Netflix’s Frankenstein was filmed at Gosford House, Wilton House, Hospitalfield House, Burghley House, Dunecht House, Glasgow Cathedral, Glencoe, the Signet Library, Canongate, Parliament Square, Makar’s Court and Seacliff Beach.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein founded the science fiction genre, Starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth, with a short but typically imposing appearance from Charles Dance, Frankenstein tours some of the UK’s most atmospheric filming locations.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein Filming Locations
Frankenstein. Copyright Bluegrass Films
The Netflix 2025 version of Frankenstein was largely filmed in Scotland, in addition to locations in Lincolnshire, Wiltshire, Shepperton Studios on the outskirts of London, and Cinespace Studios in Toronto.
Look out for East Lothian, Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire, Glasgow and more locations in the latest adaptation. And in fact, Frankenstein’s Scottish connection goes way back to the original book.
Mary Shelley’s novel leads victor Frankenstein across Scotland, and the author herself had lived in Dundee for a time in the early 1800s, in South Baffin Street.
Not only did she perhaps pick up elements of Scotland’s atmosphere, but it’s worth considering that Dundee was known for whaling and its Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. So Victor’s journey to the farthest north isn’t too far-fetched at all.
Victor’s Childhood Home
Gosford House. Unoquha, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The filming location used for Frankenstein house is Gosford House in East Lothian, which has previously appeared in Outlander. Designed by the esteemed Robert Adam and completed in around 1800, Gosford House is home to the Earls of Wemyss and March.
It’s not far from Edinburgh, just a short distance east where it overlooks the Firth of Forth.
But its interior locations include the privately owned Dunecht House in Aberdeenshire, where filming took place in August 2024, the Wilton House Double Cube Room, one of the state rooms designed by Inigo Jones during one of the property’s renovations.
Wilton has been added to and improved on a number of times since the house was given to Sir William Herbert by Henry VIII in 1544. You may have recognised this screen favourite – it’s a popular setting for palatial scenes, appearing frequently in The Crown and Bridgerton.
The Royal Mile
Look out for Canongate in the first shots of Edinburgh in Frankenstein 2025. Built in 1591, the Canongate Tollbooth is one of the oldest buildings in the area and a fixture of the Old and New Towns UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It’s now a museum but has long been a civic building, once housing jail cells. The city’s Canongate is found at the Holyrood end of the Royal Mile, not far from the palace. In the scene, Victor is seen crossing the street from the direction of Canongate Kirkyard towards Bakehouse Close.
Frankenstein’s Townhouse
Acheson House. Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0
The exterior filming location for Frankenstein’s townhouse in the Netflix adaptation is Acheson House, part of the Museum of Edinburgh.
It’s just off Edinburgh’s Canongate, and has its own strange and macabre past.
Butchers’ Close
Shots of the alleyway behind a butcher’s shop were filmed in Bakehouse Close.
Yes, this one is a former Outlander location – it’s the location used for Jamie’s print shop in Season 3, to be exact.
Marketplace
Parliament Square, Edinburgh. Parliament Hall, Parliament Square by N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0
Parliament Square in Edinburgh is seen just before Victor interrupts Harlander’s memento mori photography session.
This Frankenstein location is another just off the Royal Mile, this time around the side of St Giles Cathedral. And it’s one that crops up in historic and contemporary movies alike, including A Very British Scandal in 2021.
Harlander’s House
In Netflix’s Frankenstein, Harlander’s house locations include Hospitalfield House near Dundee, and Burghley House near Stamford. Constructed between 1555 and 1587 for William Cecil, courtier to Queen Elizabeth I, Burghley is a grand private home set in sprawling Capability Brown grounds.
Filming at the Lincolnshire stately home took place in September 2024, spanning the state rooms and quirky Old Kitchen. The dining room at Harlander’s house is the Great Hall at Burghley House, and can be seen on the house tour – check the website for the seasonal opening schedule.
Scaffold
Makars' Court, Edinburgh. Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0
The hanging scene in Netflix’s 2025 Frankenstein movie were filmed in Makar’s Court in Edinburgh’s Old Town. As filming locations for a gothic novel adaptation go, this one is hard to beat.
Home to the Writers’ Museum, its flagstones are inscribed with quotes from authors spanning centuries. The museum itself is housed in the 17th Century Lady Stair’s House, with the square forming part of Lady Stair’s Close which links the Mound and the Royal Mile.
Cathedral
The cathedral where Frankenstein hides in the confession box is Glasgow Cathedral, a working cathedral that’s also looked after by Historic Environment Scotland. Built in the 12th Century, Glasgow Cathedral is dedicated to St Mungo whose tomb lies in its crypt.
Each part of building dates from a different era in its long history. From its 13th Century Gothic arches and connections to William Wallace to its reorganisation during the Reformation, there are traces of Scotland’s past in every corner.
The Ball
Signet Library ceiling by kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0
Frankenstein’s ball scene was filmed in the Signet Library in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, just behind the Royal Mile and Parliament Square.
While it’s set in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, this event space is known for its Georgian elegance – you would never know that you’re just a few paces from old Edinburgh’s real execution spot and dark, winding closes.
Countryside
While some of the bigger, bolder landscapes were shot in Canada, other Frankenstein scenes were filmed in Glencoe. You’ve likely seen Glencoe onscreen before, with its sweeping roads trailing through glens against a mountainous backdrop making it a film favourite.
It’s easy to visit as part of Glencoe National Nature Reserve, whether you want to follow in the footsteps of Victor Frankenstein or James Bond, find out about Glencoe’s tragic history or simply enjoy the view.
Victor Frankenstein’s Laboratory
Supposedly overlooking the lake near Vaduz, Frankenstein’s abandoned water tower was inspired by the Wallace Monument in Stirling.
“Guillermo, our concept artist Guy Davis, and I visited the Monument on our first location scout in Scotland in April 2023. We used the overall silhouette, the textures of the stone, the arched architecture, and, particularly, the turreted top in the design of our Frankenstein Tower. Like so much of Scotland, our first view of the Wallace Monument rising on a high point in the mist over the countryside was both breathtaking and extraordinarily inspirational!”
Tamara Deverell, Production Designer
In fact, the final design in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein film is a hybrid of Scottish architecture. The interior takes inspiration from the University of Glasgow’s undercroft, itself another filming location seen in Outlander, blended with other borrowed details.
The elaborate sets were built in Toronto at Cinespace Studios, with everything from the lab and holding cells to the living areas taking shape there.
“The Gothic arches in the creature's cell are from the vaulted arches of the cloisters at the University of Glasgow. And the tiles are from a swimming pool, built in the 1800s, which we didn't even get to visit because it's on an island but the tiles still made it into the final film.”
Tamara Deverell, Production Designer Seacliff Beach
The beach filming location in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is Seacliff Beach in North Berwick near Edinburgh. Seacliff Beach holds the unusual distinction of boasting the UK’s smallest harbour, as well as unspoilt views.
It’s surrounded by the rocky coastline of East Lothian, rising up to the towering ruins of Tantallon Castle. Look out to sea to catch sight of the Bass Rock rising from the waves. While it’s a private beach, visitors can walk here.
Mill House
Despite its convincing appearance, the mill house where the Creature hides was built on a Canadian sound stage. That includes the interior and rambling exterior.
The Farthest North
All of Frankenstein’s Arctic scenes were shot in Canada including around North Bay, Ontario, and again at Cinespace Studios.
The frozen-in ship and its surroundings were built in Netflix’s parking lot, with the ship’s design inspired by boats from the era including the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.