An Across The Pond Premiere
No Twilight: Houston's bloody monsters are invading England
It took five years of blood, sweat, and latex to bring him to life, but Count Dracula’s insane manservant, R.N. Renfield, will soon quench his nasty thirst in full color on the big screen due to the extraordinary efforts of his new masters, Houston filmmakers Phil Nichols and Bob Willems.
But the Brits get to see him first.
This contemporary sequel to the classic Bram Stoker Dracula story, titled Renfield: The Un-Dead, is an official selection of the 2010 Bram Stoker International Film Festival in Whitby, England and is scheduled to have its world premiere there on Friday. The film’s creators will be on hand.
Phil Nichols is a skilled craftsman of physical special effects. His creatures and prosthetics have been used for movies, sold in costume shops (you probably have some of his vampire teeth in your Halloween costume stash), and in plays nationwide (currently, his “ears” are those of The Alley theatre’s Peter Pan).
Bob Willems, founding partner of South Coast Video and creator of other horror works including the creepy clown thriller S.I.C.K., is Renfield’s director and executive producer.
“This is no tweenage romp through the roses,” warns Nichols about the movie which he not only wrote but also portrays the lead character. His Facades FX Make-Up Lab created the monstrous look of the mad vampire Renfield. Nichols’ sister Melissa Nichols, co-producer and production designer, is his partner in the SFX studio, and helps keep the monsters in the family.
Set and shot entirely in Houston, Renfield is filled to the brim with blood — and Texas crew and actors, including Roxy Vandiver, Shelley Boozer, Denise Williamson, Mel House, Joe Grisaffi, Paul Damon, James Wark, and Julin. Our own Jackson Burns lends his stunt work, Seth Conway is cinematographer, and original music is by Jeffrey Walton.
To see this vampire run amuck in the modern day Bayou City, you’ll have to wait until Renfield’s Houston premiere — on Valentine’s Day, 2011.
How sweet.
