10 of the most iconic props from Wilmington-made films and TV shows

Usually, it's the actors in films and TV shows who provide the memorable moments.

Every now and then, however, the objects that actors interact with, also known as props, steal the spotlight. Consider: the golden ticket in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," the leg lamp in "A Christmas Story" or the iconic lightsabers in the many "Star Wars" movies.

With the film industry in Wilmington, and nationwide, at a standstill due to ongoing strikes by the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, let's take a quick look back at the history of some films and TV shows made here. Specifically, at some of the best-known props used in shows and movies made in Wilmington.

The 'Blue Velvet' ear

Certainly one of the most notorious, if not the most famous, props from all of Wilmington filmdom is the severed ear from director David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," shot here in 1985.

The ear was created by makeup artist Jeff Goodwin, who's worked on dozens of films and TV shows, many of them made in Wilmington, and it serves as a key plot point in "Blue Velvet." After finding the ear in a field, college student Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan, is led to seek out the dark underbelly of his seemingly picture-perfect small town. (An honorable mention prop from "Blue Velvet" goes to the clear oxygen mask that Dennis Hopper's villain Frank Booth uses to huff a mysterious, gaseous drug.)

Starting on Sept. 29, Goodwin will open a haunted house attraction, Chapel of Horrors, that he helped create in the old Coca-Cola plant on Princess Street.

We hear 'Blue Velvet' 'Blue Velvet' makeup artist talks about The Ear

Annabelle doll from 'The Conjuring'

This might be the only movie prop in Wilmington history to get its own spinoffs.

The demon-possessed doll at the center of Wilmington-shot 2013 horror film "The Conjuring" inspired several more movies, including "Annabelle" (2014), "Annabelle: Creation" (2017) and "Annabelle Comes Home" (2019).

Barbary Coast skeleton

Stop into Wilmington's oldest bar, the Barbary Coast, which has been at its South Front Street location for more than 80 years, and you might not even know the giant, fossilized skeleton on the wall is a movie prop. And yet it is. Hailing from the 1993 movie "Super Mario Bros.," which star Bob Hoskins (he played Mario) said was the worst film he ever made but has garnered cult status among fans, the skeleton is the final form of villain King Koopa's assistant (and love interest) Lena, played by Fiona Shaw. You might know Shaw better as Petunia Dursley from the "Harry Potter" movies.

'Hudsucker' mural at City Market

Just a few doors down from the Barbary Coast at the Old Wilmington City Market, another piece of Wilmington movie memoribilia hangs on the wall: It's a bas relief mural created for 1994 film comedy "The Hudsucker Proxy," which remains the only movie the Coen Brothers ("Fargo," "No Country For Old Men") ever made in the Port City. Perhaps better described as a set piece, or scenery, rather than a prop handled by an actor, the mural is part of Wilmington film history nonetheless.

Green Goblin head from 'Maximum Overdrive'

Affixed to the grill of a murderous tractor-trailer, the giant head of Spider-man villain The Green Goblin is the face of mechanical evil in the schlocky 1986 sci-fi/horror movie "Maximum Overdrive," directed by Stephen King from his short story "Trucks." In the movie, a passing comet somehow lends sentience to all manner of machinery (trucks, a soda machine, a lawn mower, an electric knife), whose first thought, naturally, is to use extreme violence against their human overlords. The truck with the Green Goblin head uses its considerable gas-powered muscle to keep Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle and other great American actors hemmed into the Dixie Boy truck stop for most of the movie.

Hook from 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'

The villain from this 1998 slasher pic has a very distinctive weapon of choice: a large fisherman's hook, apropo for the horror film's seaside setting. It was shot mostly in Southport.

Belly's infinity necklace

In Wilmington-shot Amazon Prime teen drama "The Summer I Turned Pretty," an "infinity necklace" worn by main character Belly (Lola Tung) bears a lot of significance: It symbolizes the love between her and brooding Conrad, played by Christopher Briney. A quick internet search will confirm that the necklace is a viral sensation, with Etsy and plenty of other sites offering similar necklaces for sale.

Teen drama Second season of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' is filled with Wilmington-area locations

The egg in 'Under the Dome'

In this 2013-15 CBS series, which shot around Wilmington and Burgaw and was based on the massive novel by Stephen King, a glowing egg appears to be connected to the mysterious dome that has suddenly sealed off the town of Chester's Mill. Needless to say, the egg becomes a highly sought-after object by the show's characters, good and bad.

Iron Man's mask

It might be more of a costume piece than a prop, but I don't see how you leave out the mask of iconic superhero Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr. "Iron Man 3" was shot in Wilmington in 2012, and Wilmington's Cape Fear Museum has one of the masks created for the film in its collection. The mask was showcased in 2016 exhibit "Starring Cape Fear!"

Starring Cape Fear! Museum to showcase history of 'Hollywood East'

The black phone in 'The Black Phone'

In this 2021 Wilmington-shot horror thriller, a boy played by Mason Thames is captured by The Grabber, a serial killer of children played by Ethan Hawke. The ebony-hued calling device of the title connects to a dimension from beyond the grave, from which the killer's previous victims try to help the boy escape.

Filmington Lots of local talent, locations featured in Wilmington-shot horror film 'The Black Phone'

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Famous props from Wilmington NC films and TV shows