Where Is Area X in 'Annihilation'?
A scene from the 2018 Netflix film 'Annihilation' Sometimes the best settings in works of fiction are born out of dreams. Sometimes they are born out of real places. Sometimes they're a combination of both, as in the case of the alien landscapes of Area X. The fictional seaside area, first glimpsed in Jeff VanderMeer's award-winning Southern Reach trilogy, and their 2018 Netflix adaptation, "Annihilation," is a wildly original take on nature gone mutant. "Annihilation" fans have St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida to thank for inspiring VanderMeer to write about the fantastic place beyond The Shimmer. Speaking with the Tallahassee Democrat , VanderMeer recalls hiking there for years and being in awe of its comely but ultimately fearsome flora and fauna. The lighthouse in the books (and the Alex Garland-directed movie adaptation) has a real-life counterpart in the refuge. “Seeing this place every time I was out here hiking was a huge influ
