When Weymouth became a 1960s horror film set

The Damned, a Hammer thriller from the early 1960s, brought a wave of film production to coastal Dorset, with filming spanning Portland and Weymouth in May 1961. According to the report, work at Portland started May 7 at Portland Bill and continued until May 28, using largely “nondescript” surroundings. Weymouth filming lasted only a few days but included scenes near well-known landmarks such as St John’s Church, the Jubilee Clock and the King’s Statue. A 70-strong unit took over the seafront temporarily, prompting locals to notice the Jubilee Clock hands changing from 10:30 to 6:15 to maintain continuity, with permission assisted by Mayor Edgar Wallis. The cast included Oliver Reed, Shirley Anne Field, MacDonald Carey, Alexander Knox and Viveca Lindfors. The climax described filming on Thursday, May 25, when stuntman Jack Cooper drove a Jaguar XK120 off Ferrybridge; scuba divers recovered him minutes later.