After visiting every single movie attraction you can think of in the UK I’ve compiled a list together of what I feel are the best attractions for movie fans in the country. I hope this article serves as a guide to help you when planning your next movie-themed trip out!
There are many attractions themed around movies here in the UK but some are miles better than others, let me take you on a trip of some of my personal favourites.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter – Watford
Located in Leavesden and nestled next to a working studio (a studio that’s getting a huge expansion in the next year years might I add) is the Mecca for Potterheads across the world.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour is the ultimate step into the wizarding world as this studio tour invites fans to step into the actual sets used in the movies.
Wander through the Great Hall, explore Diagon Alley and get up close and personal to props and costumes used throughout the franchise.
This behind the scenes interactive experience is unlike anything else in the United Kingdom.
On the scale of a studio tour that you would see in Hollywood (CLICK HERE to see some of our best Hollywood Studio Tour recommendations) as opposed to the United Kingdom this detailed and quite magical experience took my breath away.
What I personally enjoyed about the Warner Bros. Studio Tour experience was the fact that you weren’t rushed. What starts off as a guided experience suddenly turns into something more free and explorative.
You can take all the time you like reading all of the information, wandering around the sets and taking in every moment. Prices for the Warner Bros Studio Tour seem to be getting more and more expensive by the year so make sure to stay in there as long as you feel necessary.
Whilst I’m not the biggest Potterhead I could certainly appreciate all of the intricate details and painstaking work that goes into the filmmaking process from set design to special effects.
It truly is a movie fans dream come true and I only wished they had more studio tour style experiences here in the UK.
What made our particular visit even more exciting was that right next door to us as we left the tour building they were filming Robert Pattison’s Batman in the backlot next door as you could see Gotham styled theming lining the custom built street just over the wall next to us.
Who knows, you may just see a star or two during your own visit!
Website – https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/
National Sci-Fi Museum – Milton Keynes
Opening in 2021 the National Sci-fi museum is an absolute treasure trove of movie props, costumes and iconic pieces of film history.
An attraction that houses such holy grails of movie history that photos aren’t allowed in order to preserve the secrets that lie in store for movie fans.
The collection that the National Sci-Fi museum has is absolutely phenomenal and you can tell that the person who owns the collection not only loves their movies but loves to preserve these pieces of history and share them with the world.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much the full collection would be worth but when you have such items as Darth Vader’s screen used mask to the grail cup from Indiana Jones it’s safe to say the collection value is well into its millions already from just a handful of items listed.
Over 100 films and show artefacts are on display but what I loved the most about this particular attraction was the way in which each item was displayed. There’s no crowding in the display cabinets, each item is displayed wonderfully on its own or complimented with other franchise pieces, every item is a star in its own right and they are displayed as such.
Check out our full review of this attraction
Their dedication to preserving the items is a testament to how this attraction is run as a team of volunteers are working on exhibits and displays whilst working with a team of experts from the film industry to create this attraction.
What makes this museum stand out from anything else in the country is the presentations, creator talks and guest appearances and signings as the venue work closely with Showmasters comic con and bring a little star power to Milton Keynes now and again.
The store at the National Sci Fi museum is absolutely packed full of autographs and signed goodies to purchase including one particular item that I had my eyes on and that was the Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) signed replica guitar from Stranger Things.
Now THAT was a piece I wanted to own that was staring me in the face throughout my entire tour.
Located conveniently next to Centre: MK which is packed full of food and shopping outlets as far as the eye can see the National Sci-Fi museum is well worth your time and for the price of £14.50 a ticket for adults (At the time of writing this article) it’s an absolute bargain for an attraction you can easily spend 2 hours of your time within.
Website – https://nationalfilmandscifimuseum.com/
Museum of Classic Sci-Fi – Northumberland
These sci-fi museums are like buses, once one comes another comes along straight after!
The Museum of Classic Sci-Fi is an attraction based in Northumberland that has been created by Neil Cole.
Much smaller in size than the National Sci-Fi Museum but no less impressive is this intimate cave of wonders packed full of more displays in this particular attraction than what you would see in much larger establishments.
Neil painstakingly creates all of the plaques and display stands for each artefact himself and it’s attractions like these which deserve the attention over the bigger boys.
Independent in nature but not independent in content as the museum contains some of the most iconic items from all your favourite franchises including Dr Who, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Alien and more.
Costing £7 to enter you can get lost in a world of sci-fi for a very affordable price. What I love the most about Neil’s museum is the fact you can see the level of effort, care and love that has gone into this project and it’s a space that can get quite emotional.
Being surrounded by such treasures from film so lovingly preserved yet in such an intimate settings is such a special thing to be a part of.
Whilst the National Sci-Fi Museum has a plethora of incredible items they’re in displays at a distance for the most part.
The Museum of Classic Sci-Fi gets you up close and personal with these items and it feels all the more special and you can really appreciate the intricate details on many of the museums various exhibits from Kevin Bacon’s Hollow Man mask to a complete Morlock costume from the 2002 movie The Time Machine.
If it wasn’t for an episode of The Big Bang Theory I wouldn’t even know what a Morlock was and here I am appreciating every single detail of this incredible creature right before my eyes.
Website – https://www.museumofclassicsci-fi.com/
Museum of Horrors – Stoke on Trent
Okay, maybe I’m a little bias with this particular attraction as I helped to build it and my role is currently ongoing at the museum to curate items and develop business for them BUT there was a reason we set the museum up in the first place.
That reason being, the lack of movie museums in the UK.
Once upon a time to London Film Museum had a James Bond exhibition run for many years featuring screen-used cars from the franchise and more and then it vanished, other museums are mere pop-ups like the recently visited Back to the Future museum which was incredible but short lived.
Having a permanent home of movie props, costumes and memorabilia is a rarity in this country and especially for the horror genre as I can’t count too many horror attractions here in the UK other than scare attractions that operate on a yearly basis with only Pasaje Del Terror in Blackpool, UK operating all year round.
The Museum of Horrors in Stoke is a brand new attraction that opened in October 2023 packed full of over 100 (currently at this moment in time) props and costumes from well known horror franchises from Nightmare on Elm Street to The Ring and even lesser known films such as Doghouse and Hellfest.
Themed rooms are part of a guided tour experience as you traverse this old grade II listed building and dive into various genres of horror with each room equipped with props, costumes and artefacts not just from films but from the world of the macabre.
Step into a true crime room where you can handle real life police evidence from some of the worlds most notorious cases or venture into a hotel room packed full of items from films such as The Shining, Vacancy, Psycho and American Horror Story: Hotel.
There is plenty to see within the Museum of Horrors and it’s a project that I’m very proud of with plenty more room for expansion.
A handful of times a month the building is overrun with live actors to bring a more terrifying experience to guests as creatures of the night will immerse you in our themed rooms with a very extreme surprise in store for those brave enough to venture into the basement.
If you’re a horror fan and you love your horror movies, if you’re a true crime fan and want to investigate these real life crimes then there’s no better place to do it than in the UK’s first Museum of Horrors.
Bookings are through FB only at this early stage but you can find out more about the museum experience HERE
