Ritesh Sharma
Directed by Osgood Perkins, based on Stephen King’s eponymous short story, a significant portion of ‘The Monkey’ unfolds in the quiet town of Casco, Maine. This locale plays a pivotal role in the narrative, serving as the backdrop where a lot of sinister and, according to the movie’s tone, quirky events occur—most notably, the trail of deaths mysteriously linked to the cursed toy monkey. When viewers first hear the name Casco in the horror comedy, one may assume it is yet another fictional New England town from King’s ever-growing map of eerie locales. But in reality, Casco is not a creation of the author’s imagination!
Casco is a Real Place With Timeless Charm
Incorporated in 1841 and tucked away in the heart of Maine’s Sebago Lake region, Casco in Cumberland County is a town defined by its natural beauty and quiet charm. Home to just over 3,600 residents, the place offers a quintessential small-town atmosphere where the call of loons across Pleasant Lake replaces the noise of urban life. Encircled by eight prominent bodies of water— including the sprawling Sebago Lake, Crescent Lake, Panther Pond, and Thompson Lake—Casco’s geography is a picturesque tapestry of rolling hills, dense forests, and tranquil lakefronts. The town’s lush and often misty landscape possesses a hauntingly beautiful quality, which must have inspired Stephen King to set his short story, ‘The Monkey,’ in the town.
Why Casco Seems Like a Fictional Setting
Casco has that rare quality—it feels too atmospheric to be real. That might be why many viewers would approach it as a made-up location for ‘The Monkey,’ especially since Stephen King has built an entire mythos around fictional Maine towns like Derry and Castle Rock. But Casco’s obscurity and old-world stillness make it a perfect canvas for eerie stories rooted in real emotion—like the grief Hal and Bill Shelburn face after losing their mother, Lois Shelburn. It’s also worth noting that Casco shares its name with Casco Bay, a more widely known area in Maine. That overlap can further blur the line between reality and fiction for viewers.
British Columbia Stands in For Casco in The Monkey
Casco’s visual profile makes it an attractive stand-in for Americana at its most vulnerable and mysterious. The lakeside cottages, aging general stores, and winding country roads can belong to any era, giving it a timeless appeal—and a slightly unsettling one when paired with themes of death, trauma, and buried secrets. Still, ‘The Monkey’ was not shot in the region. Even though the horror comedy is primarily set in Casco, the movie was filmed in British Columbia, mainly in Maple Ridge and Vancouver. Maine towns—especially those situated deep in wooded or lake regions—carry with them an inherent sense of isolation and intimacy. Interestingly, the Canadian province boasts several such locales, making them suitable locations for the horror-comedy movie.
Casco and Maine’s Film Appeal
Though not a bustling film hub, the greater Sebago Lake region has attracted its fair share of film crews due to its raw natural beauty and classic New England aesthetic. While specific productions filmed directly in Casco are limited, the region has been used as a stand-in for various small towns across horror and drama genres—especially in projects filmed in the Portland area or nearby towns like Naples and Raymond. Given the popularity of Stephen King’s work in film and television and the enduring interest in rural Maine locations, it wouldn’t be surprising if Casco continues to find itself woven into the background of future adaptations. Casco isn’t just a storytelling device but a fully grounded place with a long history and natural elegance. Its inclusion in ‘The Monkey’ only adds to the emotional depth of the story. And while it may not be crawling with tourists or pop culture landmarks, that’s what keeps it intriguing—a hidden pocket of real-life Americana that looks like it was designed for the screen.
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