Calling all followers of film, spectators of the silver screen, supporters of cinema, and habitués of horror. Did you know the UK is full of fantastic film locations that you can go and visit? Spend this halloween visiting some of our best horror film locations and recreate your favourite scenes from horror movie history.
We’ve put together our list of the 12 spookiest film locations in the UK that you can visit right now. Whether it’s a day out or a weekend away, take some time to satisfy your inner film buff and see one of these terrifying film locations.
Witchfinder General (1968)
Lavenham, Suffolk
As well as being a stunning picturesque location, Lavenham was used in the 1968 classic Witchfinder General because of it’s historical accuracy. Lavenham is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Britain, and its town square was the real site of witch burnings in the 1600s. Clearly Lavenham’s history has stood the test of time, as it’s still a common location for films of the occult, recently appearing as Godric’s Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
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Bury St. Edmunds
Ipswich Stowmarket
The Wicker Man (1973)
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland
If you have a fascination with the paranormal, then you’ll love a visit to Culzean Castle. The Castle grounds starred in the weirdly creepy 1973 adaptation of The Wicker Man as the elaborate home of Lord Summerisle. Culzean itself is rumoured to be haunted, and back in the early 2000s the castle made an appearance on the scream-filled ghost hunting television show, Most Haunted. You can easily spend a whole day here visiting the castle and extensive grounds, which includes 40 buildings and secret follies, beaches, deer park, and adventure playground. Keep your eyes peeled for the ghosts of a servant girl or piper that haunt this grand castle.
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Travelodge Ayr
Travelodge Kilmarnock
The Omen (1976)
All Saints Church, London
A short walk from Putney Bridge, All Saints Church has earned itself a place in horror movie history as a filming location for the chilling classic, The Omen. Dating back to 1440, this ominous church featured in one of the most memorable scenes of the movie, when a priest is impaled by a falling lightning conductor. The nearby Bishop’s Park was also used to film some of Damien’s paranormal deeds.
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London Fulham
London Battersea
London Clapham Junction
Dracula (1979)
St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall
Separated from the mainland by a causeway that is only accessible at low tide, St Michael’s Mount made for the perfect isolated lair of Dracula in the 1979 feature film starring Laurence Olivier. This iconic castle has been the backdrop for many a feature film, and has history dating back to the bronze age. St Michael’s is surrounded in myth and legend, with tales of giants, mermaids, and miracles leaving their mark on the Mount. See what tales you take home with you from a trip to this breathtaking island.
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Travelodge Hayle
Cambourne Redruth
The Witches (1990)
Headland Hotel, Newquay
The Roald Dahl book turned movie classic, The Witches, is a chilling tale where a convention of wig toting witches at a seaside hotel hatch a plan to turn children into mice. The aptly named Headland Hotel in Newquay took centre stage as the main location in the 1990 film starring Angelica Houston and Rowan Atkinson. With a beautiful beach nearby, this is a great location to visit with the family. It might be worth taking some extra cheese with you though, just in case your little ones get turned into rodents.
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Newquay Seafront
Bodmin Roche
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Hambleden, Buckinghamshire
This quintessentially English village has played host to many a spooky scene over the years. Amongst the lengthy list of flicks filmed here is Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp. As well as offering the perfect location for a spine-tingling tale, this Buckinghamshire village is also a beautiful place to have a leisurely stroll. With its flint cottages and medieval church, it’s well worth a wander. Hambledon was also the site of a U.S. military base in the build up to D Day, and appropriately featured as a training ground for East Company in the Spielberg mini-series Band of Brothers.
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Travelodge Marlow
High Wycombe Central
28 Days Later (2002)
Oxford Street, London
Over 200 million people visit this film location each year. Oxford Street is one of the most famous shopping areas in the world, and is renowned for its bustling crowds. This made it the perfect location for an apocalyptic scene in 28 Days Later, where Cillian Murphy’s character awakes to a desolate London. In order to achieve a real sense of isolation for the film, shooting started as early as 4am to ensure no one was around. Also featuring in the deserted opening of the film are Westminster Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, and Horse Guards Parade. Fancy walking around London at 4am to recreate that 28 Days Later feeling?
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London Central Marylebone
London Covent Garden
London Central Euston
Dorian Gray (2009)
Highgate Cemetery, London
Highgate Cemetery is certainly one of the spookiest around, making it the perfect choice for a chilling movie scene. London’s creepiest cemetery gets plenty of screen time in the Colin Firth film, based on Oscar Wilde novel, Dorian Gray. With stunning architecture, wonderfully overgrown with shrubs and trees, Highgate cemetery can be a haven of tranquility in busy London. Make sure you’ve left here by nightfall though, you wouldn’t want to get lost in the twists and turns of this graveyard. Other key London locations from the film include the Old Royal Naval College and The British Academy.
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London Finsbury Park
London Finchley
London Wood Green
The Woman in Black (2012)
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
From the West-End stage to the silver screen, The Woman in Black has been terrifying audiences for years. Now you can go behind the scenes of this fearsome flick with a visit to Layer Marney Tower. Creep along the corridors and sneak amongst the shadows of the tallest tudor gatehouse in the country. Keep your eyes peeled though, you may just see the ghostly figure of Lord Marney, who is said to haunt the tower to this very day.
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Colchester Feering
Dark Shadows (2012)
Bourne Wood, Surrey
Bourne Wood is a small hilly woodland that’s become a popular hit with Hollywood film makers. With well spaced Scot’s Pines and a large clearing, Bourne Wood has been central to creating some of the biggest films in recent history. Johnny Depp film Dark Shadows was shot here, which saw a vampiric mansion constructed in the woodland. Other appearances on the silver screen include the opening battle in Gladiator, three Harry Potter films, and three Avenger’s films. This is a film location not to be missed.
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Travelodge Aldershot
Travelodge Guildford
Farnborough Central
Under The Skin (2013)
Tantallon Castle, Lothian, Scotland
Critically acclaimed and completely creepy, Under The Skin stars Scarlett Johansson as an otherworldly woman who seduces young men to their demise. Many of the shots were filmed with hidden cameras, using non-actors to play the characters, giving an eerie sense of realism to the film. Under The Skin was shot in several locations around Scotland, including the haunting coastal fortress, Tantallon Castle in Lothian. Having withstood several sieges, Tantallon Castle is an impressive ruin of a 14th century castle with a 50 foot curtain wall, and well worth a visit for history and film lovers alike.
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Edinburgh Musselburgh
Ghost Stories (2017)
Saltaire Village, Yorkshire
Ghost Stories is a darkly comic film about a sceptical professor who tries to find logical explanations to stories of supernatural hauntings. Filmed in several locations around Yorkshire, Saltaire Village is certainly the most attractive spot you can visit, and a UNESCO world heritage site. This fantastically preserved Victorian mill town really gives you the sense of life 200 years ago, and is an ever popular filming location, recently appearing in the gritty drama Peaky Blinders.
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Travelodge Keighley
Bradford Central
Travelodge Bradford
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Black Swan, Cobham, Surrey
This large gastropub was the interior stand-in for a quaint little cottage in An American Werewolf in London. The film details two New Yorkers travelling across the UK when one gets bitten by a Werewolf. The ‘Slaughtered Lamb’ was one of their pit stops along the way for the film, and it should be one of yours! Even if you are planning to visit due to the film, it is also a very classy and sleek-looking pit stop to have a nice lunch.
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Travelodge Leatherhead
Travelodge Walton-On-Thames
Ghosts (2019)
West Horsley Place, Surrey
This beautiful manor house is a place of exceptional architecture and significance. After standing on the grounds since the Norman Conquest, the manor housed relatives of Henry VIII. The house was also the filming location for the 2019 Comedy series ‘Ghosts’. You can take a day tour around the building, with a vast number of rooms to explore as well as the extensive manor grounds.
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Travelodge Leatherhead
Travelodge Dorking
