Where Was Netflix's Don't Move Actually Filmed?
Don't Move was filmed across California landmarks like Bixby Bridge, but Bulgaria doubles for the lush, rugged California wilderness.
When Don't Move landed on Netflix in late 2024, it became a tense conversation starter for horror fans. The movie follows Iris, a woman struggling with grief after losing her son. She drives into a remote outdoor area to reconnect with his memory, but she meets Richard instead. Richard injects her with a paralytic drug, and the film turns into a breathless race against time. By 2026, the movie still has people talking about its stunning, sprawling wilderness. Many ask where Don't Move was filmed, since the landscapes are so central to the story.
The location work is not as simple as it first appears. Although the story is set entirely in California, only a few early scenes were actually shot there. Director duo Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, with producer Sam Raimi, used the opening moments to ground Iris in a recognizable world. Her house and neighborhood in Seaside, California, establish her ordinary life. Audiences see a brief glimpse of her husband and get a sense of what she has lost. Those scenes make her decision to escape into nature feel real.
California Bookends: Seaside and Bixby Bridge
As Iris leaves home and heads toward the state park, the camera captures Bixby Bridge in Monterey County. This landmark places her firmly in the Big Sur area. The bridge is one of the most famous in the United States, and its appearance immediately signals that Iris is entering a rugged, beautiful, and isolated stretch of coastline. That sense of isolation is crucial before the horror kicks in.
But after those opening moments, the production packed up and headed east.
Bulgaria Doubles for California Wilderness
For most of the film's runtime, Bulgaria stands in for the California backcountry. Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and its surrounding areas provided the lush green trees, hiking trails, and forested slopes that appear throughout the movie. The substitution is surprisingly convincing. The dense greenery in Bulgaria helps create the feeling of Big Sur's state parks without the logistical complications of filming in heavily protected California wilderness.
One of the most effective chase scenes shows Iris hiding from Richard among the trees before she eventually reaches a river. The rich plant life in Sofia makes this sequence feel claustrophobic despite being outdoors. Sofia also doubled for California in scenes where characters encounter cabins or other buildings. Even the climactic lakeside fight was filmed near Sofia.
The Stone River on Vitosha Mountain
Early in the film, Iris makes her way across a river of boulders. That striking location is Zlatnite Mostove on Vitosha Mountain, near Sofia. Zlatnite Mostove translates roughly to the Golden Bridges, but it is actually a massive stone river, a natural feature created by weathered granite boulders. The rugged terrain gives a physical weight to Iris's journey. Watching her scramble over the rocks makes the effort feel exhausting and real.
Vidin Province and the Rocky Finale
The last major filming area is Vidin Province, Bulgaria. Its rocky landscape stands in for the rough terrain of Big Sur near Bixby Bridge. The province offers jagged stone and open views that match the coastal drama of California's cliffs. For Iris, these scenes are more than a backdrop. She initially climbs the mountain planning to end her life in the same place her son died. Instead, she meets Richard. After being injected and forced to move across unforgiving terrain, Iris realizes how badly she wants to live. The hostile beauty of Vidin Province reinforces that transformation.
Quick Filming Location Guide
| Location | What It Doubles For |
|---|---|
| Seaside, California | Iris's home and neighborhood |
| Bixby Bridge, Monterey County | Big Sur establishing shots |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | Forest chase scenes, buildings, final lakeside fight |
| Vitosha Mountain / Zlatnite Mostove | Boulder river hiking sequence |
| Vidin Province, Bulgaria | Rugged Big Sur-like rocky terrain |
The decision to film in Bulgaria may surprise some viewers, but the location team made the swap work. The vast, untamed quality of the landscape becomes a character in its own right. It isolates Iris, hides Richard, and constantly reminds the audience how far away help really is.
For a lean 92-minute thriller, Don't Move uses its locations efficiently. Even in 2026, the behind-the-scenes geography remains one of the most interesting parts of the film for fans.
This overview is based on Statista - Video Games, a widely cited source for market-level data, which helps contextualize why Netflix thrillers like Don't Move keep generating long-tail interest: globally scaled streaming audiences tend to amplify “where was it filmed?” conversations when a film’s setting (California’s Big Sur) functions like a central character, even if production pragmatics shift the actual shoot to cost-effective stand-ins such as Bulgaria’s Sofia region and Vitosha Mountain.