A location in fiction can become so essential to its story that the setting itself becomes a character. Hill House in The Haunting of Hill House is undeniably a main character in the original book and subsequent adaptations. Rarer than this, a specific location in the real world will become so highly sought after in film, that it becomes as recognizable as any A-list actor. In Jim Sharman’s cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Dr. Frank N. Furter’s bizarre castle is both essential to the story, and a famous filming location. The castle is Oakley Court, built in 1859 by Sir Richard Hall Say in Berkshire, England. Though in modern day, Oakley Court is best remembered for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, over 200 movies were filmed on location there, many of which were Hammer Horrors. Oakley Court had a long and storied cinematic history long before Sharman.
Oakley Court and its History with Hammer Horror
According to Berkshire History, after a brief interlude during World War II, where Oakley Court was rumored to be the English Headquarters for the French Resistance, the court’s owner, Mr. Ernest Olivier died in 1965. His death triggered a 14-year-long period when the court was unoccupied. Conveniently, a year prior in 1955, Bray Studios, the primary filming lot for Hammer Films, moved in next door. Hammer Films, best known for their gothic movies, was the ideal next-door neighbor for such an eerie castle. Hammer Films was clearly inspired by Oakley Court, as during that period when the castle was unoccupied, several of their most famous films were filmed on location there.
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Two of the most iconic Hammer Films shot at Oakley Court were 1958’s Dracula and 1960’s The Brides of Dracula. Dracula saw Christopher Lee as the Count himself and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, while Oakley Court starred as Dracula’s castle. All three would reprise their roles in The Brides of Dracula. During the filming of both movies, Oakley Court was exclusively lit by candles instead of the usual stage lighting. This was done with the express purpose of ramping up the spookiness and leaning into the gothic trappings of Oakley Court. Built and designed as a Victorian gothic, Oakley Court is evocative of classic horror stories, the kind that starts with, “It was a dark and stormy night…” The looming spires dotted with gargoyles all tell a story. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Oakley Court’s dramatic and over-the-top design is the first hard contrast to Janet and Brad’s vanilla lifestyle. In the Hammer Films, it does the same thing. It sets the stage for an engrossing period horror movie. Oakley Court oozes the trappings of traditional gothic, and seeing it on screen immediately clues viewers into what kind of movie they’re in for.
Oakley Court is More Than Just a Gothic Mansion
Though best known for acting as a spooky castle or manor house, Oakley Court was also the backdrop for a more modernist horror. In 1964, Hammer Films put out Nightmare. Following Jennie Linden as Janet, Nightmare is more of a psychological horror than the gothic or supernatural trysts Hammer Films was best known for. Oakley Court is a girls’ boarding school in Nightmare, playing with the fact that the court was built in the latter half of the 19th century and therefore neither real gothic, nor gothic revival. Looking at shots of the boarding school throughout the film, Oakley Court undeniably injects a touch of eeriness into Nightmare.
However, it also believably looks like a proper boarding school girls might have attended in the ’60s. The old-fashioned look of the court reads more as classically British than as a horror castle doubling as a school. The framing makes all the difference. Filmed in bright, daytime scenes for Nightmare, Oakley Court suddenly lacks that haunted quality so present in The Plague of the Zombies. Hammer Films, having cast Oakley Court in both types of horror films, seemed to have been acutely aware that the set invoked a feeling of doom and gloom, but it was a versatile sensation. In one movie, that oppressive feeling of dread was perfect for an 1800s castle with a traditional villain lurking the halls, while in another, it could be a modern backdrop that winks at the horror to come.
Today, Oakley Court is a luxury hotel with rumors of ghosts. The hotel is keenly aware of its own pedigree, proudly referencing its roots on the official Oakley Court Hotel homepage. With such a significant past, it is almost certain Oakley Court will continue to be a location riddled with intrigue and occult. From its days as a manor house, through its brief stint as one of the most iconic film locations in horror through to today, Oakley Court is a visually gorgeous building with excitingly spooky vibes.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
- Release Date
- August 14, 1975
- Director
- Jim Sharman
- Runtime
- 98
- Main Genre
- Comedy
