Where Was Deliverance Filmed? John Boorman’s 1972 Survival Thriller!

If we ask you about your favorite thriller movie, you’ll probably make a long list of it. But have you watched a survival thriller movie? If not, that’s okay, we are here to tell you everything about it. Watch the film Deliverance. The 1972 survival thriller is a must-watch as it is packed with unlimited entertainment and filled with numerous gripping and action-packed sequences. However, many people are curious about the movie’s filming locations. So, in this article, we’ll discuss the movie and tell you where was Deliverance filmed.

The survival thriller, Deliverance was released on 30th July 1972. The movie is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by James Dickey. He is an American novelist and poet. Dickey also wrote the screenplay for the movie. The film was a commercial success as it earned $46 million dollars against its $2 million budget. Warner Brothers distributed the film in the United States. Deliverance is one of the few movies that was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

However, getting back to your main concern about where was Deliverance filmed, the survival thriller was filmed in the United States of America, specifically in Georgia and South Carolina.

Plot Of Deliverance (1972) | A Thrilling Adventure Of Four City Dwellers!

The story of Deliverance revolves around the characters of Ed Gentry played by Jon Voight, Lewis Medlock played by Burt Reynolds, Ned Betty played by Bobby Trippe and Drew Ballinger played by Ronny Cox. Four city dwellers, frustrated and tired with their regular hectic lives, decide to go on a canoeing trip on the Cahulawassee River in Northern Georgia.

Now among the four of them, only Lewis and Ed have experience in outdoor adventure trips. However, they began their canoe trip on the river, without knowing what they were about to face. Soon, they are attacked by the not-so-welcoming and dangerous backwood locals. After somehow getting away from the violent backwood locals they come across river rapids that almost turn their canoe upside down.

Where Was Deliverance Filmed?

John Boorman’s survival thriller, Deliverance received several constructive reviews from critics back in the day. The film was considered to be one of the best productions of 1972. Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds’ performance was highly praised along with the movie’s screenplay and background score. 

Deliverance won a number of awards and received three nominations at the Oscars and five nominations at the Golden Globes. It also got a high score of 89% from Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 7.7 from IMDb. However, now that you have a little idea about where was Deliverance filmed, let’s find out some more interesting details about the filming locations. 

Georgia | United States Of America

The movie was mainly shot in Georgia, and only a handful of scenes were filmed in South Carolina. The majority of the filming took place in multiple places in Georgia. The fictional Cahulawassee River that we witness in the film is in reality the Chattooga River, which forms Georgia’s border with South Carolina. 

The Chattooga river is quite famous for its river rapids, and a number of important adventure scenes were shot here on the river. One of the locations from the movie is presently known as Deliverance Rock. It has now become a tourist spot.

Major scenes of the survival thriller movie Deliverance were filmed in north-western Georgia, at Clayton and Rabun Rock. The plot of the movie is inspired by the 1970 flooding of the Coosawattee River. It is 50 miles to the west of the shooting spot. It was reported that the production team had plans to shoot at the actual location, but could not due to the wreckage from the flooding.

Remember the famous scene where Ed kills the stalker? That particular scene was shot near a cliff around Tallulah Falls. This is just a few miles from Lake Tugaloo, which can be reached easily by taking the Earl’s Ford Road that runs below Highway 76.

South Carolina | United States Of America

The ending scenes of the movie were shot at Jocassee Lake in South Carolina. Interestingly, the predictive turbulence of the rapids instantly reminds the viewers of the real events that inspired the film. The lake is just 30 miles to the east of Clayton, via Oconee County in South Carolina. And a couple of other scenes were also filmed in Beaufort, a city in South Carolina.

Final Word

So, now that you know everything about the movie, Deliverance and its filming locations, we would suggest you make a plan with your friends and visit these fascinating places to experience something different. However, you have to watch the movie at all costs, if you haven’t yet, then you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, AMC+, Disney+, and Apple TV. Also, if you feel like exploring more such filming locations, then do not forget to check out where was Love Actually and The Hate U Give filmed.