Where was Tales From the Loop filmed? Filming Locations Guide

Posted by Ra Moon

Tales From the Loop is the new Amazon series based on the amazing art of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag.

After the discovery of a mysterious object called the Eclipse, the underground facility 'The Loop' was built to conduct experiments exploring the boundaries of the universe.

This turned extraordinary science-fiction concepts into reality. Striking visions of retro-futuristic artifacts from the laboratory litter the landscape of Mercer, the town situated around The Loop.

The kids walking in the snow with a robot

Written by Nathaniel Halpern, who was involved in the acclaimed FX series Legion, Tales From the Loop is a beautiful show with wonderful cinematography and many elements in common with other sci-fi programs like Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror, or even Stranger Things.

The cast is starring Rebecca Hall, Duncan Joiner, Jonathan Pryce, Paul Schneider, and Jane Alexander.

Welcome to our spoiler-free guide to the filming locations of Tales From the Loop.

Set in the mysterious Midwest backwater town of Mercer, Ohio, Tales From the Loop was filmed in Manitoba, Canada.

Some of the primary shooting locations for the series are rural areas around southern Manitoba.

The province offers an attractive tax credit for the filmmakers who decide to establish their projects in the region.

The streets of Mercer, the town where Tales From the Loop takes place, were filmed in Morden, a town located southwest of Winnipeg.

Morden's downtown was transformed into several vintage versions of Ohio. The town was chosen for features like its well-preserved brick storefronts and the old clock tower of the Pembina Hills Arts Centre.

Pictured, the Mercer Tavern set at Marathon Pizza located on Stephen Street.

(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios - Mercer/Morden Map Location

The cast and crew took over Morden's Stephen St to shoot the frozen town from episode 3. The episodes are set in various time periods, from the 1950s to the 1980s.

We can use the movies advertised on the local cinema marquee to get an idea of the year we're in (Summer with Monika, Missing).

You won't find this movie theater in real Morden; the exteriors of the Chinese restaurant Lam's Lucky were dressed to look like a vintage cinema.
Image courtesy of Amazon and Google Maps

The graveyard from episode 3 'Stasis' is located in Selkirk: The scene was filmed in the historic St. Clement’s Anglican Church and Cemetery.

In total, more than a thousand extras were hired for the production.
Image courtesy of Amazon and Google Maps

The parallel world pictured in the series was shot in multiple locations of Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba. The show gives you some hints about the real shooting locations.

A traffic signal says 'Winesburg 54', near Suomela and Lake Ernst. According to local media, the series filmed additional scenes in the Fort Garry suburb and in a house in the Woodhaven neighborhood.

The pier from episode seven 'Enemies' is located in Matlock (the island was CGI'd in the background of the scene). The scenes on the shores of the lake were filmed around Lake Winnipeg.

Image courtesy of Amazon - Lake Map

The Mercer Center for Experimental Physics entrance was built in a set at Birds Hill Provincial Park, located on the outskirts of Winnipeg.

The Brutalist architectural style of the gate to the underground complex seems inspired by the mid-20th century Soviet buildings.
Image courtesy of Amazon and Sandeep Singh, Travel Manitoba - Birds Hill Park Map

The surreal landscapes with gigantic decrepit robots and mechs depicted in Simon Stalenhag's artwork are a really good jumping-off point for any story. The art books take you to the '80s that never was -from the small villages in Sweden to the desert scenery in America or the three iconic cooling towers at Bona plant in Mälaröarna.

Finally, for your information, no filming took place in Saskatchewan or Regina, as other sites claim.

Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Tales From the Loop? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

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