The 1990 classic horror flick “The Witches” was adapted from Roald Dahl’s kid’s book, and with its screen adaptation, managed to capture our imaginations and scare us with its story, one of a boy named Luke and his frightening encounter with witches who wanted to eat him alive!
Thirty years after its debut, the film achieved a cult following and continues to delight and scare everyone who watches it, and recently gained more notoriety after Robert Zemeckis did his own version of the film a couple of years ago with Anne Hathaway and Ottavia Spencer.
Directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Academy Award-winner Anjelica Huston, Rowan Atkinson, and Mai Zetterling. If you’re curious about where this film was shot, I’ll share with you the details of the film locations of this 1990 fantasy movie that continues to draw attention more than thirty years after its release.
The Witches (1990) Filming Locations
To kick things off, this movie was shot in England and Norway, while most of the film takes place in England, and that’s where most scenes with the cast were filmed, some shots like the ones we see at the beginning of those snowy mountains are from Hardangerjøkulen glacier in Norway, other shots from Norway were taken in Bergen, Hordaland.
Headland Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall
We move now to England, nestled atop grassy clifftops overlooking Fistral Beach; the Headland Hotel serves as the central location in the movie. It’s where Luke and his grandma head over to the convention. Director Nicolas Roeg chose the Victorian-era hotel because it provided the look and feel for bringing Dahl’s novel to the big screen. It acted as the perfect setting for it. It’s where the meeting of the witches takes place, where Luke discovers their intentions.
Even today, if you wish to go and visit the hotel, you can do it and book a room there. Also, the actual rooms where the movie was shot are rooms 205, 223, and 227 (though they don’t look like the film because the hotel has renovated its rooms since the early 1990s).
In the Headland Hotel, you can enjoy its luxurious amenities, rich history, and cinematic allure. In fact, you can make a stop at the hotel’s award-winning spa for the royal treatment! Before we move on, here’s some behind-the-scenes trivia: Did you know that for this movie, production in this location experienced delays due to really bad weather conditions? Director Niclas Roeg took advantage of that, and it gave the film a more eerie look!
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Epping Forest
A sprawling ancient woodland, Epping Forest offers the ideal ambiance for the ominous foot chases and eerie outdoor sequences featured in “The Witches.” Its dense foliage, winding paths, and extraordinarily diverse flora and fauna paint a striking backdrop for an unforgettable adventure.
The local market town of Epping is also a great place to explore while visiting the area, with its Victorian-style buildings and delightful array of independent shops, cafes, and pubs. So if you’re into jogging and sightseeing, taking a stroll down the forest and its walking trails is a sure adventure you’ll enjoy!
The Witches (1990) Trailer
Where To Watch The Witches (1990)?
If you wish to watch this classic Anjelica Huston movie, you can stream it from HBO Max. HBO Max is an excellent subscription streaming service from WarnerMedia that features 10,000 hours of the best movies (you can also watch the newer version of The Witches starring Anne Hathaway there) and TV series like The Last of Us, The Sopranos, Sex, and The City, and many more.
Furthermore, you can get HBO Max as a standalone platform or bundle it with Hulu or Prime Video. Lastly, You can also rent or buy the movie from iTunes, Vudu, Redbox, Google Play, Directv Streaming, YouTube Movies, or Amazon Prime Video.
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