A well-loved Callander attraction swapped shoppers for a film crew over the weekend as a toy shop in the village was converted into a movie set.
The Hamilton Toy Museum & Collectors Shop has been a staple of the Callander scene for 175 years and features one of the largest privately owned toy collections in the UK.
But the nostalgia-filled rooms and jam-packed shelves provided the ideal background for a key sequence in the upcoming horror Robert Returns.
The family-run business welcomed the crews through the doors as they shot what will be the opening sequence of the movie.
Robert Returns reimagines the infamous haunted doll, who made his screen debut in 2015’s Robert from the late UK genre filmmaker Andrew Jones, before returning for four further instalments in the original series – The Curse of Robert the Doll, The Toymaker, The Legend of Robert the Doll, and Robert Reborn – all of which are available to stream on Netflix.
“The Hamilton Toy Museum is such a unique location, and a true step back in time,” said producer Gary Collinson.
“Not only did it serve as the ideal location for our film, but its remarkable collection brought back many childhood memories for our cast and crew. We’re very grateful to Cris and Catriona for allowing us to film there, and appreciate the hospitality of the Callander locals who stopped to chat with us.”
The film has a distinct Scottish flavour, with The Baby in the Basket and Wuthering Heights: The House of the Damned’s Elle O’Hara leading the cast alongside 10-year-old newcomer Iona McGill, and Death Among the Pines’ Stephen Kerr and Nathan Shepka.
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The film also features Annabelle Lanyon, who starred alongside Tom Cruise in Ridley Scott’s Legend, and Robert series veteran Lee Bane, along with Ian Plunkett, Nico Palmieri, Gary Collinson, David McCallum, John Walker-Gray, David Rogerson and Zinny Udala.
Robert Returns is produced and financed by IMP Studios and distributor 4Digital Media with Shepka Productions and Flickering Myth serving as production partners, marking the latest collaboration between the two companies following the gothic horror feature The Baby in the Basket and the upcoming suspense thriller Death Among the Pines, which releases in the UK this September from High Fliers Films.
Robert Returns will release in the US and UK in early 2027.
