Sometimes a movie comes along at just the right time to take advantage of a new technology. In the mid to late 1990s that new technology was the DVD. The disc format would allow movies to come into our homes like never before. And one of the first-ever DVD releases was a movie filmed right here in Iowa.

Jeff Robak
Jeff Robak
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Recognize the famous movie house in the above picture? If you knew that house is from the movie Twister, congratulations! Several scenes from the 1996 movie were filmed in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. The Twister Hill scene was shot near Boone, Iowa and then the final scene of the huge F5 tornado was filmed near Ames, Iowa. Sadly, the Register reports that the new movie Twisters, which comes out in theaters this July, has no Iowa footage. It was shot in Oklahoma and Los Angeles.

The 1996 film featured groundbreaking special effects and Far Out Magazine reports that the movie just missed out on clearing half a billion dollars at the box office. The film featured a great cast including Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Alan Ruck. The movie also holds a special place in the history of home movies.

Far Out reports that in November of 1996, the first-ever DVDs were released in Japan. Only four titles were available. One of them was the movie Twister. March of 1997 saw the first commercial DVD releases in the United States. 32 movies were available and Twister was again among the most popular.

Are you excited for Twisters, in theaters on July 19th?

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