Every uk seaside holiday home needs a playlist of movies. But choosing what to watch has become a new challenge hasn’t it? Scrolling through the options on platform after platform as someone - there’s always someone - says ‘No’ or ‘Seen it’ can take as long as watching a movie. Sometimes the swiping left and right is more like a frantic burst of dating site activity! So sometimes it’s no bad thing to have some food for thought. Some basic ideas of what to watch. It can save a lot of time.
Movies can be a great way to spend time together in your holiday home. Heaven forbid but there might be a rainy day. Or you could want to make up a movie night for family and friends. We all know that less screen time is a good thing when you’re on holiday but everyone deserves a bit of movie magic. Just once in a while. Check out these five ideas. It’s like a trip around the uk’s favourite seaside holiday home locations, with movie connections. Bring on the popcorn……
For a holiday home you can count on North Yorkshire as a dramatic location
And there’s no more famous Count than Dracula. The Prince of Darkness has been stirring our imaginations since he first appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. It was inevitable that he would become a film favourite. And he’s appeared in many movies. Over 200 at the last estimate. Dracula has been seen in so many versions that there’s no real need for a spoiler alert here. The Count arrives in England when his ship runs aground in Whitby.
Nowadays Whitby is a calm and lovely place. On the coast and near the North Yorkshire Moors it’s at the heart (sorry) of some of the uk’s loveliest countryside and a firm favourite with uk holiday home owners. If you want to sit down to watch some horror movies in your holiday home, Dracula has to be top of your list. It’s all but impossible to recommend a single version or movie, but the Christopher Lee and Hammer catalogue speaks for itself. Strictly speaking it’s not a Dracula movie but film buffs would always go for the 1922 masterpiece that is Nosferatu. There are of course comedy film versions of the legendary story. They’re not all Oscar winners. Be afraid. Be very afraid….
The Lincolnshire Wolds. An idyllic holiday home setting and the scene of some fast paced action
Lincolnshire has been the setting for several movies but if it’s some holiday home movie excitement you fancy it’s worth considering an evening’s viewing of ‘Rush’. Released in 2013 the film takes you back to 1970s motor racing and the era’s glamorous rivals, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. One of them has rock star looks and the confident swagger to go with them. The other is a cool headed genius who uses analytical skills to deliver his best performance. There are other F1 and motor sport movies, and there are certainly more car chases in action movies than you can shake a Baby Driver at. But, for the thrill of the track, the roar of the cars and some belting 70s tunes in the soundtrack, ‘Rush’ takes some beating.
Many of the racing scenes were filmed at Cadwell Park in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Life is a bit more chilled around there now, and as a location it’s loved by chalet holiday home owners as much as by movie directors.
Look forward to time in your Suffolk holiday home
Spend a movie evening looking back at Yesterday. Music, romance and comedy all rolled into one. That might of course be how you spend your time in your seaside holiday home. And what’s to stop you? But music, comedy and romance are the key words in the description of 2019’s ‘Yesterday’.
With a screenplay by Richard Curtis and direction by Danny Boyle there was more than a fair chance that this was going to be a good movie. Add in some Beatles tunes and you’ve got seriously good entertainment. No spoilers here but suffice it to say that this heart-warming story about a man who appears to be the only person who has ever heard of The Beatles is totally charming. Even Paul McCartney loved it. The Fab Four played in East Anglia back in the day but in the film they don’t exist. What most certainly does exist are the glorious settings including Suffolk, the Norfolk coast and parts of Essex around Clacton on Sea. These fab holiday home locations form the perfect backdrop to a beautiful film.
It’s a film that’s ideal for a holiday home watch. And check out some great guest appearances.
Also one little known fact is that the film crew and trailers were temporarily housed at Tingdene North Denes while filming the scenes in Lowestoft! Who knew?!
Spend another silver screen evening looking at the future. Let Teesside inspire you
Let’s switch genres completely and think about Sci-Fi. And let’s think about futuristic classic ‘Blade Runner’ in particular. There have been special editions, sequels and spin offs but the 1982 original is an absolute classic. It’s been discussed by critics, analysed by academics and worshipped by fans. It’s massive. And massively watchable.
Leaving the movie itself aside, and delving more into movie fact and trivia territory, what many people don’t realise is that the ‘look’ of the futuristic film was inspired in no small way by Teesside. And that’s not unconnected from another fact; that director Ridley Scott grew up in the area.
Right now many people are considering the future of their holidays and deciding that North Yorkshire and Teesside are wonderful locations for a uk holiday home. That sounds like being a whole lot more relaxing than a future spent chasing bioengineered humanoids for a living. But hey, let Harrison Ford and the rest do the work, while you have rest in your holiday home, with a movie.
A treasure of a film set in cinematic Suffolk
Sometimes a slower pace and a thought provoking script is the ideal way to wind down. When ‘The Dig’ was released in 2021 there were those who were sceptical about a movie based on a 2007 novel, set in 1939, about an archaeological dig.
Any doubts about the film being able to move and entertain are long gone. A stellar cast including Ralph Feines, Lily James and Carey Mulligan make this story about the excavations at Sutton Hoo utterly compelling. Full of period detail and loaded with emotion this is an exceptional story set in glorious Suffolk surroundings.
Steeped in Anglo Saxon history Suffolk is a county rich in heritage, and ideally placed for a holiday home. Chill out today by looking back at a truly touching story from Suffolk’s past. It’s not definitive but as a start point on what to watch these five ideas should help. The main thing is this; get the family and some friends together to sit down and watch together. It’s part of what having a lodge holiday home is all about. Now, who fancies this one…….no? ……..this one…….?
