The children's novel, The Witches, was originally written by Roald Dahl and published in 1983. It was illustrated by Quentin Blake who famously contributed to many of the author’s books. The story is partly set in Norway and partly in the United Kingdom, focusing on the experiences of a young boy and his Norwegian grandmother in a world where child-hating evil witches secretly exist.

Back in 1990, the big-screen adaptation of The Witches arrived in cinemas and a good deal of it was filmed right here at The Headland. Made by Jim Henson Productions and directed by Nicolas Roeg, the production took over the hotel while the cameras rolled, with cast and crew in residence throughout the shoot.

Angelica Houston starred as the Grand High Witch, and at that time, her boyfriend was Jack Nicholson. Enormous bouquets of roses would be delivered for her and the girls on the switchboard would become very excited when he telephoned to speak to her, as there were no mobiles then!

Rowan Atkinson played the hotel manager and, by all accounts, is every bit as gloriously eccentric as Mr Bean in real life. One evening he ran a bath, wandered off to bed and left the taps running. The water found its way down from his second-floor room all the way to the ground floor, writing off every last piece of kit in the film's production office on the floor below. When the porter knocked to raise the alarm, he was met with a muffled "go away, I am asleep."

Rooms 223, 227 and 205 were used for some of the bedroom scenes. The pram pushed towards the cliff edge was the hotel owners’ own family pram which had been used for their children Veryan, Morwenna and George.

The ballroom scene was filmed in the studios, the special effects of the witch combusting were deemed a bit dangerous. The mice were about the size of Spaniel dogs; big enough to house all the electronics that brought them to life. This was well before computer animation could do the job.

Thousands of guests from all around the world visit The Headland having seen the film, and many wide-eyed children still look around for the mice.

Guests travel from all over the world having seen the film and to this day you'll spot wide-eyed children peering into corners, hoping to catch sight of the mice. More than thirty-five years on, The Witches is still a firm favourite and while it has its spooky moments, it's a PG and one for the whole family. You can rent or buy it on Prime Video and keep your eyes peeled for The Headland.

The film may have wrapped decades ago but a little magic still lingers at The Headland every autumn. Between 16 October and 2 November, join us for the Wickedly Witchy Afternoon Brew - a spellbinding afternoon tea of delicate sandwiches, warm scones with Cornish clotted cream and a bewitching spread of cakes almost too pretty to hex. Secure your place.