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In a time before the film industry centralized in New York and Hollywood, areas like New England enjoyed their own cinematic successes. Some of the region's first cinematic efforts (in the 1910s) relied on local legends such as Paul Revere, Benedict Arnold and other heroes and villains of the American Revolution. The benefits of shooting a motion picture in New England were largely practical, whether the close proximity to regional distributors, the lack of adaptive technology or the cooler setting. Vitagraph, Lubin and Edison were just a few of the major companies to record their films there. This trend continues to this day, with films as recent as David Mamet's State and Main (2000).
Such unique aspects offered by the land and nature of New England have also inspired others, particularly in the genres of suspense and horror. Horror as a film genre in New England goes back to 1900, when Thomas Edison's studio released a haunted house story, Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel. A decade earlier, the influential horror legend H.P Lovecraft was born in Rhode Island. His recurring theme of secret and ancient horror may have been drawn by Lovecraft from his surroundings. Lovecraft wouldn't live to see any of his stories appear on the big screen as the first, Haunted Palace, based loosely on his "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," was released in 1963 and he died in 1937. Some of his other films that take place in so-called "Lovecraft country" are The Shuttered Room (1967), The Dunwich Horror (1970) and From Beyond (1986). The author also inspired a number of other authors and filmmakers to use his established created universe (the Cthulhu Mythos) in their own works, including director John Carpenter. Carpenter used the fictional, Lovecraftian town of Hobb's End, New Hampshire as the setting for his homage to the author, 1995's In the Mouth of Madness.
Horror writer Stephen King has created a similar mythos for his own characters. King makes use of his native Maine as a frequent setting for weird goings-on. King's stories have helped shape the image of New England in popular culture, perhaps more than anyone since playwright Eugene O'Neill. One can draw an almost direct line from the genre fiction of Lovecraft and King to the literature of fellow New Englander Nathaniel Hawthorne. For instance, Hawthorne made good use of the region's infamous Salem Witch Trials in his stories. The time of the witch trials in Salem would draw filmmakers to the topic again and again, starting with 1937's Maid of Salem.
Other genres have explored the lighter, or at least more natural, aesthetics New England offers, as well. The films Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951), concerning labor complaints, and Lost Boundaries (1949), about bigotry—filmed in and around Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth has some of the great New Hampshire movie theaters and hosts the annual New Hampshire Film Festival every year. In efforts to preserve New England's history in film and continue it, such expositions are planned annually across the New England countryside.
The culture of the arts continues to the present day and has advanced decade by decade—in fact, inexpensive cameras and editing software have reinvigorated film production at a local level. "The digital video revolution has encouraged a great many filmmakers, particularly in New England," said New England actor and historian Phil Hall. Hall does worry, however, that too much product can flood the marketplace: Portsmouth NH movie theaters and those "around the country need to exhibit movies that are going to turn a profit...faced with exhibiting Angels and Demons or a no-budget movie made in Vermont, their choice is clear." The internet and social media have enabled startup filmmakers to distribute their works alongside major productions from Hollywood and the opportunity to rival it.
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