Cursed is the most recent Netflix original fantasy drama series to receive good reviews for its unique take on Arthurian legend. The series is told through the eyes of Nimue, also known as the Lady of the Lake.
The magnificent backdrop of landscapes and architecture has also been cinematically enhanced by the historical tale-turned-series. Cursed’s cinematic excellence has piqued the interest of viewers who want to know where the movie was shot.
Locations that are regarded as ‘cursed’
Even the series’ locations, architecture, and landscapes are improvised in such a way that they give the Medieval period a cinematic smoothness (5th to 15th century).
The period drama Cursed tells the story of Nimue (Katherine Langford), a young girl who is born with incredible unknown powers. The events, on the other hand, unfold without any indication of the year in which they occurred.
‘Cursed’ is set during King Arthur’s reign.
When we first meet young Arthur (played by Devon Terrell), who is destined to become a renowned future King, we learn that Cursed is set during King Uther Pendragon’s reign of Britannia, which takes place during the 5th and 6th centuries.
The Roman Emperor and the Byzantine Empire were also mentioned in the program. Sources such as the ‘Historia Brittonium,’ ‘History Of The Kings Of Britain,’ and ‘Annales Cambriae’ have mentioned Arthur and Pendragon’s activities as belonging to the fifth and/or sixth centuries in the context of Pendragon’s rule and Arthur’s stories.
The parallels to the collapse of Charlemagne (9th century) and the Crusades against the Fey, on the other hand, perplexed us (10th to 12th century). Nonetheless, we may deduce that the reign of Pendragon and Arthur’s birth in the series take place between the 5th and 12th centuries.
‘Cursed’ was shot in the United Kingdom’s beautiful counties.
Arthur and the Lady of the Lake is a historical narrative that takes place in Medieval England or the United Kingdom’s early history (Britain). As a result, the Cursed showrunners shot the entire series in the United Kingdom.
The show was mostly shot in historically significant locales around the United Kingdom’s counties. Even the indoor filming took place in London and Slough, Berkshire’s Langley Film Studios.
In terms of real-life locales, the Celtic village in the series, dubbed “Dewdenn of Nimue,” was filmed on the banks of Frensham Little Pond, a National Trust site in Farnham, Surrey.
In the Cursed series, Nimue’s village is based on the banks of Frensham Little Pond in Farnham, Surrey. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Similarly, the interior scenes of Camelot’s castle were recreated in the Barbican’s St Bartholomew-the-Great Church. The spectacular exteriors of the castle, on the other hand, do not exist in actuality because they were built using CGI.
The inside of Camelot’s castle, filmed inside the Barbican’s St Bartholomew-the-Great Church (Photo: David Iliff & Netflix)
Similarly, Deepcut, a small town near Camberley, was one of the key filming locations for Cursed (Surrey). The Ministry of Defence owns the area on the northwest side of Deepcut Bridge Road.
This place was chosen to build the Hawksbridge village where Nimue met Arthur for the first time in the series, as a reminder to show viewers.
In addition to the aforementioned prime shooting locations for Cursed, the series was also shot in other significant locations throughout the United Kingdom, including the monastic Tithe Barn in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, the Puzzlewood and Clearwell Caves in Gloucestershire’s Forest of Dean, and Holywell Bay in north Cornwall.
Shooting Locations That Are ‘Cursed’ Have Importance in and of Themselves
The majority of the filming for Cursed took place in locales that have historical significance.
Nimue’s Dwenden village, for example, was formerly a medieval bishops’ fish pond rich in fauna and attractive heathland on the banks of Frensham Little Pond in Farnham, Surrey.
Similarly, the Barbican’s St Bartholomew-the-Great Church, which was used to film internal sequences of Camelot’s castle, is a middle-aged temple constructed in 1123.
In reality, this area was used to film several major motion pictures, including Transformers: The Last Knight, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Snow White and the Huntsman.
Near addition, Tithe Barn, an ancient monastic barn in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, where certain Red Paladins sequences were shot, is a historically well-preserved 14th-century edifice.
Holywell Bay, another area in Cursed, is also famous in the film industry, having hosted filming for shows including Vikings, Poldark, and Die Another Day.
Isn’t it fascinating? The first season of Cursed is now available on Netflix.