2:51pm Thursday 17th April 2008
By Scott McPherson
AN eerie silence fell over Lacock and Castle Combe last week as the filming of the new horror movie The Wolf Man took place.
Hundreds of film fanatics descended on the two villages over the course of the four-day shoot to see stars Benicio Del Toro of Traffic fame and The Matrix baddie Hugo Weaving.
With a production crew of nearly 300 people, the locations, which included Castle Combe High Street and the Tithe Barn in Lacock, were turned into full-scale film sets.
Many of the fans were disappointed by the absence of Sir Antony Hopkins who was due to shoot some scenes in Lacock.
The production crew said that a last minute change to the filming schedule meant that he was no longer needed.
Die-hard movie fan James Turner, 44, had travelled from Newquay in Cornwall for the Lacock filming.
He said: "I love the atmosphere on these kinds of sets because the actors and production team are usually really sensitive to the fact that you want to see some of the action.
"Benicio Del Toro gave us all a little wave and a smile during a break and it makes waiting around for hours on end totally worth it.
"We were able to see right inside the Tithe Barn when one of the actors opened the door and it looked brilliant."
Much of the filming in Lacock took place in the Tithe Barn where huge blocks of ice and models of dead bodies were strewn across the floor and hanging from the ceiling by hooks to recreate a Victorian icehouse.
Production member Matt Hamish said: "We have had a really good time filming here and the members of the public have been really good and done everything we asked them to do.
"It is a lovely place to shoot because everywhere you look there is something else that catches your eye.
"I can see why this area has become so synonymous with film locations - it's a hidden gem."
Over the past few years both Castle Combe and Lacock have been used as film locations for movies such as Harry Potter, Stardust and The Other Boleyn Girl as well as a host of TV dramas.
Emma Hands, who runs Lacock Post Office, said: "It has been absolutely manic here - I have never seen so many people here in such a short space of time."
The Wolfman, a remake of the 1941 original, is to be released in early 2009.
Film crews were also in Corsham last week shooting scenes for BBC1's new period adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
The title role is played by 22-year-old Gemma Arterton who was signed up to play the new Bond girl in the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace opposite Daniel Craig.
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