Rhys Frake-Waterfield
Rhys Frake-Waterfield (born) is an English 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.
Also recorded as Rhys Grant Frake · Rhys Frake · Rhys Waterfield
Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Name
- Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Education
- University of Essex
- Occupation
- * Director
- Born
- 1991 · Southend-on-Sea.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Rhys Frake-Waterfield • Education — University of Essex • Occupation — * Director • producer • writer • editor • Notable Works — * The Killing Tree • Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey • Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
Early life
Early life
Frake-Waterfield is from Essex, where he also studied at the University of Essex.
Career
Career
In 2021, Frake-Waterfield left his corporate strategy job at EDF Energy to create low-budget horror films, all released direct-to-video. After entering the film industry, he produced 36 feature films in two years. Though Frake-Waterfield started out as a visual effects artist, over time, he got into directing. The first film he directed was The Area 51 Incident, following a group of survivors at Area 51 who take shelter underground following an incident involving aliens emerging from a wormhole. On 1 January 2022, the 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh book entered the public domain in the United States. 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. Though the film was originally intended for a direct-to-video release in October 2022, it developed an increased popularity on the internet which eventually led to the film receiving a theatrical release. 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 and petitions calling for the film to be cancelled, but the film was released in cinemas in the United States on 15 February 2023, receiving very poor reviews. The film made over US$7.7 million on a budget reported to be less than US$50,000. Afterwards, Frake-Waterfield created a sequel with a budget five times greater, along with a cinematic universe called The Twisted Childhood Universe with horror films based on Bambi, a Life in the Woods, Peter Pan and The Adventures of Pinocchio. He has also expressed interest in making films about Thor, as well as copyrighted franchises such as Teletubbies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls in the future. 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). 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.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer — Editor — Notes — Ref. • 2021 — Curse of Bloody Mary • Easter Killing • 2022 — The Area 51 Incident — Also composer • The Killing Tree — Executive — Also decorations • 2023 — Firenado — Co-directed with Scott Jeffrey • Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey • 2024 — Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 — Story • 2026 — Pinocchio Unstrung — Co-edited with Dan Allen
Producer only
Producer only
• Year — Title — Ref. • 2021 — Dinosaur Hotel • Dragon Fury • The Legend of Jack and Jill • Monsters of War • Spider in the Attic • 2022 — H.P. Lovecraft's Monster Portal • Looks Can Kill • Wrath of Van Helsing • Croc! • Shockwaves • Kingdom of the Dinosaurs • Jack Frost • 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 • Bambi: The Reckoning
Identity
Identity
Rhys Frake-Waterfield is recorded as film director, film producer and screenwriter.
Awards
• Year — Award — Category — Nominated work — Result — Ref. • 2024 — Golden Raspberry Awards — Worst Picture — Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey — rowspan="3" • Worst Director • Worst Screenplay
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Rhys Frake-Waterfield, revision 1372863060 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Collis, Clark. 'We were in hysterics': The behind-the-scenes story of viral sensation Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Entertainment Weekly. February 9, 2023.
- 2.Yossman, KJ. 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey': Inside the Viral Micro-Budget Slasher Hoping to Slay the Box Office (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. 7 February 2023.
- 3.Nemiroff, Perri. 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' Director Explains Why He Passed on Studio Distribution Offers. Collider. 2023-02-18.
- 4.About Us. Jagged Edge Productions.
- 5.WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY 2 - Rhys Frake-Waterfield & Scott Chambers Interview. Spreaker.
- 6.The BCC Club. 61: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 The BCC Club Podcast. 2024-04-10.
- 7.Cavna, Michael. 'Winnie-the-Pooh' just entered the public domain. Here’s what that means for fans. Washington Post. 2022-01-12. 0190-8286.
- 8.Ritman, Alex. How an Online Frenzy Lit a Fuse Under Microbudget Slasher ‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey’. The Hollywood Reporter. 2022-11-04.
- 9.'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' director says he's received death threats over horror film. Fox 5 DC. 2023-02-16.
- 10.How the Winnie-the-Pooh Horror Movie Came to Be. Time. 2023-02-16.
- 11.Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. Box Office Mojo.
- 12.Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) - Financial Information.
- 13.Clark Collis. 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey' director says sequel will have at least 5 times the budget. Entertainment Weekly. February 16, 2023.
- 14.Squires, John. 'Bambi: The Reckoning' – Bambi Becomes a "Vicious Killing Machine" in Upcoming Horror Movie. Bloody Disgusting. 2022-12-02.
- 15.Squires, John. 'Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare' in the Works from 'Winnie the Pooh' Horror Movie Team. Bloody Disgusting. 2022-11-01.
- 16.O'Rourke, Ryan. 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2' Director Offers First Peek at 'Pinocchio: Unstrung'. Collider. 2024-01-18.
- 17.Perry, Spencer. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Director Teases Horror Versions of Peter Pan, Thor. ComicBook.com.
- 18.Phillips, Terry. Blood & Honey Director Wants To Make TMNT & Teletubbies Horror Movies. Screen Rant. 2023-02-18.
- 19.DARK ABYSS PRODUCTIONS LTD overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK. find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
- 20.Tyler-James Producer, Director, Writer. IMDb.
- 21.Rhys Frake-Waterfield - Rotten Tomatoes. www.rottentomatoes.com.
- 22.Films produced by Rhys Frake-Waterfield. letterboxd.com.
- 23.Vejvoda, Jim. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 Exclusive Trailer and Poster. IGN. 2024-02-05.
- 24.Ritman, Alex. 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. May 16, 2024.
- 25.Ritman, Alex. 'Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey' Makers Unveil 'Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare' First Look (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. May 18, 2024.
- 26.Kay, Jeremy. Premiere Entertainment Group reports strong pre-sales on Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare (exclusive). Screen Daily.
- 27.Squires, John. Bambi: The Reckoning Exclusive Update: Cast and Director Announced for Bambi Horror Movie. Bloody Disgusting. 2023-12-15.
- 28.Golden Raspberry Awards. AND THE 44TH A RAZZIE WINNERS ARE . March 9, 2024.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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