Discover where Evil Under the Sun was filmed in 1982 and 2001 – real hotels, real beaches, and the stunning locations behind Christie’s sun-soaked mystery.
In Evil Under the Sun, Agatha Christie gave us sun, scandal, and suspiciously well-dressed suspects. The filmmakers gave us breathtaking locations that have since become pilgrimage spots for mystery lovers.
The hotels aren’t just a backdrop – both are real, bookable hotels and major fan pilgrimage spots you can stay at.
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🏖️ Evil Under The Sun Filming Locations
From the Riviera-style glamour of Mallorca in the 1982 film to the windswept coastal tension of Devon in the Poirot version, these filming locations are nearly as iconic as the cast.
Pack your linen suit. We’re going sightseeing.
⛱️ Evil Under the Sun 1981/1982 – Peter Ustinov’s Poirot
Where was Evil Under the Sun filmed in 1981/1982? The answer is Hotel Formentor and Cala Formentor in Mallorca, Spain – a magical place that flawlessly doubled as a glamorous Mediterranean paradise.
Cala Formentor is the curved, turquoise bay on Mallorca’s Formentor Peninsula that played the film’s glamorous resort beach. It’s calm, shallow, and framed by pine forests and cliffs – visually perfect for long, suspicious sunbathing scenes.
In Evil Under the Sun (1982), this is where:
- Arlena Marshall lounges in full view of everyone
- Characters watch each other while pretending not to
- The famous “too relaxed for a murder plot” beach moments unfold
The geography matters: the beach is open, visible from above, and close to the hotel paths, which makes the mystery feel plausible. You can see why this became the definitive filming location for fans.
Formentor, a Royal Hideaway Hotel (formerly Barceló Formentor, and redeveloped as the Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor), is a historic five-star luxury hotel on Mallorca’s Formentor Peninsula.
Opened in 1929, this grand, old-world seaside hotel is renowned for its secluded Mediterranean setting and as a popular retreat for artists, intellectuals, and celebrities. In the film, it becomes the fictional Jolly Roger Hotel, the social hub where every suspect eats, gossips, flirts, and lies politely.
This is where:
- Poirot questions guests on the terrace
- Dinner scenes unfold in elegant surroundings
- Characters spy from balconies and shaded walkways
- Nearly every interaction before and after the murder happens
The hotel’s layout – terraces, balconies, gardens, and paths leading straight to the beach – is why it works so perfectly as a hotel location for Evil Under the Sun (1982). It doesn’t feel like a set. It feels like a place where wealthy people would absolutely holiday… and absolutely commit murder.
Additional filming locations:
- Sa Dragonera: Used for aerial shots of the island; a dramatic, uninhabited natural park off Mallorca’s west coast.
- Cala Blanca (“Ladder Bay”): Featured along the island’s coastline.
- Sant Elm (offshore scenes): Used for Sir Horace’s boat sequences, doubling for the south of France.
- Cala d’en Monjo: Exterior of Daphne’s hotel and private cove scenes.
- Cala en Feliu (Formentor Peninsula): Used as “Gull Cove.”
- Raixa Estate (Bunyola): Grand Italianate villa used for additional hotel exterior shots.
- Yorkshire Dales: The early countryside scenes set in England.
- Muker Literary Institute (Swaledale): Exterior of the police station.
- Lee International Studios, Wembley (London): Interior scenes and controlled set work were filmed here before moving to Spain.
Fan trivia:
- Most of the 1982 cast (Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Jane Birkin) stayed at the hotel.
- The costumes were designed to match the hotel’s faded aristocratic glamour.
🕵️ Evil Under the Sun 2001 – David Suchet’s Poirot
David Suchet’s Poirot: Evil Under the Sun aired on 14 June 2001 as Series 8, Episode 1 of Agatha Christie’s Poirot on ITV – and while the Suchet episode follows the novel more closely, the atmosphere is completely different from the sun-drenched 1982 film.
Instead of Mediterranean glamour, this version leans into windswept British seaside mystery, where isolation, tides, and grey skies add delicious tension that feels closer to the mood of Agatha Christie’s writing.
The production used the iconic Burgh Island Hotel off the coast of South Devon as the stand-in for the secluded resort. This Art Deco hotel, cut off from the mainland at high tide, gives the episode a natural locked-room feeling Christie fans adore.
Filmed here:
- Burgh Island Hotel exterior & terrace: The main hotel setting and character gatherings.
- Tidal causeway at Bigbury-on-Sea: Dramatic arrivals and departures controlled by the sea.
- Bigbury-on-Sea beach: Key walking conversations and reflective moments.
- Devon coastal cliff paths: Poirot’s contemplative clue-solving strolls.
- Hotel interiors: Dining room, lounges, and guest rooms that were used extensively for dialogue scenes.
Fan trivia:
- Burgh Island has been linked to several Christie film adaptations, including 2015’s And Then There Were None. It is often called “the real Christie Island.”
- The changing tides weren’t just cinematic – filming schedules worked around them.
- The moody weather helped create a tone far closer to the Evil Under the Sun book than the glamorous 1982 movie.
- You can stay in the same rooms used during filming – it’s a bucket-list spot for Poirot fans.
✍️ Where Was Evil Under the Sun Written?
Agatha Christie wrote Evil Under the Sun in the late 1930s, at Greenway House, her beloved holiday home overlooking the River Dart. It was born from her real love of seaside holidays and her habit of quietly observing people while doing very little herself.
Christie famously said some of her best plot ideas came while lying on a beach, watching human behavior unfold in slow, sun-drenched detail.
She spent much of her life in Devon, around Torquay and the South Devon coast, where elegant seaside hotels, polite social routines, gossip, jealousy, and boredom were part of holiday life.
The idea of guests trapped together in a resort, watching each other with growing suspicion, reflects exactly what she saw on these trips.
This is why the Burgh Island setting used in the David Suchet Poirot episode feels so true to the book – it closely resembles the real landscapes and seaside culture that originally inspired Christie’s mystery.
📺 Where is Evil Under the Sun Streaming?
Where can you watch Evil Under the Sun? Availability changes by region, but both versions rotate across major platforms.
- Evil Under the Sun 1982: Prime Video, Plex, Tubi, Apple TV, DVD/Blu-Ray.
- David Suchet’s Poirot: Evil Under the Sun: BritBox or ITVX (UK), and Poirot DVD box sets.
Now that you know the real filming locations, it’s the perfect excuse to rewatch the film and spot every sun-soaked clue.
- Where Was Evil Under the Sun Filmed? The Real Hotel Locations - February 12, 2026
- A Haunting in Venice Filming Locations Guide - February 10, 2026
- And Then There Were None Filming Locations Guide - February 8, 2026
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