
The steel town of “Clairton” – Ohio
Though set in Clairton, Pennsylvania, the mill-town world was pieced together from real steel country – the wedding and steelworks around Cleveland, and bar interiors in Mingo Junction, Ohio.
2
The deer hunt – the Cascades
The mist-shrouded “Allegheny Mountains” hunting scenes were actually shot high in the North Cascades of Washington State, near Mount Baker.
3
Vietnam – Thailand
The devastating prison-camp and Russian-roulette sequences were filmed in Thailand, along the River Kwai near Kanchanaburi.
4
The wider steel belt
Additional mill and town scenes drew on Clairton, Pennsylvania itself and other steel-belt towns for authentic industrial backdrops.
Planning a visit
Cleveland and the Ohio River steel towns still carry the film’s industrial atmosphere, while the North Cascades around Mount Baker deliver the soaring wilderness of the hunt.
The Deer Hunter Fun Facts
1
'Pennsylvania' is mostly Ohio The Clairton, PA steel town was assembled from real locations around Cleveland and Mingo Junction, Ohio.
2
The Alleghenies are the Cascades The ‘Allegheny Mountains’ deer hunt was filmed in Washington State’s North Cascades, over 2,000 miles away.
3
The River Kwai played Vietnam The harrowing Russian-roulette scenes were shot in Thailand, on the real River Kwai.
4
The roulette was terrifyingly real-looking The Russian-roulette scenes were so intense that the production reportedly loaded real (blank-checked) revolvers to get genuine fear from the actors.
5
It won five Oscars The film took Best Picture and Best Director at the 1979 Academy Awards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Deer Hunter set in Pennsylvania?
Yes – it’s set in Clairton, Pennsylvania, but much of the mill-town filming was in Ohio.
Where were the Vietnam scenes filmed?
In Thailand, along the River Kwai near Kanchanaburi.
Where was the deer hunt filmed?
In the North Cascades of Washington State, standing in for the Allegheny Mountains.
Who directed The Deer Hunter?
Michael Cimino, who won the Best Director Oscar for it.
