If most Hoosiers were asked, "What 1980s Christmas movie was filmed in Indiana?," one answer would likely leap to mind:
But despite being set in Indiana (in a fictional version of Hammond), A Christmas Story didn't film a single reel of film in the Hoosier state. In fact, most of the beloved classic was filmed one state over in Ohio, including the Parker family home which stands to this day in Cleveland and currently operates as a museum.
While it isn't uncommon for movies to be set in one place and filmed in another, there is a lesser-known 1980s Christmas film that actually was filmed in Indiana.
Released in 1989 by director John D. Hancock and starring Sam Elliot, Prancer is a charming Christmas film about a young girl who finds a wounded reindeer while walking home from school. Convinced the reindeer is Prancer (of Santa's sleigh fame), the young girl tries to secretly nurse the reindeer back to health in time for Christmas.
While Prancer is set, and filmed, in Three Oaks, Michigan, portions of the Christmas movie were also shot in northern Indiana — in La Porte and New Carlisle to be exact. Director John D. Hancock actually lives in La Porte and has used the northern Indiana/southern Michigan area as locations in several of his films since Prancer.
While Prancer hasn't become a holiday staple like A Christmas Story, the film was a moderate success and is called a "good-natured holiday cheer" on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Prancer even spawned a direct-to-video sequel titled "Prancer Returns" in 2001 and a direct-to-video remake titled "Prancer: A Christmas Tale" in 2022. Though the remake was called, "hands down, the worst Christmas movie I've ever seen" by one IMDb reviewer. Perhaps it was karma for not filming in Indiana.
