New Jersey has a film history most people who grew up here don't fully appreciate. The Sopranos. Friday the 13th. Clerks. Happy Gilmore. Severance. A Complete Unknown. The list is longer and more prestigious than the state's cultural reputation gets credit for. Now there's official infrastructure for exploring it.
What the Law Created
Assembly Bill 4883 and Senate companion S-4268 were signed into law by Governor Mikie Sherrill on September 9, 2026. The legislation directed the NJ Division of Travel and Tourism to work with the NJ Motion Picture and Television Commission to identify filming locations and build a public film tourism platform. It creates: a searchable online database at VisitNJ.org; thematic itineraries linking filming locations to nearby restaurants, lodging, and attractions; physical markers at filming sites with descriptions of what was filmed; and a public submission form for recommending additional locations. Private residences are explicitly excluded.
The Three Inaugural Trails
The Spooky Season Trail covers Friday the 13th (Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, Blairstown), The Amityville Horror (Toms River and Point Pleasant), and I Saw the TV Glow — designed as a day-trip through western and coastal New Jersey. See WAJ's Spooky Season Trail guide for a full breakdown.
The Holiday and Family Feel-Good Trail highlights family and holiday productions. Newark features prominently — The Preacher's Wife (1996) filmed there, and Newark's character has attracted multiple family productions.
The Fall in Love Trail covers romantic and drama productions — Big Night, Atlantic City, Chasing Amy — that used New Jersey's shore towns, urban neighborhoods, and scenic countryside.
New Jersey's Screen History Worth Knowing
The Sopranos is the obvious anchor — the show set in North Jersey defined prestige TV and created a tourism draw that has operated informally for decades. The official film trail now puts that history into a state-sanctioned context. Friday the 13th is an almost entirely New Jersey production, shot in Warren County. Clerks (1994) was filmed at the Quick Stop in Leonardo (Aberdeen Township) — one of the defining independent films of American cinema. Happy Gilmore 2 filmed across 20+ NJ municipalities in 2026. Severance (Apple TV+) and A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan biopic, LMGI-nominated for NJ location work) are among the current slate.
The Economic Case
Screen tourism is real and growing. The NJ Film Trails connect that established interest to local economies — restaurants, hotels, shops, and attractions near filming locations that would otherwise see no economic benefit from productions that used their community as a backdrop. The Blairstown Diner has become a genuine Friday the 13th destination; the trail formalizes and amplifies that connection for dozens more locations across the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find the NJ Film Trails? VisitNJ.org — all three trails are live with full itineraries and maps.
Can I suggest a filming location? Yes — a public submission form is on the VisitNJ.org site. The commission verifies submissions before adding them to the official trail.
