M. Night Shyamalan has a new film in UK cinemas – and it contains several of the director's usual trademarks, including a fair few twists and turns.

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One way in which Old differs from his previous output, however, is that this is Shyamalan's first film shot entirely outside of the Greater Philadelphia area.

The film is largely a single location movie, with the bulk of the action unfolding on an idyllic beach – read on for everything you need to know about where that beach is located, and why Shyamalan felt that finding the perfect location was so important.

Where was Old filmed?

The film was shot entirely in the Dominican Republic – making it the first M. Night Shyamalan film to be filmed completely outside his home state of Pennsylvania.

The beach in question is Playa El Valle, an isolated white sand beach located between two mountains on the north coast of Samaná. It appears that the beach looks just as idyllic in real life as it does in the film – although thankfully it seems that visitors won't find themselves aging at a rapid rate when they set foot there.

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The sections of the film that were not set at the beach itself were predominantly filmed at Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios while some others exteriors were shot elsewhere in the province of Samana.

Speaking about setting the film predominantly in one location – and about the process of finding the right beach – Shyamalan told RadioTimes.com and other press:"I mean, it was the thing that really gave me excitement because I love contained movies, and making these very small movies.

"These are, you know, small, small movies," he continued. "You know, we're up against Marvel and Disney movies and, you know, franchises – the ninth movie of this and that, and ours are these little original movies and the weapons I have are the integrity of the frame and the sense of how we're juxtaposing the thriller in a unique way.

"And this kind of being in a utopic environment, and having this kind of every frame is beautiful because you're seeing this rock wall and the ocean in this cove. And this kind of ticking clock that's happening, this Agatha Christie kind of Ten Little Indians thing that's happening on the beach.

"That juxtaposition of horror and beauty was so important I felt for us to stand out in the marketplace. So we searched a long time to try to find the right cove that felt good for us – and we found one in the Dominican."

And star Vicky Kreips also believes that finding the right beach was key to making the movie a success – and she said that the climate added an unpredictability to filming that made the whole thing all the more intense.

"I think it's crucial," she said. "And I mean, the beach was like the other character. So you have all the characters and all the actors who came from all over the world, but we all just came to act with the beach.

"And this is really true, because the beach, and the nature there is so intense and strong," she continued. "And it doesn't let you do one mistake. You know, it's very harsh, like it can go from rain, to sun.

"When it's hot, it's so hot, you can't think. Suddenly, the rain pours down and you don't know where to go, everything is wet. So we had to be on point all the time.

"You know, at the beginning Night said we have to learn this, like a theatre play, in order to be ready, you know, whenever a thunderstorm will come, or whatever will happen. We'll be ready to just shoot any scene. You know, not essentially what is on the call sheet, but to be ready to improvise and to move around nature when we had to. So we were really moving around nature and nature was not moving around us."

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Old is released in UK cinemas on Friday 23rd July 2021. Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. ially

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