Where was Dracula filmed? Filming Locations Guide
Posted by Ra Moon
BBC and Netflix have produced the latest Dracula adaptation, based on Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel. The three-episode series was filmed in England and Slovakia.
The wonderful Tatra mountains and the Orava Castle star in this limited series, standing in for Transylvania. This is a great opportunity to have a closer look at this gorgeous and remote corner of Central Europe.
The wonderful Tatra mountains and the Orava Castle star in this limited series, standing in for Transylvania. This is a great opportunity to have a closer look at this gorgeous and remote corner of Central Europe.
This 2020 Dracula, blending horror splashed with moments of comedy, was developed by the creators of the hit series Sherlock, Mark Gatiss, and Steven Moffat. Unlike Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's version, the vampire story remains taking place in Victorian times.
Danish actor and musician Claes Bang (The Northman, The Square) leads the cast as Count Dracula, completed by Dolly Wells (Doll and Em) as Sister Agatha, John Heffernan as Jonathan Harker, and Morfydd Clark as Mina Harker.
We'll refrain from commenting on the plot to avoid spoilers in this filming locations report of the limited series:
Where was Dracula filmed?: The Orava Castle
The peculiar bloodsucker enjoys the nocturnal views of the scenic Orava Castle, situated on a rock above the Orava River.
Considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Slovakia, the 13th-century fortress defended the Hungarian border area in the stunning Western Tatra mountains.
The castle was already part of the vampire legend: it was used to shoot the classic 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror directed by F. W. Murnau.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Veronika Kľúčiková - Map
Image courtesy of Veronika Kľúčiková - Map
Orava Castle was also the inspiration for the fictional Kaer Morhen citadel (The School of the Wolf), one of the The Witcher locations from Netflix's Andrzej Sapkowski's book series.
Actor Claes Bang is now a firm candidate to make a cameo in the What We Do in the Shadows house.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Juls Newton
The Budapest section of the first episode was shot in Banská Štiavnica in central Slovakia.
This extraordinary small city has a beautifully preserved medieval town, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image courtesy of Mr. Theklan - Map
The convent where Jonathan Harker, the solicitor sent to Romania, is interviewed by the nuns after the frightful stay in Count Dracula’s lair, is Banská Štiavnica old castle (Starý Zámok).
This is the oldest monument of the town, originally a church and later transformed into a fortress, featuring its own prison and torture tower.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Leiduowen - Map
In the first episode 'The Rules of the Beast', the Hungarian nunnery is attacked by a vampire with a funny accent, who at first seemed like Borat dressed as Dracula.
Image courtesy of Netflix and János Korom
The last scene of episode one was shot many miles away from Slovakia.
The Twitter account of the Mottisfont historical priory in Hampshire (England), confirmed that the show was filming in the Cellarium of this romantic house.
This is the oldest part of the building, a property owned by the National Trust.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Dave - Map
Zuberec is a small and lovely village where a few scenes taking place in Transylvania were filmed.
The town is quite touristic, featuring three ski resorts and the Open-air Museum of the Orava Village (Múzeum Oravskej Dediny).
The museum's exhibits are original rural houses brought from all around the region of Orava and re-built here in Zuberec during the 1960s.
The oldest building is a Carpathian-style Gothic wooden church from the 15th century, and the ensemble also includes a graveyard and a watermill.
Image courtesy of Peter Horenský - Map
According to GetReading, the studio work including the interiors of the castle and most of the second episode 'Blood Vessel', taking place on board the Demeter, was filmed at Bray Studios near Maidenhead (Berkshire).
The studios were home to the Hammer Film Productions, the classic horror film movies from the 1950s and 60s.
The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Christopher Lee's Dracula were all produced here, but also the original Alien movie and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Bray Studios closed in 2012, but they reopened to host new productions in 2018.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
The majestic ruins of the Whitby Abbey, overlooking the North Sea on the East Cliff in North Yorkshire, are also featured in the series.
The entrance to the foundation's headquarters is the Cholmley House or Whitby Hall, located next to the ruins.
Image courtesy of Netflix Map
The Spanton fashion shop that appears at the beginning of the third episode 'The Dark Compass' is a real historic Whitby store on Flowergate street.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
The cast and crew were also filming scenes on location at the Reading Cemetery and Crematorium in Henley Road, in Caversham, near Reading.
The shoot, which took three nights, was considered "totally disrespectful" by the relatives of people buried there, reported BBC News.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Google Maps
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Ra Moon
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fucking retards, dracula was ROMANIAN. DRACULA HAS TO BE FILMED IN TRANSILVANYA! BMG PLA
ReplyDeleteGive them as such good places as we do. And also everything around, like accomodation for actors and crew, technical basement....
Deletegreeting from slovakia; your information and this article is quite accurate; and yes, Dracula is Romanian; anyhow slovak people are mentioned in Stroker original; if you are interested in local slovak horor story google "Elizabeth Báthory, Čachtice Castle", Hungarian living in slovakia --- shortly: we are not jealous of romanian
DeleteThey filmed a Dracula movie in Romania in 2000 and the gypsies stole all the camera gear. They also took a producer hostage at knife point. Know your sh!t before you beak off!
DeleteBRAN CASTLE, in Brasov County, Romania is the original symbol associated with Dracula, better look it up and show it some true international love. The surroundings are not only incredible to see all year-round, but they are perfect for tourists with hundreds and hundreds of bed & breakfasts ready to impress. Imagine the action happening in Bran Castle instead, not the poor replicas used in the series...
ReplyDeleteIn the first episode when the nuns are atracked, we can see images from the yard of Tihuța Castle, which use te be a hotel/restaurant but now it's closed and on sale. Find image here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.zf.ro/amp/info/una-dintre-perlele-turismului-romanesc-hotelul-castel-dracula-19530559
ReplyDeleteAll comments are reviewed prior to publication