Local state park site of film crew

Rebecca Sitzes, The Shelby Star
·2 min read
The High Shoals Falls at South Mountain State Park is one of its defining features. The park was recently the location for the filming of a movie.
The High Shoals Falls at South Mountain State Park is one of its defining features. The park was recently the location for the filming of a movie.

The South Mountains State Park recently served as the set for a comedy film crew.

Monday and Tuesday of last week, the park was bustling with extras, set workers and film crews. Signs directing crew and set members where to park were scattered around the entrance and near the various parking lots.

“They filmed here in the park Monday and Tuesday before moving on,” said Mary Griffin, park ranger. “The movie is a comedy from NBC Universal, but I don’t know the director/producers or if it has a title. The main actors are from a group called Please Don’t Destroy, but I don’t know their names.”

Griffin said she isn’t sure why they chose South Mountains, but it is a beautiful setting for a movie.

According to the website for Please Don’t Destroy, it is a New York-based comedy group consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy.

The trio write and make videos for Saturday Night Live.

“We have performed our hour of sketch comedy at the New York Comedy Festival, Moontower Comedy Festival, Lyric Hyperion in Los Angeles, and many New York basements. We’ve developed film and TV projects for Comedy Central, Universal, Sony, and more,” the website reads.

An email to the group inquiring about the name of the film was not returned.

Griffin said filming took place in the main parking lot and some of the nearby trails, including Hemlock Nature Trail and Big Bear Falls, and the main gate area.

“The bulk of their filming will take place in Charlotte from what I gathered so maybe that has something to do with choosing our woods and streams to film,” Griffin said.

An overlook showing some of the mountains at South Mountains State Park. The park was the location for a film crew last week.
An overlook showing some of the mountains at South Mountains State Park. The park was the location for a film crew last week.

She said according to the park superintendent, this is the first movie that’s been filmed in the park to their knowledge.

“PBS has filmed some nature-related features for their shows here, but this is a first for us,” she said.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: South Mountains State Park serves as set for comedy film crew