Norcross on Film: From 'Mutant' to 'Freejack'

Downtown was abuzz during last week's filming of the ABC television show pilot "The Returned." The film crews were in town for four days and spent most of the time shooting at the Garner house off North Peachtree Street.

Now that filming has wrapped up, Patch decided to take a look at some of the other pieces of cinema that has taken place in Norcross over the years.

According to historian and Norcross resident Gene Ramsay, "J.C." and "Mutant" are some of the older and more notable films shot downtown.

Filmed in Norcross in November 1970, "J.C." is a flick about a biker, played by William McGaha, who rebels against the establishment. Also starring in the film is Joanna Moore and Slim Pickens, who's also known for Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" and Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles."

"The filming attracted huge crowds to the downtown streets in the evenings when the crew was at work," said Ramsay. Dodger DeLeon, who was on the Norcross city council at the time, had a part in the movie as a deputy sheriff. DeLeon also is known for being behind the Norcross Car Show, an annual event that raises funds for scholarships in the medical field.

Norcross played another big role in "Mutant," or "Night Shadows," depending on where it was released. The exterior shots for the zombie flick were filmed in town around 1984. Landmarks such as the Norcross Station, Woods Animal Hospital, the old service station on South Peachtree, and the Rainey house on South Peachtree near Flint Hill made the final cut.

The movie starred actor Wings Hauser as a traveler passing through a small town called Goodland. He discovers that a chemical manufacturing plant there has caused the local residents to turn into zombie-like mutants, according to Ramsay. 

Dr. Myra Tate, a local physician in the movie, was played by actress Jennifer Warren. Tate's office was in the vet clinic on Thrasher Street.

Some scenes from a movie called "Fast Food" from the late 1980s were filmed in Norcross, too, but the last movie with scenes depicting Norcross was the Emilio Estevez-Mick Jagger film “Freejack.” Released in 1992, the film centers on a racecar driver who time travels moments before his death to 2007 New York where his brain would be transplanted with that of a dying billionaire, according to another Patch article.

In nearby Peachtree Corners, the old BJ's on Jimmy Carter Boulevard was used in November 2011 as a comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

Aside from movies, shorter videos have been filmed in Norcross, too. A music video by rapper T-Pain was shot on North Barton Street in May 2011, which caused much controversy because of the video's racy visual content. At 45 South Cafe in June 2011, the short film “An Inconvenient Book” was shot as part of the 48 Hour Film Project competition. Barista Paige Prier co-wrote the piece.

Do you remember any of the aforementioned films being shot in Norcross? Or can you name anything else that has been filmed in Norcross? Tell us in the comments below.

See also:

• Short Film Shoots at Norcross Cafe
• Old BJ's Being Used as Movie Set
• Filmed in Norcross: The Worst B Movies Ever

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