After watching more than an hour-and-a-half of picturesque scenes from the Teche Area on the big screen, local residents agreed “In the Electric Mist” was a hit for New Iberia, one that offered an accurate portrayal of what residents here are really like.

“A lot of movies set in this area have fake accents or accents that sound like they’re from north Louisiana,” said Helen Bayard, whose husband, Jason, had a small role in the movie as an Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputy. “This one had real accents and real actors from this area with real levees and scenes from the area. I thought it was great.”

For Whiland Williams, seeing the shotgun houses along Anderson Street in the movie gave him a strong sense of nostalgia.

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“I was born on Anderson Street in 1964, and I used to run through those houses when I was a little boy,” Williams said. “It was cool seeing that in a movie. I thought it was a first-class (movie).”

Dan and Kelly Roark moved here recently from Hopkinsville, Ky., but are longtime James Lee Burke fans who read the book the movie was based on long before they moved to town.

“I really enjoyed the movie, and it makes me want to go back and read the book again,” said Dan Roark.

As Bernie Lemaire stood up from a table he was sitting at with actor John Goodman, Lemaire said repeatedly that Goodman “was such a gentleman,” and when Lemaire asked Goodman how it felt to get so much attention, Goodman said, “It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“I’ll have to see the movie twice because I was too excited about everything and seeing all the familiar places,” said Lemaire. “I think they portrayed the area well. I’m just a home-grown boy, and this is one of the best nights of my life.”

Local businessman Gordon Doerle said the turnout for the premiere and the reception that followed was “fantastic,” adding the movie sold out a few times.

“This is a really good representation of New Iberia,” Doerle said. “I’m trying to talk them into filming another one here soon.”