Diksha Sundriyal
Disney+’s ‘Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires’ begins a new chapter in the ‘Zombies’ franchise as the torch is passed on to a new generation of teen monsters. The film takes Zed, Addison, Eliza, and Willa on a road trip that goes awry when an accident causes them to look for help in a strange place. Here, they come across Daywalkers and Vampires, and their old rivalry that dates back to the time when a Moonstone crashed into Mount Rayburn. The mountain and a campsite in its forest become a key location in the movie, leading to some significant changes in the dynamics between the two warring clans by the end. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mount and Camp Rayburn are a Mix of Different Set Locations
The events in ‘Zombies 4’ take place in a fictional location called Mount Rayburn. According to the film, the events take place somewhere in America (considering the American accents of the characters). However, the filming for the fourth film in the franchise took the cast and crew to the picturesque locations of New Zealand. The cities of Auckland and Wellington provided spectacular places to bring the world of Daywalkers and Vampires alive on the screen.
In the movie, Mount Rayburn is a key location as this is where the Moonstone landed and created two different species of monsters. In real life, different places were used to film key scenes, which were then stitched together to make it look like one place. For example, the production team made use of the Mākara Walkway, a short distance from Wellington City, to film the scenes where the characters take a walk out of the tunnel and towards the orchard where the Blood Fruit grows. In the same vein, the cliffside and beach areas of Mount Rayburn were filmed at Bethells Beach of Te Henga, located a few hours away from Auckland, and Piha Beach, located on the west coast of Auckland.
While these scenic natural locations gave a beautiful touch to the film, custom sets were needed to fill in the gaps where some of the major action sequences in the movie take place. The teens spend most of their time in Camp Rayburn, from where they launch the expedition to find the answers to the clues that open the doors of the orchard. The camp was created on set, most likely in Toronto, which was also the major location for the first three films. This allowed the crew to give signature looks to the two sides of the campsite, highlighting the differences between the Daywalkers and the Vampires, while also setting the stage for their similarities, which eventually come to light.
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