Rhys Frake-Waterfield (born 1991 or 1992)[1] is a British filmmaker who became known for his 2023 independent horror film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its 2024 sequel. It was the first theatrical film of his career, as well as the first for his company Jagged Edge Productions.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield | |
|---|---|
 Rhys Frake-Waterfield in January 2023, promoting Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | |
| Alma mater | University of Essex |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2021–present |
Early life
editFrake-Waterfield is from Essex, where he also studied at the University of Essex.[2]
Career
editIn 2021, Frake-Waterfield left his corporate strategy job at EDF Energy to create low-budget horror films.[3] After entering the film industry, he produced 36 feature films in two years.[4]
On 1 January 2022, the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in the United States.[5] Shortly after this, Jagged Edge Productions announced a Winnie-the-Pooh-based slasher film called Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, with Frake-Waterfield serving as the director, writer, and co-producer with Scott Jeffrey. There was much controversy among both the general public and Winnie-the-Pooh fans, with Frake-Waterfield claiming that he and the other members on the film's production received death threats[6] and petitions calling for the film to be cancelled,[7] but the film was released in cinemas in the United States on 15 February 2023, receiving very poor reviews. The film made over $US5 million[8][9] on a budget reported to be less than $US100,000.[10] Afterwards, Frake-Waterfield announced a sequel to Blood and Honey with a budget five times greater,[10] along with a cinematic universe called The Twisted Childhood Universe with horror films based on Bambi, a Life in the Woods and Peter Pan.[11][12] He has also expressed interest in making films about Thor, the Teletubbies, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the future.[13][14]
Frake-Waterfield is also the owner of Dark Abyss Productions, where he writes, directs and produces films under the name Tyler James (with Scott Jeffrey).[15] Films he has directed under this banner include The Loch Ness Horror, Sky Monster, Dinosaur Prison, Deadly Waters and Monsternado. Films he has produced under this banner include Three Blind Mice, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Snake Hotel, Alien Invasion, Return of Punch and Judy, and Medusa's Venom.[16]
Selected filmography
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bloody Mary | No | No | Yes | Yes | [17] | ||
| Easter Killing | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2022 | The Area 51 Incident | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also composer | [18] | |
| Killing Tree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also decorations | |||
| 2023 | Firenado | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed with Scott Jeffrey | ||
| Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2024 | Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | Yes | Story | Yes | Yes | [19] | ||
| 2025 | Pinocchio: Unstrung | Yes | No | Yes | No | [20] |
Producer only
edit| Year | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dinosaur Hotel | [17] |
| Dragon Fury | ||
| The Legend of Jack and Jill | [18] | |
| Monsters of War | ||
| Spider in the Attic | ||
| 2022 | H.P. Lovecraft's Monster Portal | |
| Looks Can Kill | ||
| Wrath of Van Helsing | ||
| Croc! | [17] | |
| Shockwaves | [18] | |
| Kingdom of the Dinosaurs | [17] | |
| Jack Frost | [18] | |
| Pterodactyl | ||
| Dinosaur Hotel 2 | ||
| Dragon Fury: Wrath of Fire | ||
| Krampus: The Return | ||
| Bloody Mary Returns | ||
| Mega Lightning | ||
| Easter Bunny Massacre: The Bloody Trail | ||
| 2025 | Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | [21][22] |
| Bambi: The Reckoning | [23] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Picture | Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | Won | [24] |
| Worst Director | |||||
| Worst Screenplay |
References
edit- ^ Collis, Clark (9 February 2023). "'We were in hysterics': The behind-the-scenes story of viral sensation Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ Yossman, KJ (7 February 2023). "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey': Inside the Viral Micro-Budget Slasher Hoping to Slay the Box Office (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ Nemiroff, Perri (18 February 2023). "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' Director Explains Why He Passed on Studio Distribution Offers". Collider. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "About Us". Jagged Edge Productions. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ Cavna, Michael (12 January 2022). "'Winnie-the-Pooh' just entered the public domain. Here's what that means for fans". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' director says he's received death threats over horror film". Fox 5 DC. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "How the Winnie-the-Pooh Horror Movie Came to Be". Time. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ "Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ a b Clark Collis (16 February 2023). "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' director says sequel will have at least 5 times the budget". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Squires, John (2 December 2022). "'Bambi: The Reckoning' – Bambi Becomes a "Vicious Killing Machine" in Upcoming Horror Movie". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Squires, John (1 November 2022). "'Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare' in the Works from 'Winnie the Pooh' Horror Movie Team". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Perry, Spencer. "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Director Teases Horror Versions of Peter Pan, Thor". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Terry (18 February 2023). "Blood & Honey Director Wants To Make TMNT & Teletubbies Horror Movies". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 20 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ "DARK ABYSS PRODUCTIONS LTD overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Tyler-James | Producer, Director, Writer". IMDb. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Rhys Frake-Waterfield - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Films produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield". letterboxd.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (5 February 2024). "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Exclusive Trailer and Poster". IGN. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (16 May 2024). "Pinocchio Horror in 'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey' Universe Unveils R-Rated Details: Skin Suits, High Kill Counts and Lots of Gore (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (18 May 2024). "'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey' Makers Unveil 'Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare' First Look (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Premiere Entertainment Group reports strong pre-sales on Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Squires, John (15 December 2023). "Bambi: The Reckoning Exclusive Update: Cast and Director Announced for Bambi Horror Movie". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "AND THE 44TH A RAZZIE WINNERS ARE ..." Golden Raspberry Awards. 9 March 2024. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.