The Peacock comedy Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain follows three childhood friends, Ben, Martin, and John, who wind up as co-workers with little ambition, deciding to change their lives by setting off on a quest to find hidden treasure allegedly located in the town’s nearby mountains. They encounter various hazards along the way, including park rangers and a cult leader, and their journey becomes more about finding themselves than finding treasure. How was all this brought to life by the film’s production team? Well, we’re here to answer those pressing questions about where The Treasure of Foggy Mountain was filmed, and who was working behind the scenes to keep the whole thing afloat.
The film has received mixed reviews and is probably more of a showcase for the three leads who are doing their best to elevate the material and hold the production together. The leads are played by Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall, whom you might know from the short comedy films they made under the umbrella title of Please Don’t Destroy.
Where was Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain filmed?
Charlotte, North Carolina
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain was filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina, though some other locations were also used to achieve the desired effects for various sequences.
To stand in for the town where the comedic trio starts their journey, Charlotte in North Carolina was used, probably as it had everything the crew needed for the production, including shop fronts, bars, and a church. The Charlotte Observer was of course all over the details of the production and were able to confirm many of the locations used in the shoot.
South Mountains State Park, Crowders Mountain State Park, Mount Mitchell State Park
View from the Annapolis Rock Overlook in South Mountains State Park | Image via Wikipedia
Various shooting locations were used to create the fictitious Foggy Mountain of the film, and South Mountains State Park was one of them. Located at the crossroads of the Appalachian Mountains and the Foothills, this area has hiking, bike and bridle trails available, and filming took place there, as well as Crowders Mountain State Park, located in Gaston County 32 miles west of Charlotte, and Mount Mitchell State Park, located in Yancey County 30 miles northeast of Asheville.
Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen
Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen is just one of the many businesses in NoDa that locals in the area would be able to spot in the movie. In an early scene, you can see Ben, John, and Martin roller skate to work and along the way, you can also see Billy Jack’s Shack, a famous Charlotte landmark bringing the community together over food and drinks. There’s also The Evening Muse, a venue that offers up music, poetry, comedy, and art as well as open mic nights. However, the scene does show the mountains behind NoDa, but they are there through the magic of film, as there aren’t any mountains that close to NoDa in real life.
Segen Food Market, Crunch Fitness University, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain was filmed at various recognizable locations in Charlotte.
Although no longer in use, the Segen Food Market was repurposed for the scene where Ben, John, and Martin go on the way to their work, and get cornered into buying beer for a group of younger kids.
Crunch Fitness University was used in the establishing shots for the exterior of Trout Plus, where our trio of leads work, but filming for the interior scenes was done elsewhere at Northlake Mall, in the former Dick’s Sporting Goods unit that closed in 2021.
Located in East Charlotte, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is where Martin gets baptized for his girlfriend, doubling for The Pinewood Falls House of God in the movie. However, the exterior establishing shot is not the New Hope but St Martin De Tours Catholic Church in Louisiana.
Bost Grill Mill, Concord, North Carolina
Bost Grill Mill in Concord, North Carolina
The set used for the Foggy Mountain cult was built at the Bost Grill Mill. The elaborate set was specially built for the scenes and took ten weeks to complete. The family-owned mill was built in the early 1800s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It offers a stunning venue for special events and weddings, and of course filmmakers.
Who directed and produced Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain?
Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain was directed by Paul Briganti, and if that name sounds familiar, you are no doubt a fan of the long-running late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live, as Briganti has directed nearly ninety episodes of that series.
Production-wise, Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller are named. Apatow Productions was also behind Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People, and many many more comedy movies. The company was founded in 1999 and also works in television, with its first project being Freaks and Geeks in 1999.
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