Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) pulls off an impressive cinematic sleight of hand — its story is set in the fictional small town of Chimney Rock in upstate New York, but the vast majority of filming took place across England. Director Rian Johnson and production designer Rick Heinrichs carefully chose real churches, forest estates, and studio soundstages in Essex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire to create a convincingly American Gothic atmosphere. Only a handful of transition shots were captured in the actual Hudson Valley.
Principal photography ran from June 10 to August 17, 2024, with a small additional shoot in Cold Spring, New York in September 2024. Below is a verified, location-by-location breakdown of everywhere the film was actually made.
Main Wake Up Dead Man Filming Locations
1. Holy Innocents Church – High Beach, Epping Forest, Essex
Address: Church Road, High Beach, Loughton, Essex IG10 4BD, England
What it stands in for: The exterior of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, the central church of the film’s story
Scenes filmed: All key exterior scenes around the church and graveyard; surrounding roads and forest paths
This Grade II-listed Victorian Gothic Revival church, built in 1873 and tucked deep within Epping Forest, is the film’s most iconic real-world location. Production designer Rick Heinrichs reportedly considered over 100 UK churches before settling here. He explained the challenge: finding a church that didn’t look centuries too old to pass as American was “devilishly hard.” Holy Innocents worked because it fell within a narrow window of Victorian-era neo-Gothic architecture that overlapped with similar American church styles of the same period. Heinrichs described the final choice as having “a storybook-like charm in its arboreal setting within an old graveyard.”
The church’s vicar, Reverend Jane Yeadon (herself a long-time Knives Out fan) was written into the production contract, allowing her to remain on set throughout filming to oversee the safety of the historic building. Location manager Rachel Hyde confirmed that almost the entire graveyard and surrounding roads were used as sets. Notably, the church’s real interior was not used for scene filming; it served as the cast’s green room. The church reportedly received enough payment to fund much-needed structural repairs, and the Essex Film Office estimates the production contributed over £1.3 million to the local economy.
Visitor info: Holy Innocents is an active church in Epping Forest, open to visitors. Check ahead for service times before visiting. The surrounding forest paths are freely accessible.
2. Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden – Watford, Hertfordshire
Address: Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, Aerodrome Way, Leavesden, Watford WD25 7LS, England
What it stands in for: The interior of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude; various interior town locations
Scenes filmed: All interior church scenes; Cold Spring town storefronts built on soundstage
Despite the stunning exterior of Holy Innocents Church, its interior was deemed too small and too plain for the dramatic scenes required. The full interior of the fictional church – with its elaborate stonework and stained glass – was constructed from scratch on a soundstage at Leavesden. Production designer Heinrichs noted the real interior was “disappointingly bland” and that they needed something much grander for the story. Leavesden was also used to build replica Cold Spring storefronts that were later seamlessly composited with actual footage shot on location in New York. IMDB’s filming locations page confirms Leavesden as an official production site.
Visitor info: The studio is home to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London (The Making of Harry Potter). General studio stages are not open to the public.
3. Winterfold Forest – Surrey Hills, Surrey
Location: Winterfold Forest, Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Surrey, England
What it stands in for: The wooded surroundings of Chimney Rock, including the Wicks mausoleum and the groundskeeper’s cottage
Scenes filmed: Forest walking scenes with Blanc and Father Jud; the Wicks mausoleum; the groundskeeper’s cottage
The forest scenes that give the film much of its eerie atmosphere were not shot in New York at all — they were filmed in Winterfold Forest in Surrey. Confirmed by Condé Nast Traveller, both the Wicks mausoleum and the groundskeeper’s cottage visible in the film were purpose-built sets constructed directly on site in this forest. Production designer Heinrichs spoke about Winterfold’s unique character: the forest was likely planted as a tree farm, creating distinctive avenues of aligned trees that produce unusual perspective effects. He noted how this quality was used deliberately in scenes of Blanc and Father Jud walking through the woods.
Visitor info: Winterfold Forest is publicly accessible as part of the Surrey Hills AONB. The built sets have since been removed, but the forest itself is open for walking and hiking.
4. Butler’s Retreat – Chingford, Epping Forest, London
Address: Royal Forest, Rangers Road, Chingford, London E4 7QH, England
What it stands in for: A location used for select background and transitional scenes
Scenes filmed: Supporting exterior scenes within the Epping Forest area
Butler’s Retreat, a historic Victorian café and restaurant set within Epping Forest near Chingford, is listed as a confirmed filming location on IMDB. Its proximity to Holy Innocents Church (both sit within the wider Epping Forest area) made it a convenient and visually consistent complement to the church scenes. The old Victorian building’s period charm fits naturally within the film’s aesthetic.
Visitor info: Butler’s Retreat operates as a working café and is open to the public. It is a popular stop for walkers exploring Epping Forest.
5. Guildford Estate – Surrey
Location: Private estate, Guildford, West Surrey, England
What it stands in for: The home of Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) and her brother Cy (Daryl McCormack)
Scenes filmed: Exterior and interior scenes of the Draven siblings’ upscale residence
For the Draven family home – which needed to feel like a tastefully affluent Hudson Valley residence – the production team chose a private estate in Guildford, Surrey. The property also included a refurbished former brick squash court that was used for some rear interior and exterior shots of the house, giving the crew additional flexible shooting space without having to dress an entirely separate location.
Visitor info: This is a private estate and is not open to the public.
6. Cold Spring, New York, USA
Address: Cold Spring, Putnam County, Hudson Valley, New York State, USA
What it stands in for: The fictional town of Chimney Rock, New York – used for establishing aerial and street-level shots
Scenes filmed: Drone footage, exterior street shots on Fair Street, Main Street, and Northern Avenue; storefront of Cold Spring Pizza at 120 Main Street
Cold Spring is the only US location that actually appears in the film, and its role is more limited than some coverage has suggested. The production team chose it as the visual inspiration and stand-in for Chimney Rock – a river valley town with a strong sense of history and settledness. A small crew filmed in Cold Spring on September 5 and 8, 2024, capturing drone footage at sunrise from North Street and street-level shots along Fair Street and Main Street. Visual effects supervisor Giles Harding then integrated these shots with the UK-built sets, adding the church steeple in the background, the titular Chimney Rock landmark, and the Il Diavolo bar storefront to create a seamless fictional town.
Visitor info: Cold Spring is a charming, publicly accessible village on the Hudson River, about 50 miles north of New York City. It is easily reachable by Metro-North commuter train. Fair Street, Main Street, and the riverfront are all walkable.
Behind the Scenes: How England Became Upstate New York
The central challenge for the production team was making rural England convincingly pass as a small American town in the Hudson Valley. The approach was methodical: the team used Google Maps to research what Chimney Rock should look like before a location scout began, with Heinrichs describing a clear brief to find a river valley town with a strong sense of historical settledness. Cold Spring was chosen as the model and then partly recreated in England.
The Holy Innocents Church exterior handled the hardest visual problem – finding a church that looked plausibly American rather than medieval English. The interior was then purpose-built at Leavesden to be larger and more cinematically dramatic than any real parish church could offer. Surrounding forest scenes went to Winterfold in Surrey. Residential scenes used a private Surrey estate. The few remaining establishing shots of the town itself came from actual footage of Cold Spring, stitched together with digital additions by the VFX team.
Rian Johnson confirmed the wrap on August 17, 2024, posting on social media: “Went so fast! Best crew, incredible cast, this was a really special shoot.” The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 8, 2025, opened in select theatres on November 26, 2025, and began streaming globally on Netflix on December 12, 2025.
Visiting Guide: Planning Your Wake Up Dead Man Location Tour
UK Locations (Essex & Surrey)
The core of any Wake Up Dead Man filming location visit is in the southeast of England. Holy Innocents Church and Butler’s Retreat in Epping Forest can be combined into a single half-day trip from London – both are within the wider Epping Forest area and are accessible by public transport (take the Central Line to Loughton and walk, or take the Overground to Chingford for Butler’s Retreat). For Winterfold Forest in Surrey, a car is more practical; it sits within the Surrey Hills AONB and is a beautiful day out in its own right. Spring through early autumn (April to October) offers the best conditions for all outdoor sites.
Cold Spring, New York
Cold Spring is an easy and rewarding day trip from New York City. Take the Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal to Cold Spring station (roughly 75 minutes). Fair Street, Main Street, and the riverfront are all within easy walking distance of the station. The village has antique shops, cafés, and river views that make it worth a visit regardless of its film connection.
Costs and Practical Notes
Holy Innocents Church is free to visit (donations welcome). Butler’s Retreat charges normal café prices. Winterfold Forest is freely accessible. Cold Spring has no admission charge for public streets. Leavesden Studios is home to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, which requires tickets booked in advance (prices vary; check the official WB Studio Tour website for current rates).
Frequently Asked Questions
The fictional town of Chimney Rock was primarily created using locations in Essex and Surrey, England, with key interior sets built at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire. A small number of exterior establishing shots were filmed in Cold Spring, a village in Putnam County, New York, which provided the visual model for Chimney Rock.
The exterior of the fictional Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude was filmed at Holy Innocents Church in High Beach, Epping Forest, Essex – a Grade II-listed Victorian Gothic Revival church built in 1873. The church’s interior was not used for filming; all interior church scenes were shot on a purpose-built soundstage at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.
Only partially. The vast majority of filming took place in England, with Essex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire standing in for upstate New York. A small crew did film in Cold Spring, New York in September 2024, capturing drone footage and street-level shots that were later composited with the UK-built sets and digital VFX additions to create the fictional town of Chimney Rock.
The Wicks mausoleum and the nearby groundskeeper’s cottage are not real pre-existing buildings – they were purpose-built sets constructed on location in Winterfold Forest, Surrey, as confirmed by Condé Nast Traveller.
Kerry Washington’s character Vera Draven lives in a house filmed at a private estate in Guildford, West Surrey, England. The estate also included a refurbished brick squash court that was used for some interior and exterior shots.
Yes, several locations are publicly accessible. Holy Innocents Church and Butler’s Retreat in Epping Forest are open to visitors. Winterfold Forest in Surrey is freely accessible. Cold Spring, New York is a public village easily reached by Metro-North from Manhattan. The Guildford estate is private and not open to the public. Leavesden Studios can be visited via the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.
