Rhys Frake-Waterfield
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. It was the first theatrical film of his career, as well as the first for his production company, Jagged Edge Productions.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield | |
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![]() Rhys Frake-Waterfield in January 2023 | |
Born | Rhys Frake-Waterfield |
Alma mater | University of Essex (BS, BEc) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2021–present |
Career
In 2021, Frake-Waterfield left his job at EDF Energy to create low-budget horror films.[2] After entering the film industry, he produced 36 feature films in the span of two years.[3]
On January 1, 2022, the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in the United States.[4] 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 the Winnie-the-Pooh fan community, with Frake-Waterfield claiming that he and the other members on the film's production received death threats[5] and petitions for the film to be cancelled,[6] but the film was released in theatres in the United States on February 15, 2023, receiving very poor reviews. The film made over $5 million[7][8] on a budget reported to be less than $100,000.[9] Afterwards, Frake-Waterfield announced a sequel to Blood and Honey with a budget five times greater,[9] along with a cinematic universe with horror films based on Bambi, a Life in the Woods and Peter Pan.[10][11] He also expressed interest in making films about Thor, the Teletubbies, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the future.[12][13]
Selected filmography
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Bloody Mary | No | No | Yes | Yes | [14] | |
Easter Killing | No | No | Yes | Yes | [14] | ||
2022 | The Area 51 Incident | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also composer | [15] |
The Killing Tree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also decorations | [15] | |
2023 | Firenado | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed with Scott Jeffrey | [15] |
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [2] | ||
2024 | Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Post-production | [2] |
TBA | Bambi: The Reckoning | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | [10] | |
Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | [11] | ||
Producer only
Year | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2021 | Dinosaur Hotel | [14] |
Dragon Fury | [14] | |
The Legend of Jack and Jill | [15] | |
Monsters of War | [15] | |
Spider in the Attic | [15] | |
2022 | H.P. Lovecraft's Monster Portal | [15] |
Looks Can Kill | [15] | |
Wrath of Van Helsing | [15] | |
Croc! | [14] | |
Shockwaves | [15] | |
Kingdom of the Dinosaurs | [14] | |
Jack Frost | [15] | |
Pterodactyl | [15] | |
Dinosaur Hotel 2 | [15] | |
Dragon Fury: Wrath of Fire | [15] | |
Krampus: The Return | [15] | |
Bloody Mary Returns | [15] | |
Mega Lightning | [15] | |
Easter Bunny Massacre: The Bloody Trail | [15] | |
References
- 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. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- Nemiroff, Perri (18 February 2023). "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' Director Explains Why He Passed on Studio Distribution Offers". Collider. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- "About Us". Jagged Edge Productions. 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. 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. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- "How the Winnie-the-Pooh Horror Movie Came to Be". Time. 16 February 2023. 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.
- February 16, Clark Collis; EST, 2023 at 03:06 PM. "'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' director says sequel will have at least 5 times the budget". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Squires, John (2 December 2022). "'Bambi: The Reckoning' – Bambi Becomes a "Vicious Killing Machine" in Upcoming Horror Movie". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Squires, John (1 November 2022). "'Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare' in the Works from 'Winnie the Pooh' Horror Movie Team". Bloody DisgustingS. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Perry, Spencer. "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Director Teases Horror Versions of Peter Pan, Thor". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Phillips, Terry (18 February 2023). "Blood & Honey Director Wants To Make TMNT & Teletubbies Horror Movies". Screen Rant. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- "Rhys Frake-Waterfield - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- "Films produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 22 February 2023.