Warrington church is main setting for new horror film

The ancient grounds of the old St Werburgh's Church in Warburton were transformed into a film set for new folk horror, A Caution for The Wise.

And the 13th century church, based on Wigsey Lane, has since been described as a ‘one in a million’ film location by film producer, Gaius Brown.

Filming from both within the grounds of the old church and inside the Grade I listed building can be seen in the new short film which was released earlier this month and is currently circulating film festivals across the country.

The old Grade I listed church in Warburton is the main setting for the new horror (Image: Supplied)
Produced and directed by independent film-maker Brown, under GMVisuals, A Caution for The Wise is a folk horror set in the 18th century and based around the character, cleric Reverend Heatly Smythe, who is appointed to a new rural parish.

However, upon arrival, he soon finds his faith tested by local superstitions surrounding a strange mound in an ancient woodland.

The reverend has little time for the local superstition and being an academic, he begins to ruminate about the true nature of the so-called 'Devil's Mound'.

In an attempt to rid the parish of its 'blasphemous beliefs', Heatly endeavours to prove that the mound in question is merely an ancient neolithic burial site, of historic importance.

Filming took place in the grounds of the old St Werburgh's Church in Warburton (Image: Supplied)
Led by his own arrogance and blind self-conviction, Rev Heatly Smythe finds himself confronted by local friction, tragic circumstances, and an elusive figure that begins to haunt his every step.

The short is loosely based on a chapter from the hit 2013 novel 'Skendleby', written by Nick Brown and also based in leafy Cheshire, in the affluent area of Alderley Edge.

While the old St Werburgh's Church was used as the set for the parish church in the film, other areas of Cheshire were also used during the filming of the horror, including the picturesque grade II listed Hawthorn Cottage located on Twemlow Lane in Cranage.

The church grounds is the film set for A Caution for The Wise (Image: Supplied)
Speaking on what drew him to film scenes of his latest release at the old Warburton church, film producer, Gaius Brown, said: “On an early recce to St Werburgh’s old church, I immediately got a sense of how incredible and authentic the location was.

“Feeling excited that it was ‘the one’, after a long search over many weeks, we reached out to The Churches Conservation Trust, who were unbelievably accommodating in allowing us access to film, along with the support of the church’s key bearer, Cliff.

“The late medieval character of the church lent itself to both a visually beautiful, yet haunting aesthetic.

“A perfect setting to tell the tale of our 18th century troubled protagonist, Heatly Smythe.

“In the realm of short film making, securing a location like this church feels like one in a million.”

To view the film trailer for A Caution for The Wise, click here.

If you want to find out more about GM Visuals and the work Gaius does, visit his Instagram page, GMVisuals.

The Warrington church features in the film A Caution for The Wise (Image: Supplied)