The 1996 thriller drama film Twister, is the kind of movie that gets your adrenaline going. You can also call it a disaster movie, which is basically a genre that deals with subjects relating to some kind of a major natural disaster. However, the movie has been shot in a couple of interesting locations. So, in this article, we’ll discuss the movie and tell you Where Was Twister Filmed?
The drama thriller movie stars an ensemble cast that includes Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The movie was a huge box office success and earned $495 million becoming the second highest-grossing movie of that year. Twister was also nominated for the Academy Awards. (Crazy, right!)
Now, getting back to the main question regarding the movie’s filming locations, we have to say that it was filmed in Oklahoma and Iowa, United States of America. Since it’s a disaster film, major and important scenes were shot outdoors.
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Plot Of Twister (1996) | A Gripping Thriller Drama!
The story of Twister revolves around the character of Jo Harding played by Helen Hunt, a doctor and a university professor who works with an underfunded group of students. Along with her team, she prepares a prototype for an innovative tornado data-collection device named Dorothy, created by her alienated husband Bill, played by Bill Paxton.
Soon, Jo finds out and informs her husband that their privately backed enemy, Dr. Jonas Miller played by Cary Elwes has stolen the concept of Dorothy and built his own device. Bill joins Jo’s team and takes matters into his own hands to stop him for good.
Where Was Twister Filmed?
Without any further ado, let’s move forward and find out in detail about the filming locations of the thriller drama movie, Twister.
Oklahoma | United States Of America
The principal photography of the Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures film, Twister began on 1st May 1995 and was wrapped up by 21st August 1995. During the early days of pre-production, California was selected as the main filming location but it was eventually changed and shifted to Oklahoma. The director of the film Jan de Bont thought it would be better to shoot in Oklahoma. Due to changing seasons, the production team had to shift to Iowa from Oklahoma in order to shoot the rest of the film.
The filming of Twister took place in a number of places in the state of Oklahoma. For example, the opening scene of the movie, where Bill talks to his team, and also the scene where his team goes after the first tornado in a car were shot in Fairfax and Ralston in Oklahoma.
Another scene in the movie, where we get to see a tornado appearing out of the blue at a drive-in movie theater was partly filmed in a place called Guthrie. And few other scenes including the hotel room where Melissa was staying were shot in Stillwater, which is located near Oklahoma State University’s campus.
As portrayed in the film itself, a number of the scenes were filmed in the real town of Wakita. The production unit found out several locations in the older parts of the town to shoot certain scenes, where they had to destroy abandoned buildings and houses to show the impact of the tornado in the movie.
One of the most interesting scenes in the movie is where Jo and Bill’s car gets surrounded by water sprouts and they witness cows getting caught up in the tornado. That particular scene was filmed near Kaw Lake at Kaw City which is also in Oklahoma. A few other locations in Oklahoma where filming took place are Ponca City, Pauls Valley, Maysville, Norman, and a number of other small towns.
Iowa | United States Of America
The ending part of the film was shot in the state of Iowa, otherwise, the majority was filmed in Oklahoma. The director while filming in Oklahoma saw some drastic changes in the weather, so they had no option but to shift to Iowa.
The scene where Jo and Bill brace themselves for an F5 tornado was shot in and around the city of Eldora. And the cornfield scene where both of them rush through while getting chased by a tornado was filmed in the city of Ames. As the main filming of the movie was completed, just for a few additional pick-up shots the production team went to Bolton, Ontario.
Final Word
Amblin Entertainment which is owned by none other than Steven Spielberg is one of the production companies of the thriller drama movie, Twister. This movie is undoubtedly a must-watch and should not be missed out on at any cost. If you want to watch something gripping and exhilarating then this is the movie that you should watch.
Twister is currently streaming on a number of OTT platforms like HBO MAX, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and Apple TV. However, you may require a subscription in order to stream on these platforms. So pick one according to your choice and watch the movie. Also, if you’re interested in finding out about more such amazing filming locations then do check out where was 22 Jump Street and Grown Ups filmed.
Who Wrote The Film, Twister?
Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin wrote the film, Twister.
Who Is The Director Of The Movie, Twister?
Jan de Bont is the director of the movie, Twister.
Who Is The Producer Of The Film, Twister?
Ian Bryce, Michael Crichton, and Kathleen Kennedy are the producers of the film, Twister.
Who All Acted In The Movie, Twister?
The cast of the movie, Twister includes actors like Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Todd Field, and Jeremy Davies.
What Is The Runtime Of The Film, Twister?
1h 54m is the runtime of the film, Twister.
