 The final scenes in the movie were filmed along a permanently closed  section of PA Route 61 in Centralia, Pennsylvania. An underground  mine fire which began in 1962 forced the closure of the highway and  the relocation of the residents in the 1980s. Debris had to be  cleared away so as to make the roadway look usable. Gaps in the  asphalt released a sulfuric odor and wisps of white smoke. Care had  to be taken to keep it out of frame.