Where Was Dark Shadows’ Filmed? A Guide to All of the Set Locations
If you’re a fan of the Johnny Depp-led Dark Shadows; movie, we have the scoop on where it was filmed. Read further for details.
What kind of magic is this? Dark Shadows, released in 2012, was a big-screen adaptation of the same-named gothic soap opera that aired from 1966 to 1971. (There was also a short-lived revival TV series in 1991).
About Dark Shadows
The story’s gothic nature was a perfect fit for director Tim Burton. It was his eighth collaboration with Johnny Depp, his seventh with Helena Bonham Carter, his fifth with Christopher Lee, and his second with Michelle Pfeiffer, the former Catwoman. Burton is unquestionably loyal to those closest to him.
Christopher Lee co-stars in the film with Jonny Lee Miller. Jonny’s grandfather is English actor Bernard Lee, did you know? He played M in the 1974 film The Man With the Golden Gun, alongside Christopher Lee and Roger Moore.
Dark Shadows is a horror-comedy centered on Johnny Depp’s character, Barnabas Collins. He rejects the advances of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) in the late 1700s, who turns out to be a witch. She transforms him into a vampire and then buries him alive.
He is eventually released in 1972 and discovers that the world has changed drastically. And now he must save his ancestors from a terrible curse. Angelique is still lurking nearby, ready to cause him more harm.
Continue reading to find out where this horror-comedy-drama was shot.
Where Dark Shadows was Filmed
Despite being set in coastal ‘Maine,’ Dark Shadows was entirely produced in England. Tim Burton’s homage to the cult US TV series of the 1970s (which never made it to the UK) is gloriously Gothic, but devoid of surprises. It suffers from pet project syndrome, and it appears that Burton and Johnny Depp should step outside of their comfort zone.
The ‘Collinwood Manor’ serves as the story’s focal point. The mansion was finally built from scratch in the familiar locale of The Bourne near Farnham, Surrey, after much location scouting as far away as Scotland (Ecclesgreig Castle, near Montrose, allegedly an inspiration for the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, was a contender).
Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe used the clearing south of Dene Lane, off Tilford Road, southeast of Farnham, for both Gladiator and Robin Hood. More recently, Steven Spielberg’s War Horse transformed the forest into a muddy WWI battlefield, and Thor: The Dark World saw Marvel’s hammer-wielding superhero battling inhuman hordes.
The fishing port of ‘Collinsport’ is actually a set built at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, which makes good use of the facility’s massive water tank.
The rocky beach scenes were filmed on the south coast of Devon, at Great Mattiscombe Sands near Start Point, about nine miles from Kingsbridge, despite the fact that the towering cliffs are CGI.
Beckenham Place Park, Beckenham Hill Road, Lewisham, a golf course near Bromley in South London, is the asylum from which Maggie escapes.
Where was the Beach Scenes in ‘Dark Shadows’ Filmed?
The rocky beach scenes were shot on the south coast of Devon, near Start Point, about nine miles from Kingsbridge, at Great Mattiscombe Sands.
And what about those soaring cliffs? They were created using computer graphics.
Where was the Asylum Scene in ‘Dark Shadows’ Filmed?
What about the asylum? This is where Carter’s Dr. Julia Hoffman uses bedsheets to flee. It’s not a true asylum. This is a golf course!
Beckenham Place Park is located on Beckenham Hill Road in Lewisham. It is in South London, close to Bromley.
We now have complete knowledge of “Dark Shadows” and the Collinwood Mansion. Following that, we’ll share a “Dark Shadows”-inspired filming location that you can use for yourself.