Six horror films and psychological thrillers filmed in Yorkshire that are perfect to watch on Friday the 13th and Halloween

From the Yorkshire moors to what is considered the most haunted house in Britain, 30 East Drive, there are many locations that offer the spooky atmosphere needed to shoot a great horror film or psychological thriller.

Films feature some of the most popular and famous faces including Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Matthew Modine (The Dark Knight Rises, Stranger Things and Oppenheimer), Liam Neeson (Taken), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien).

For one film, the production house hired six different location managers who travelled to around 12 countries over a period of six months before choosing Allerton Castle at Allerton Mauleverer near Harrogate as the film location.

Six horror films and psychological thrillers filmed in Yorkshire

1920

This 2008 Indian Hindi-language supernatural horror film was written and directed by Vikram Bhatt.

It is about a married couple living in a haunted house (Allerton Castle, North Yorkshire) in the year 1920. The film stars Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma as the married couple, alongside Indraneil Sengupta in a special role.

It was loosely inspired by the 1973 horror film The Exorcist and is the first instalment of the 1920 film series which was a commercial success.

It took six location managers, 12 countries and six months to film scenes in Allerton Castle.

Altar (The Haunting of Radcliffe House)

This 2014 horror thriller film was directed by Nick Willing from his original screenplay and is about a British family who move into a dilapidated old manor house on the Yorkshire moors, only to discover its dark past.

The film stars Olivia Williams as Meg Hamilton, Matthew Modine as Alec Hamilton, Antonia Clark as Penny and Adam Thomas Wright as Harper.

Although it is not confirmed, due to where it is set, it is most likely to have been filmed on the Yorkshire moors.

A Monster Calls

The 2016 dark fantasy drama film was directed by J.A Bayona from a screenplay by Patrick Ness and is based on his 2011 novel of the same name.

The film is central to Conor O’Malley (portrayed by Lewis MacDougall) who grapples with his mother’s terminal illness as he is visited by the Monster (Liam Neeson), a giant anthropomorphic yew tree who tells him stories.

It stars Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Tom Holland, Toby Kebbell and Lewis MacDougall.

It was partly filmed in Marsden, West Yorkshire, as well as areas in Spain and other parts of Britain.

Censor

The 2021 psychological horror film was directed by Prano Bailey-Bond and was produced from a screenplay by Mr Baily-Bond and Anthony Fletcher.

A summary plot of Censor on IMDB reads: “After viewing a strangely familiar video nasty, Enid, a film censor, sets out to solve the past mystery of her sister's disappearance, embarking on a quest that dissolves the line between fiction and reality.”

The film stars Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller and Michael Smiley.

Filming took place in Leeds and Bradford and the set of ‘Gerald’s Videos’ shop was created in Pudsey.

Inbred

The 2011 horror comedy splatter film was directed by Alex Chandon and co-written with Paul Shrimpton and produced by Margaret Milner Schmueck.

It is about four young offenders and their care workers who visit the remote Yorkshire village of Mortlake, which prides itself on keeping itself to itself. However, a minor incident with locals quickly escalates into a blood-soaked nightmare.

The film stars Jo Hartley as Kate, Seamus O’Neill as Jim, James Doherty as Jeff, James Burrows as Tim, Neil Leiper as Gris, Chris Walker as Dwight and Nadine Rose Mulkerrin as Sam.

Inbred was mainly shot in and around Thirsk, North Yorkshire, home of co-writer Paul Shrimpton.

The Night Has Eyes

The 2012 supernatural horror film was directed by Pat Holden and stars Kate Ashfield, Tasha Connor, Steven Waddington, Craig Parkinson, Martin Compston and Jo Hartley.

The film is set in the year 1974 and the Maynard family has moved into their dream home. They will soon find themselves haunted by a poltergeist. The attacks on the family aggravate and the spirit must be driven out with exorcism.

The story is said to be loosely based on a claimed poltergeist haunting known as ‘The Black Monk of Pontefract’, as such, it is filmed at the home of Joe and Jean Pritchard, 30 East Drive, also known as the most haunted house in Britain.