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Ever since I saw the trailer for the forthcoming M. Night Shyamalan thriller Old during the Super Bowl, I’ve wanted to know more about it. Like, “Where was the movie Old filmed?”
So I did some digging and here’s what I found out. But first, let’s explore what Old is about.
Old Storyline
Old is about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly…reducing their entire lives into a single day.
It stars Gael García Bernal (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Rufus Sewell (Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle), Ken Leung (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Jupiter Ascending), Abbey Lee (HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Aaron Pierre (Syfy’s Krypton), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Embeth Davidtz (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Emun Elliott (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Kathleen Chalfant (Showtime’s The Affair) and Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit).
It was written, produced, and directed by Shyamalan and is adapted from a French graphic novel called Sandcastle (affiliate link).
Old Film Schedule
Filming started in September 2020 and wrapped in November 2020.
Old’s Film Location
It was filmed in the sunny and beautiful climes of the Dominican Republic. Specifically, it was filmed on the beaches of Playa El Valle. The Google description for it reads: “This isolated, white-sand beach features swimming, boating & several open-air eateries.”
Whether the film is a hit or not, it will now also likely be a destination for “set jetters” —people who travel to where movies have been filmed. And if it’s a hit, it will definitely be a location horror movie lovers seek out!
What Makes Old’s Location Different
As Slash Film pointed out, what makes this M. Night Shyamalan movie different is that it’s not filmed entirely in Pennsylvania, particularly the Great Philly area. However, as they noted, neither were the Last Airbender or After Earth.
However, Old marks the first film Shyamalan has shot entirely outside of the Greater Philadelphia area. So if you play a lot of trivia, stash that nugget away in case it comes up as a question someday.
CBR.com also pointed out another Shyamalan filming first: it’s his first “comic book movie.” As they put it, Unbreakable, Split, and Glass examined the world of superheroes and were “a self-reflexive deconstruction of superhero comic books and their tropes.” But they weren’t based on certain characters or books. Old is.
Old Trailer
Old opens in theaters on July 23, 2021.
Check-In
What’s the creepiest thing that’s ever happened to you on a beach?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Hmm, creepiest thing on a beach. Well I came across a whale carcass, but that’s not really creepy. It’s just nature. That’s a WHOLE lot of organic tissue to decompose, so lots and lots of stink.
Oh I think carcasses qualify as creepy! Especially depending on what state of decomposition they’re in. And stinky…ugh! I hate when it’s the choking kind of stink where it’s even hard to breathe! GREAT answer!