How it all startedand where we are today
An English country house
Bray Film Studios is located on the bank of the River Thames, just 26 miles from central London. With an 18th century former English country house at its heart, the studios have provided creative space for some of the greatest talent in film and music. Ridley Scott built and shot the miniatures for his Academy Award winning sci-fi thriller, Alien, at the studios in 1978 and a few years before, the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was brought to life here.
120+ Movies
Home of Hammer Horror
2 Oscars / 13 nominations
75+ years
Make-up artist, Phil Leakey, prepares Frankenstein for his appearance in The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957.Home of Hammer
The studios are perhaps best known as the Home of Hammer Films who moved on-site in 1951. Controversial with critics at the time, Hammer delighted audiences with a fresh aesthetic of gruesomeness, created by the pioneering special effects that Hammer honed during its tenure at Bray Film Studios. The Hammer aesthetic was the direct result of the unique site at Bray, which was chosen specifically for its Georgian property, Down Place. Crew and technicians lived on-site during productions, creating the first “house-style” studio and fostering a warm and creative on-set community that many award-winning directors, producers, and actors came to love. Over the span of two decades, Hammer created a cult genre of over 100 distinctive fantasy and horror films. Starring legendary actors such as the late Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, films such as The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein and Terence Fisher’s Dracula became global box-office hits.
In 2019 “Dracula” returned to the studios over 60 years after Terence Fisher’s original was shot here.
More than a film studio
As well as its rich film history, our sound stages have provided both concert and rehearsal space for an illustrious roster of international artists. Eric Clapton’s best-selling album, MTV Unplugged, was aired and recorded live at Bray Film Studios and Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, David Bowie, Queen and Amy Winehouse are just some of the many musicians who have played here.
If you have your own story - past or present - to share about Bray Film Studios, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to email us on hellobray@amazonstudios.com
