Sartaj Singh
Cowritten and codirected by Logan George and Celine Held, ‘Caddo Lake’ creates a mind-bending mystery surrounding the swamp landscapes of the eponymous lake at the Texas-Louisiana border. When a young girl, Anna, disappears in the remote community of Karnack, the townsfolk are spurred into a desperate search for her. Paris (Dylan O’Brien) and Ellie (Eliza Scanlen), Anna’s stepsister, experience inexplicable phenomena as they venture deeper into the swamp. Paris is haunted by memories of being helpless and failing to save his mother as her car was submerged in the lake. The Max mystery thriller boasts excellent cinematography that captures the enchanting wetlands of the Caddo Lake, with its dense, foggy atmosphere seemingly hiding unfathomable secrets.
Where Was Caddo Lake Filmed?
Filming for ‘Caddo Lake’ was carried out on-location around the Caddo Lake, which sits on the border of Louisiana and Texas. More specifically, the production team set up shop in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Karnack, Texas. It was a picture of Caddo Lake that had enamored the directors and drawn them to live near the Lake for three weeks in Karnack and worked on the screenplay as they soaked in the marshy atmosphere. Formerly titled ‘The Vanishings At Caddo Lake,’ principal photography for the project began on October 4, 2021, and was wrapped up on November 18, 2021. Some shooting was reportedly carried out in 2022.
Before shooting began, the writer-directors ensured that the cast took a boat tour of the lake to get a sense of the environment and what they were attempting to achieve. Leads Dylan O’Brien and Eliza Scanlen were also given basic training on how to operate the boats seen in the film. The holistic approach by the creatives ensured a strong team spirit behind the scenes, with the cast and crew working as one to bring their vision to life.
Karnack, Texas
Most of the filming for ‘Caddo Lake’ was carried out on the Texas side of the lake in the rural community of Karnack. Located in Harrison County, west of the Caddo Lake, the community’s marshy surroundings and wood-framed houses on stilts contribute to creating the eerie atmosphere captured in the film. Bordering Karnack and located on the west bank of the lake is the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The expansive and overgrown landscapes of the preserve can also be seen in the film, its abandoned and dilapidated structures adding to the narrative’s dark mystery.
Interestingly, Caddo Lake is the sole naturally formed lake in Texas. Dylan O’Brien completely immersed himself in its surroundings, spending hours with the locals, driving boats, and drinking beer. He found himself falling in love with the unique community and utilized the emotion in his performance. He was initially afraid of the possibility of Alligators in the lake, given that multiple sequences required him to wade through waist-deep waters. However, the swamp dwellers kept well away from the filming sites because of the fleet of boats accompanying the team, and O’Brien didn’t spot a single one.
Shreveport, Louisiana
Situated in northwest Louisiana, Shreveport became a filming location for ‘Caddo Lake.’ The city sits on the Red River, with Cross Lake bordering it to the west. The production team used the city and its surrounding areas as a base while capturing sequences close to Caddo Lake on the Louisiana side of the border. To help depict the older time period of the setting, the production team put out a request for vehicles manufactured between 1998 and 2004, also casting Shreveport residents in minor roles. Such attention to detail helps with the immersion in the mystery, grounding the film’s supernatural elements in a believable, nostalgic world.
Louisiana’s long-standing tax incentives for film and television production also factored into the decision to shoot in Shreveport, as the city provides easy access to the Texas side of the Lake. The Louisiana side of the lake boasts small-town charm, with communities like Oil City and Mooringsport. Oil City is the location of the world’s first over-water oil well, and its sparsely populated streets remain a blast from the past. Other notable productions shot in Shreveport include the 2013 ‘Texas Chainsaw,’ ‘True Blood,’ ‘I Spit on Your Grave,’ and ‘The Mist.’
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