Outer Banks Inspired
By Jojo M. Tilley
The Outer Banks has been a place to reside and vacation in for centuries. From the home-base of plundering pirates to the summer highlight for excited children, the OBX has cemented itself as a brilliant memory for nearly everyone who comes to visit. It’s only natural, then, that such a beloved place would have a few movies, books, and television shows inspired by its one-of-a-kind landscape. After the release of the Netflix series Outer Banks in 2020, the local community called home by only tens of thousands of people was suddenly thrust into the limelight. It was the first time that a piece of media inspired so many people to come and visit the OBX—or was it? As it turns out, many movies and books have used the Outer Banks as a backdrop far before Outer Banks aired… And many of them are much more favored by the locals!
The setting of our barrier islands is truly extraordinary, which is why several movies have capitalized off of its extensive heritage and cultural phenomena. Message in a Bottle (1999) details the tumultuous relationship between Theresa Osborne, a former reporter, and Garrett Blake, an author of various love letters found in bottles—hence the name of the movie. Interestingly enough, Blake lives on the Outer Banks, working as a shipwright and staying in isolation after the untimely death of his wife, to whom the love letters were addressed. Osborne wants to figure out the mystery behind them, but ends up falling for Blake instead, resulting in a confrontation that could ruin the start of a beautiful relationship. The Outer Banks as a backdrop for this is incredibly beneficial to the story, chosen first by Nicholas Sparks, who wrote the novel from which the movie was based. The Outer Banks is a place known for its destinations and idyllic beaches, especially in regard to romance—many people come to the OBX to be wed! The connotation of such a place—and the perfect usage of a “message in a bottle”—makes the tension between the two characters all that more titillating.
Nights in Rodanthe (2008) is a drama romance film. Adrienne Willis, a recently divorced woman, is trying to find herself while grieving the change in her life and raising her children. While watching over a friend’s bed and breakfast in Rodanthe, she meets a man named Paul Flanner, an estranged surgeon currently staying in the bed and breakfast. The place is nestled just along the shore with the ocean at the door. The pair quickly bond and cultivate a relationship based on understanding their tumultuous pasts together, and their shared experience of raising children through trauma.
Call Sign Romeo (2022) takes place largely in Kill Devil Hills. The movie was created by OBX local Sam Cortez who was inspired by his own son’s wrestling career here at First Flight High School. The lead, Chris Torres, is a high school senior with hopes of going on to fly jets at the US Naval Academy. He intends to prove himself in his wrestling state championship, fighting against all the challenges thrown his way. The First Flight High School wrestling team was involved in the making of the film and comprise both minor and major characters.
Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) follows the story of Zak, a man with Down syndrome who’d had a dream to train and become a wrestler. After running away from the residential nursing home that had squandered his dreams, Zak meets the outlaw Tyler, played by Shia Lebeouf. The two form a strong friendship as they travel together, and Tyler begins to train Zak. They learn much from one another, traversing the coastal terrain of the Outer Banks. Written and directed in part by Tyler Nilson, a Colington Island local and graduate of Manteo High School, the film pays beautiful homage to the environment while telling a heartwarming story.
Movies aren’t the only thing that the Outer Banks has been featured in. David Payne’s novels Early From the Dance (1989), Ruin Creek (1993), and Gravesend Light (2000) all feature the setting of the Outer Banks as the backdrop of their mysteries. In the latter two, the narrator, Joey Madden, lives on the Outer Banks and does his best to study the lives of the commercial fisherman whose careers are threatened by an increasingly urban beach. He has been heralded for his intense plotlines and captivating descriptions of the North Carolina shore, combining the two into a narrative that champions above many coastal mysteries.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2018) is a novel that takes place in the marshlands of North Carolina—a haunting and intense backdrop when compared to the narrative. When a man is murdered, a young woman named Kya, who lives alone in the marshlands, becomes the prime suspect. She has to prove her own innocence as she navigates through the perils of growing up as an outcast. The book was so successful that they ended up turning it into a movie, released in 2022, but its initial success started due to the book’s beautiful and powerful descriptions of the Outer Banks’s treasured estuaries. Though it’s never explicitly stated, the sparsely populated marshlands that are described can only be home to one place, and several locals have enjoyed the romances that take place as they move from island to island.
The Outer Banks isn’t featured in media just for the older generations, though. In addition to Suzanne Tate and James Melvin’s Nature Series (featured in the 2023 fall issue of Coastal Life), another series of children’s books, titles, Sebi the Spoon is about a local frozen yogurt place’s mascot. Written and illustrated by local artists, this book is a fun and colorful adventure for all ages.
The Outer Banks is a beautiful place that stays in the minds of visitors and locals alike, whether that looks like the beaches they visit, the homes they admire, or the movies and books they enjoy. There’s nothing more special than seeing your favorite vacation place or the town you grew up in featured in something that so many people will see, and the joy of the Outer Banks is lucky enough to have been spread far and wide. The movies and books recommended here are just a snippet of the marshlands, estuaries, and beaches that the area is so well known for, and while they do an excellent job of illustrating them, seeing their beauty in person simply cannot be beat.
Author: Jojo M. Tilley
