Tennessee State Prison

The Tennessee State Prison, located at 100 Bomar Blvd, was opened in 1898, but as part of the settlement for the court case Grubbs v. Bradley in 1983, the Tennessee Department of Correction was permanently prohibited from the housing of inmates here, and completely shut down in 1992. Since its closing, it has been the location for many different films, tv shows, and even music videos.

The movie Marie stars Sissy Spacek and tells the true story of Marie Ragghianti, former Extradition Officer for the Tennessee Department of Correction and Chair of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles who was responsible for the federal investigation of the corruption by Governor Ray Blanton and two aides. Since this true event took place in Tennessee, it was only natural to use the State Prison as a filming location. In the movie you can see the use of the exterior, specifically the main entrance, recognizable by the gate and large rounded door.

Though the interior of the building is fairly run-down, a lot of filming has taken place inside, as well, like in the 1999 film The Green Mile. I obviously could not enter the prison, as it is a highly restricted area with intense security, but through research I discovered how the directors experimented with a few of the over 800 small cells, as well as what appears to be the administration building. Many spaces of the prison are very tight and have several narrow hallways with dark lighting, but through manipulation of bright lights and rolling camera stands, it was made possible.

This also applies for two of Eric Church’s music videos for his songs “Lightning” and “Homeboy,” where the directors made use of the location within a run-down cell, and included some shots of the exterior, where you can easily recognize the fortress like structure.

Other pieces of filmography for this location include Ernest Goes to Jail, Against the Wall, The Last Castle, and Pillar’s “Bring Me Down” music video.