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 |
Rhys Frake-Waterfield (born 1991or1992) [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.
Frake-Waterfield is from Essex, where he also studied at the University of Essex. [2]
In 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]
| 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] |
| 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] |
| 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 | |||||
A Heffalump is an elephant-like creature in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Heffalumps are mentioned, and only appear, in Pooh and Piglet's dreams in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and are seen again in The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Physically, they resemble elephants; E. H. Shepard's illustration shows an Indian elephant. They are later featured in the animated television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991), followed by two animated films in 2005, Pooh's Heffalump Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a 1926 children's book by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The book is set in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, with a collection of short stories following the adventures of an anthropomorphic teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo. It is the first of two story collections by Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh, the second being The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne and Shepard collaborated previously for English humour magazine Punch, and in 1924 created When We Were Very Young, a poetry collection. Among the characters in the poetry book was a teddy bear Shepard modelled after his son's toy. Following this, Shepard encouraged Milne to write about his son Christopher Robin Milne's toys, and so they became the inspiration for the characters in Winnie-the-Pooh.
The House at Pooh Corner is a 1928 children's book by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard. This book is the second novel, and final one by Milne, to feature Winnie-the-Pooh and his world. The book is also notable for introducing the character Tigger. The book's exact date of publication is unknown beyond the year 1928, although several sources indicate the date of October 11.
Sterling Price Holloway Jr. was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in Dumbo, Adult Flower in Bambi, the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, Kaa in The Jungle Book, Roquefort the Mouse in The Aristocats, and the title character in Winnie the Pooh, among many others.
Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree is a 1966 American animated musical fantasy short film based on the first two chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions, and released by Buena Vista Distribution on February 4, 1966, as a double feature with The Ugly Dachshund. It was the last short film produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, ten months after its release. Its songs were written by the Sherman Brothers and the score was composed and conducted by Buddy Baker.
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day is a 1968 American animated musical fantasy short film based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. The featurette was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company on December 20, 1968, having been shown in theaters with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. This was the second of the studio's Winnie the Pooh theatrical featurettes. It was later added as a segment to the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The music was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It was notable for being the last Disney animated short to be produced by Walt Disney, who died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, two years before its release.
Bambi is the title character in Felix Salten's 1923 novel, Bambi, a Life in the Woods, and its sequel, Bambi's Children. The character also appears in Salten's novels Perri and Fifteen Rabbits.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional teddy bear, and the central character in the book series by A. A. Milne.
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's Evening News for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo.
Winnie the Pooh is a media franchise produced by The Walt Disney Company, based on A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's stories featuring Winnie-the-Pooh. It started in 1966 with the theatrical release of the short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.
Altitude Film Distribution is a British film distribution company, part of the Altitude Film Entertainment group. The parent company was launched in 2012 by Optimum Releasing founder Will Clarke. Altitude Film Entertainment is vertically integrated, with divisions that handle film production, finance and international sales, as well as UK distribution.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is a 2023 British independent slasher film produced, directed, written, and edited by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. The first installment of The Twisted Childhood Universe, it is a horror parody of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books and stars Craig David Dowsett as the titular character, and Chris Cordell as Piglet, with Amber Doig-Thorne, Nikolai Leon, Maria Taylor, Natasha Rose Mills, and Danielle Ronald in supporting roles. It follows Pooh and Piglet, who have become feral murderers, as they terrorise a group of young university women and Christopher Robin when he returns to the Hundred Acre Wood five years after leaving for college.
Bambi: The Reckoning is an upcoming British independent horror film directed by Dan Allen, written by Rhys Warrington, and produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey. It is the fourth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of Felix Salten's Bambi, a Life in the Woods. The film stars Roxanne McKee and Tom Mulheron, with Nicola Wright, Samira Mighty, Alex Cooke, Catherine Adams, and Russell Geoffrey Banks in supporting roles. It follows a mother and her son who become hunted by Bambi after his own mother's death.
Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare is an upcoming British independent horror film written and directed by Scott Jeffrey. It is the third installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The film stars Martin Portlock as the titular character and Megan Placito as Wendy Darling, with Kit Green, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Charity Kase, Teresa Banham, Nicholas Woodeson, Kierston Wareing, Olumide Olorunfemi, and Campbell Wallace in supporting roles. It follows Wendy as she embarks on a quest to find her brother Michael, who has been abducted by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.
The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU), also known as the Poohniverse, is a British film series and shared universe of independent slasher horror films. It was conceived and created by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, and produced by the filmmaker's Jagged Edge Productions film studio. The films center around characters from children's media reimagined as murderous villains.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 is a 2024 British independent slasher film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and written by Matt Leslie. It is the second installment of The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and a sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023). As with the original film, it is a horror parody of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard's Winnie-the-Pooh books. The film stars Scott Chambers as Christopher Robin, and Ryan Oliva as the titular character, with Tallulah Evans, Teresa Banham, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, Alec Newman, and Simon Callow in supporting roles. It follows Pooh as he embarks on a murderous rampage through Christopher Robin's childhood town to seek revenge on him for revealing his existence to the world.
The 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, honored the worst the film industry had to offer in 2023 on March 9, 2024. These awards are based on votes from members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. The nominations were announced on January 22, 2024. Additionally, with four nods, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earned the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) its first-ever Razzie nominations, breaking the franchise's 16-year streak without a single Razzie Award nomination.
Pinocchio: Unstrung is an upcoming British independent slasher film directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, written by Matt Leslie, and produced by Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey. It is the fifth installment in The Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU) and serves as a horror retelling of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.
Scott Chambers is a British actor and film producer. He played Richard in the 2015 film Chicken. He also portrayed Christopher Robin in the 2024 film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, replacing Nikolai Leon from the first film. He is credited as Chambers for his role as an actor and as Jeffrey for his role as a producer for the latter film.