Road Trip-Compatible Movies Set or Filmed in Texas
Texas offers a treasure trove of road trip-compatible films to enhance your journey. Classics like "Giant" and "The Searchers" showcase West Texas's stark beauty, while "Paris, Texas" and "Fandango" trace memorable routes through Marfa, Marathon, and Alpine.
Modern favorites include "No Country for Old Men" and Linklater's "Boyhood," which feature Big Bend's rugged terrain. These cinematic landmarks await your exploration as you travel the same scenic paths that captivated filmmakers for decades.
West Texas Classics: Giant (1956) and The Searchers (1956)
Few films capture the sprawling grandeur of West Texas like Giant and The Searchers, both released in 1956. When you're cruising through Marfa, you're traveling the same terrain where director George Stevens set his epic tale of Texas wealth and social change.
Giant stars Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, exploring complex themes of class and race against the harsh beauty of the West Texas landscape.
Meanwhile, The Searchers, although primarily filmed in Monument Valley, Utah, evokes the rugged expanses of the Texas frontier near Lubbock. John Wayne delivers one of his most nuanced performances in this psychologically intense Western about obsession and revenge.
These pioneering films established West Texas as a cinematic destination, thanks to their enduring imagery and scale.
Marfa's Cinematic Legacy: From Giant to There Will Be Blood
Nearly seven decades after Giant first captured its sweeping vistas, Marfa remains one of America's most iconic cinematic landscapes. If you're planning a West Texas road trip, you can still visit the Giant movie set ruins on Ryan Ranch, silent monuments to Hollywood history.
The Coen Brothers recognized Marfa's cinematic appeal when filming No Country for Old Men, using the town’s vast emptiness to heighten the thriller’s mood. Similarly, Paul Thomas Anderson filmed There Will Be Blood nearby in Shafter and Marfa, harnessing the stark terrain to depict the oil-driven chaos of early 20th-century Texas.
Marfa continues to attract directors seeking authentic Texas landscapes that convey both isolation and rugged majesty.
The Big Bend Film Trail: Boyhood and No Country for Old Men
Just east of Marfa’s cinematic reaches lies Big Bend National Park, where two acclaimed films found their visual core. Richard Linklater’s Boyhood used Big Bend for pivotal scenes that reflect the character’s personal growth amid vast, empty vistas.
The Coen Brothers also capitalized on the region's stark beauty in No Country for Old Men, capturing chase scenes along the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon. These locations offer a unique opportunity to retrace characters' steps and witness the landscapes that gave these films their haunting atmosphere.
Friday Night Lights: Football Culture on Film in Odessa
While many sports films glorify the game itself, Friday Night Lights captures something deeper—the emotional pulse of a Texas town where football is life. A visit to Odessa reveals why this 2004 film struck a chord with so many.
The movie portrays the real Permian High School Panthers, one of the most famous programs in Texas football history. You can visit Ratliff Stadium, where the film’s dramatic game scenes were shot, and feel the intensity that defines Friday nights in Texas.
This film goes beyond the field, revealing how football shapes community identity in small-town Texas.
The Coen Brothers' Texas: No Country for Old Men Filming Locations
From football fields to brutal terrain, No Country for Old Men showcases West Texas at its most relentless and cinematic. Filming took place in Marfa, Sanderson, and Eagle Pass, portraying a modern Western landscape filled with tension and silence.
The Coen Brothers used Big Bend Ranch State Park and other desolate spots to emphasize isolation, elevating the film’s suspense. As you travel these filming sites, you’ll experience the dramatic scenery where Llewelyn Moss was hunted by Anton Chigurh—with none of the Hollywood filters.
Richard Linklater's Texas Vision: Dazed and Confused to Boyhood
Few directors understand Texas like Richard Linklater, whose films are love letters to the state’s landscapes and quirks. His Texas Film Trail includes the Top Notch Hamburgers in Austin from Dazed and Confused, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science featured in Boyhood.
Shot over 12 years, Boyhood takes viewers across towns like Bastrop, Austin, and Big Bend, offering an unfiltered portrait of a Texas childhood. Linklater's attention to authenticity and setting makes his work feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.
The Great Texas Road Trip Movies: Paris, TX and Fandango
Two of the best Texas road trip films—Paris, Texas (1984) and Fandango (1985)—showcase the power of travel and landscape in storytelling. Though titled Paris, Texas, most of the film was shot around Fort Stockton, Marathon, and Houston, highlighting the emotional isolation of its characters.
Fandango, directed by Kevin Reynolds, follows five college friends on a journey across El Paso, Marathon, and Alpine. These filming locations echo the characters’ personal transformations amid wide-open roads and unforgettable desert skies.
El Paso on Screen: From Ace High to Kill Bill
El Paso has long played a role in Texas cinema, serving as both location and character. Ace High (1968) offered a classic Western look at the region, while Kill Bill: Volume 2 used a small church set near El Paso for a pivotal opening.
Nearby cities like Lubbock, the backdrop for The Buddy Holly Story, and Terlingua, used in Paris, Texas, show how far-reaching El Paso’s cinematic influence has grown.
Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known Films Shot in the Lone Star State
Beyond blockbusters, Texas has hosted numerous lesser-known films that capture its range and charm. Thunder Road, an indie drama, found its home in Austin and Bastrop, while Rushmore filmed at St. John’s School in Houston—not the Kinkaid School, as sometimes misreported.
Linklater’s Before Sunrise wasn't filmed in Texas, but Before Sunset had brief sequences referencing it. For rural grit, Hell or High Water shot in Clovis, New Mexico, and Archer City, blending the borderlands of both states.
South Texas’s Laredo and Eagle Pass doubled for Mexico in From Dusk Till Dawn, demonstrating the versatility of Texas as a set.
Planning Your Texas Film Location Road Trip: Maps and Routes
You’ll find curated film trails across the state—from Linklater’s Austin to Marfa’s Hollywood past. Explore San Antonio’s River Walk where scenes from Selena were filmed, or head to Alpine and Marathon to chase the footsteps of Fandango and No Country for Old Men.
For fans of small-town drama or cinematic landscapes, these Texas film routes offer a blend of nostalgia, geography, and storytelling. With a camera, a car, and a playlist of scores, your own Lone Star movie journey awaits.
