AN historic area of Lancashire is being featured on the silver screen as part of a new Hollywood film.

Rivington Pike was used as a shooting location for A Monster Calls which stars Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson.

The scenes for the fantasy drama, based on Patrick Ness’ novel, were shot in 2014 and the finished movie was released in the UK last Sunday.

A Monster Calls tells the story of 13-year-old Conor, played by Lewis MacDougall, who is visited by a story-telling monster while struggling to come to terms with his mother’s terminal cancer.

Cllr Peter Wilson, deputy leader of Chorley Council, said: “The scenes were shot back in 2014 and it’s now exciting to see the film released in the UK.

“People will now have the chance to see the film and try and spot the bits that were filmed at Rivington Pike.

“We have many areas of outstanding natural beauty and it’s great that a Hollywood film decided to shoot part of their movie here.

“We are hope that this is the first of many other films coming to shoot around this area.”

The story has been taken from the best-selling 2011 children’s book, based on an original idea by writer Siobhan Dowd, who started the story but died from breast cancer in 2007.

Security was tight during filming two years ago, which took place in a wooded area, while catering vans were set up nearby to feed production staff, including many from Spain where the film’s director Juan Antonio Bayona is from.

In March 2014, Focus Features bought the film rights to the book for $20 million.

Sigourney Weaver, who also filmed scenes in Huddersfield, stars as Conor’s grandmother, Felicity Jones as his mum and Liam Neeson, as the monster, whose scenes were all shot in a studio in Barcelona.

Other filming locations included Manchester, Preston and Marsden Denshaw.

The Pike at 1,191ft (363 metres) high is the most westerly high point of Winter Hill in the West Pennine Moors.

The tower is Grade II-listed.