They have some notable differences, but the premise of the CBS show is the same: after a young couple inherits a grand old mansion from a long-lost relative, they decide to fix it up and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. But after the wife takes a fall and has a near-death experience, she can suddenly see dead people. And there are a lot of them living in the house.
At first the ghosts disapprove of the new homeowners and want to scare them off, but when they realize Samantha is able to communicate with them, they decide it may be worthwhile to let them stay after all.
The house plays such a central role in the show that I was curious about where it was filmed. Read on to find out what I learned about it, as well as the mansion they used in the original BBC series!Rose McIver (who you may recognize from iZombie) plays Samantha, who is horrified to realize that Woodstone Estate is filled with ghosts.Utkarsh Ambudkar (from Never Have I Ever) plays her husband Jay, who is baffled to find her talking to empty rooms.
The ghosts include a cast of characters who have died on the estate over hundreds of years and aren’t thrilled by the idea of interlopers moving in and turning the place into a B&B.
Woodstone Estate looked pretty good in the photo. But when Samantha and Jay pull up to it, they’re greeted by a house with a sagging roof, covered in overgrown vines (below):
They seem to be using some CGI/special effects to cover the exterior in ivy and make it look older.
exterior of haunted house on Ghosts
The house where they filmed the first episode in Pasadena has been used in other movies like “Bridesmaids:”
exterior of house in Bridesmaids movie You may also recognize it as Wayne Manor from the “Batman” series in the 1960s.
Here’s a screenshot I took of it in the episode “He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul:”
Wayne Manor in Batman TV series 1966 Here’s another example of how the houses were swapped out after the original trailer and promotional materials were sent out. (Note: it may have even originally aired this way, but since I streamed the show on Hulu I’m not sure.)
When Jay and Samantha arrived at the house for the first time, the camera pans up and we see the second story of the house where they filmed in Pasadena, with vines added digitally to make it look like it’s been neglected (below):
If you stream that episode now, the camera shows the stone house they created in Montreal instead (TV magic!):
