In this instalment of Lawrie Brewster’s British Horror Filmmaker Profile series, I want to shine a light on some of the most dynamic voices in the British horror scene. First up is a name you may already know, or should know… the stylish and fearless filmmaker Andy Edwards.
The British horror scene is, at its core, shaped by independent film. It’s built by artists who write, direct, produce and perform their own stories, often with limited resources but limitless passion. Yet for far too long, many of these creators haven’t received the recognition or visibility they truly deserve. These are people making deeply personal commitments to keep independent and uniquely British filmmaking alive.
Too often, the spotlight is captured by fleeting viral trends or whatever is being hyped as the next big thing, or even the next “indie” sensation, by the more corporate end of the entertainment media. And to be fair, I’m not entirely knocking them. They’ve occasionally helped promote my own work. But the truth is, we can’t rely on those platforms alone. They rarely focus on the grassroots creatives who are out there actually making bold, original work happen.
So instead, this series aims to celebrate those filmmakers who are breaking boundaries, going their own way, and keeping the spirit of British indie horror alive. Andy Edwards is one of them.
Introducing Andy Edwards – Indie Horror’s Brian De Palma!
So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Andy Edwards.
Andy has carved out a distinctive path in the British independent horror scene, and has the glorious privilege of being a plump, middle-aged man, just like me. Ah… the wonders and the joys of being in your forties never end. Known for his sharp wit, evocative and flowery button shirts, and a dash of taut psychological storytelling, Andy also has a penchant for blending horror with humour and neo-exploitation movie sexiness. Which means, yes, his films have naughty bits as well as scary bits.
He is a writer, director, and producer who brings a unique creative vision to his projects, with stylish cinematography that is often Brian De Palma-esque. And when I say that, I’m thinking specifically of De Palma’s Body Double (1984) or Dressed to Kill (1980), which mixed erotic tension with a splash of blood. This might well be a nod to Andy Edwards’ very stylish, sensual and erotic photography. Which, er… I didn’t get the part for. Still bitter.
His films often use lurid magentas, sensuous reds and icy blues, set in sleazy, dangerous contemporary worlds. They tend to feature middle-class characters who find themselves straying off the path. A bit like me actually, whenever I visit Blackpool.
Andy made his horror feature debut with the zombie-comedy Ibiza Undead (2016), also known as Zombie Spring Breakers in the US, which premiered at London’s FrightFest Film Festival in August that year. The film stars Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey, 2012–2014), Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners, 2008–2010), and Matt King (Peep Show, 2003–2015), and offers a satirical and cheeky take on the zombie genre, set against the sun-soaked madness of Ibiza’s party scene.
Andy’s more recent works include the bleak seaside slasher Punch (2022), which takes the puppet figure of Mr Punch from British folklore and places him into terrifying slasher territory. Punch explores the sinister underbelly of British seaside culture. And again, if you ever travel to Blackpool, you can experience that just by filming your stroll on a mobile phone. I’m saying this with affection. I actually have a soft spot for Blackpool. In fact, this is how Scottish people say they like things. We’re such troubled people with such troubled minds.
While Punch is grimy and contemporary, Rumpelstiltskin (2023) is something far more ambitious. A dark fairy tale adaptation that delves into the more violent side of classic folklore, it stays true to its mythic roots while giving it a gritty, graphic slasher structure. Set in a medieval-inspired fantasy world, it’s a film that, trust me, I know from experience, is expensive, hard, and time-consuming to make.
Beyond his feature films, Andy has contributed to a range of horror anthologies, including segments in Three’s A Shroud (2012), Blaze of Gory (2016), and Grindsploitation (2016), the latter released by none other than the legendary Troma Entertainment, the studio responsible for The Toxic Avenger (1984) and known for promoting proudly trashy cult cinema since the 1970s.
Also, for the naughtier horror fan (hold onto your breeches), Andy Edwards comfortably produces stylish psychological horrors such as Graphic Desires (2022), featuring the stunning May Kelly, an emerging scream queen in the UK indie scene. He also directed a segment of Midnight Peep Show (2022), which starred Zach Galligan, best known for playing Billy in the beloved horror-comedy Gremlins (1984) and its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Andy is also the founder of Paranoid Android Films, a production company based in London, through which he continues to develop, produce and direct horror feature films. Sometimes these are made in collaboration with distributors (for which he deserves a medal), and often they are produced independently. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker Jake West, who directed cult favourite Razor Blade Smile (1998), and producer Airell Anthony Hayles, whose credits include They’re Outside (2020) and Advent (2024).
In essence, Andy Edwards is not just a talented horror filmmaker. He’s a survivor. One of the rare few who continues to navigate the treacherous commercial waters of independent film with flair, humour, and creative grit. His work consistently combines personal vision with audience appeal – and that makes him someone worth watching, following, and raising a glass to.
Let’s Ask Andy Edwards Some Questions!
Lawrie Brewster: Andy, your horror movie Rumpelstiltskin is a brilliant dark fantasy slasher, a film I really enjoyed watching. In fact, I’d give it a solid four stars for slashing horror expectations with a deliciously malicious fantasy re-telling of the classic fable.
As you know, many indie horror films commissioned by distributors such as ITN and others are keen to exploit the recent entry into the public domain of many modern fairy tale characters, such as Winnie the Pooh, or the five films apparently in production right now based on Popeye.
Rumpelstiltskin is marketed on the periphery of that exploitation trend, but your veteran experience as a filmmaker and artist gives it a sophistication that elevates it far above its peers.
Can you tell us – what were the challenges you faced when combining your artistic sensibilities with the commercial expectations of a distributor, or even the market at large? How do you balance this as both a writer and a director?
First off, thanks for the intro. Let me know if you’re ever available as a hype-man for my festival appearances!
And yes, you’re correct, Rumpelstiltskin is an attempt to straddle both the commercial demands of the current industry and my own creative desires. As a writer/director, I’m always wanting to tell original stories, but with my producer’s hat on, I was very much looking at the trends of using free IP in horror movies. I’d seen how that could work first-hand, as I was director for hire on Cinderella’s Revenge, starring the wonderful Natasha Henstridge (Species), and I’m friends with all the Winnie the Pooh team.
So I was looking for a character from the world of fairy tales that a) hadn’t been done recently, but also b) that I could put my own spin on. What gave Blood & Honey its notoriety was taking a very cute character and making them as despicable as possible. And that’s one way to do these kind of films – the “Desecrating Disney” approach. But for the stories that refer back to the likes of the Brothers Grimm, it’s more like reclaiming them from their Disney versions – the originals are folk-horror tales in the first place – and that’s the direction I wanted to take.
Rumpelstiltskin was a story that I’d read to my son when he was young – and I worried about whether the baby-stealing antics were too disturbing for a 2 year old – so it seemed like a perfect choice. The last time the character had a standalone film was a mid-90’s version from the Leprechaun guys, where he comes to present-day LA – so I wanted to avoid all that and do a proper medieval folk horror version. I think possibly I also have hidden sado-masochistic desires, attempting a medieval period film on a British indie budget, (but that’s between me and my therapist/dominatrix.)
Lawrie Brewster: I know exactly how you felt working with a medieval-style setting. After I directed Hex Studios’ The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, I could have done with a month of therapy myself, or at least a few bottles of bourbon.
Can you tell me about the challenges you faced and overcame in bringing the historical setting of your film to life, which, I have to say, you did incredibly well?
Well you are one of the few people who can relate to this particular gruelling kind of self-torture. To try and explain it further, you just can’t do so many of the things you would normally do on a standard, contemporary indie film: such as get your costumes from Primark, guerilla film in the streets, find locations on air b’n’b and so on. Instead everything has to be planned, purchased, hired, built etc beforehand – which would usually cost a ton of money. Many of the locations we shot at were genuinely 500 years old, so that comes with its own challenges and restrictions too (as well as hauntings – our lead, Hannah, had an encounter with the ghost of the Grey Lady at Anne of Cleves’ house)
So much advice on making indie films is – sensibly – based around using the everyday things you have access to. I decided to ignore all of that – we have castles, knights on horseback, child actors, prosthetics – the works, in this film. I’m not going to pretend it was easy, but hopefully it pays off and gives the audience a journey to another world, and an escape from the mundane. I have to give props to our props team here – in fact the whole crew, and in particular my co-producer Rebecca J Matthews, for going along with this madness – and never once saying “it can’t be done”.
Lawrie Brewster: In all your films, and in your excellent photography, you bring a distinctively sexy, stylised form of cinematography that often defies the expectations typically associated with indie horror. In your sexier films, it almost feels like Brian De Palma meets 1980s-inspired colour flare. With Rumpelstiltskin, however, the palette leans more towards an A24-style arthouse look, while still showcasing your signature imagination through clever camera angles and perspectives, especially in the scenes set in the throne room.
Can you tell us more about your visual approach, and about your collaboration with your cinematographer, Dom Hopking?
I’m really glad you’ve been noticing the stylised cinematography – it’s a philosophy I’ve tried to get into all my work. Films are a visual medium, and with the advances in digital cameras, LED lighting and grading software in the last few years, I don’t think there’s an excuse for a film, whatever the budget, to look bad, or bland, these days.
And there was a trend a few years back for every horror film to be virtually mono, with a sickly green or cold blue wash over everything, which I hated. Hence in everything from Ibiza Undead, to Graphic Desires, to Punch, I’ve always emphasised strong colour schemes influenced by the likes of De Palma and Argento.
However – for Rumpelstiltskin, this didn’t feel like the correct approach, story and atmosphere-wise. Besides, in a period movie, you only have three light sources – daylight, moonlight and firelight. It’s a bit tricky to drop magenta neons in there.
So for this one I temporarily abandoned my “Make Horror Films Colourful Again” approach, and instead looked to the work of filmmakers like Rober Eggers, and the tactile period atmosphere of dirt and grime he manages to conjure up. With cinematographer Dom Hopking, we also looked at a lot of European art-house for our framing and composition – we wanted it to feel like it could have come from some dark part of medieval Europe, which is where the story comes from originally.
And bar I think one scene – all of the firelight in the film is actual firelight from strategically placed candles. Barry Lyndon has a lot to answer for – we spent a lot of the time ensuring the set didn’t burn down – but it does add to the look for sure.
Lawrie Brewster: Following Punch, which featured a fun and distinctive horror villain set against an altogether nihilistically grim British working-class seaside backdrop, you’ve brought us another stylish and entertaining antagonist with Rumpelstiltskin. As a producer as well, what were your priorities when it came to character design, performance, and portrayal for the stand-out villain of this film?
The standard thing to do with a “monster” character in any low-budget horror is to hide it until the end and show it as little as possible. However, Rumpelstiltskin is not just a monster, he’s also a main character, with a lot of dialogue and screentime. So I knew he couldn’t just be a guy in a mask, and we didn’t have the budget to make him CGI, so it had to be prosthetics.
For the design, I initially worked with special effects legend Dan Martin (Possessor, Infinity Pool, Lords of Chaos), and then with our effects artist Will Harvey to create the look of Rumpelstiltskin. And then after that it was a real collaboration between myself, Will, James Dance the costume designer, and of course Joss Carter who plays Rumpel, to come up with the character and make him as real and believable as possible. I knew that the first time you see him fully you have to buy into him – same as the first time you see the mask in Punch. He also can’t just be plain evil for the whole length of the film because that’s dull – he needs ups and downs, and I think Joss does a great job in making you almost see things from his point of view at times.
Lawrie Brewster: Hannah Baxter-Eve is the actress who must endure the spine-tingling attentions of Rumpelstiltskin. How did the two of you come to work together, and what was the process like during the making of the film? Also, do you have a particular philosophy when it comes to the kind of leading actors you cast, or the style of performance you aim for in your films?
The character of Evalina was the other key part of the puzzle once we’d found our Rumpelstiltskin. She’s in nearly every scene of the film, and has to go from peasant to queen, from feckless teen to protective mother – and hold her own against our hyperactive evil goblin.
I’d met Hannah very briefly at a screening for another film she was in – and like any smart actor she’d got my details and emailed me when she saw I was casting. (And it was a casting that fit her type – actors please don’t message if the casting isn’t a good fit – you know who you are!)
So she did a self tape, which got her onto the shortlist, and then we did in-person auditions against Joss doing his Rumpelstiltskin thing. It’s always good to test chemistry if you possibly can, and have actors read together. And when I’m casting for leads, as well as ability, I’m looking for people who I can work with at 3am in a cold forest when you’ve both had 4 hours sleep. Luckily with Hannah, I found someone who’s not only incredibly talented, but also an absolute dream to work with. I’m sure she must have complained at some point about everything we put her through – and we do put her through a LOT – both physically and emotionally in this film – but I never saw her! Finding both cast and crew who buy into the team ethic you need on an indie film set is as important I think as talent.
Lawrie Brewster: We’ve often exchanged war stories, since we’re both indie film producers, as well as directors and writers. What are your thoughts on the current state of the indie film market? Are there any common misconceptions you’d like to dispel for those just starting out? Do you think there’s any advice that might save someone a year or two from going down a wasted path?
This is the part of the interview where we both start to sob uncontrollably about the state of the indie film market isn’t it? Wiping away those tears though, I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. The (relative) low-cost of high-end technology means that in many ways there’s never been a better time to be an indie filmmaker. There’s also never been more ways to get your film seen, from festivals to streamers to self-distribution. And there’s some great stuff being made out there – I try to attend a lot of festivals and I’m regularly in awe of what people half my age have made.
The main issue nowadays is in what happens after you’ve made your film, when you’re attempting to get your money back. The distribution landscape is an ever-changing but always desolate wasteland, of broken dreams and broken deals – and it’s probably never been harder to navigate. Especially if you’re a wide-eyed indie filmmaker, these sharks can smell blood in the water – and I’m sure we could compare scars like that scene in Jaws.
As a writer/director before I was a producer, it was a world I didn’t know much about – but I’d recommend everyone educate themselves at least on the basics. Some films aren’t made to make money, which is fine, but if you are looking to make a film that will return some income, you absolutely have to know how distribution works, and who your audience is.
I did a talk at a film festival recently and I asked a first-time indie film maker who their audience was and they said “everyone” – they might as well have said “no-one”. Whether the film is aimed at fans of a certain genre, or actor, or sub-culture or whatever, you need to be thinking about who’s going to be genuinely interested in your film, and pay money to watch it. If it’s successful and breaks out into other audiences, brilliant, but even the likes of Marvel have a core audience of comic book fans they’re super-serving whilst hoping the film becomes something your gran wants to see.
Do you see Rumpelstiltskin, or Punch for that matter, as part of a wider commentary on society and culture?
Well Punch is set in a very particular part of real-life modern Britain – that of the left-behind seaside town – and Mr Punch totally is a product of that environment and culture. (The fact that some of it was shot in Clacton On Sea, who later voted in a certain cartoonish MP does not seem unrelated) And the character of Mr Punch has always been political to some extent . Before it became a staple of children’s seaside nightmares, Punch and Judy was performed to adults and featured satirical puppets of politicians of the day.
Rumpelstiltskin is different in that it’s set in a fantasy, unreal world – but it’s a world that’s largely run by rich arseholes or religous zealots, so it’s maybe not totally un-relatable to modern audiences!
First and foremost I’m just trying to make entertaining genre films, but I think genre films are a great way to explore pretty much everything you want – from the personal to the political, without ever getting preachy – or boring, which is the cardinal sin of filmmaking for me.
Lawrie Brewster: Filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Ken Russell have been huge inspirations for me. Are there any artists or directors who have had a strong influence on your own work?
I can definitely see those two in your work! I think for me, inspiration and influence can be two different things. For example, David Lynch is a huge inspiration – I’ve loved his stuff since I saw Twin Peaks as an impressionable teenager. And I take inspiration from his uncompromising vision – but I wouldn’t say my work is particularly “Lynchian”.
Two other inspirations from when I was young were Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. I knew I wanted to make films, but I’d mainly only watched Hollywood blockbusters until then, and it always felt like something a kid from Birmingham could never do. But films like Evil Dead and Bad Taste (on VHS in particular) have that home-made quality – a bunch of mates mucking around in the woods – and gave me hope that it could be possible. And here I am, all these years later, running around in the woods with fake blood. Next step is to get offered a Marvel or Tolkien adaptation for a few hundred million, but we’ll take it one step at a time..
As for influences in style, it tends to vary with each project to fit the vibe of that particular film. For example with Punch, I described it on set as wanting to make “Ken Loach’s Halloween” – and someone described Graphic Desires as “Charlie Brooker meets Verhoeven” – which I was very happy with!
Now I’ve moved into producing, there’s a whole new set of people to take inspiration from – Roger Corman being the obvious, and then his modern day equivalent Jason Blum. What links those two is that as long as the idea is good and the budget is low, they’re happy to take a chance with new filmmakers. Hence the first film that I produced with Paranoid Android that I didn’t also direct, was the Cronenberg-esque erotic horror Custom, made by first time feature director Tiago Teixiera. It’s just done the festival circuit and hopefully should be out late Summer this year for you all to watch.
About Andy Edwards
Andy Edwards is a British filmmaker and screenwriter known for his high-energy, irreverent approach to horror and comedy. With a background in genre cinema and festival hits, Andy has made a name for himself through films that blend outrageous humour with sharp storytelling and a love for the bizarre. His work, including the cult favourite Ibiza Undead, brings a fresh and rebellious spirit to the UK indie scene, often tackling wild concepts with both wit and heart. Whether writing, directing, or producing, Andy is a driving force in British genre filmmaking with a growing international fanbase.
You can follow Andy and explore more of his creative work here:
Website: www.paranoidandroidfilms.com
Instagram: @paranoid_android_films & @andyedwardsfilmmaker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParanoidAndroidFilms
Twitter/X: @paranoid_films & @eds209
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@paranoidandroidfilms2359
Bluesky: @pafilms.bsky.social & @eds209.bsky.social
Tiktok: @paranoidandroidfilms
About Lawrie Brewster
Lawrie Brewster is a veteran horror film producer with 15 years of experience. Lawrie Brewster leads Hex Studios, serves as president of Amicus Productions, and runs the British Horror Studio project in collaboration with filmmakers from around the world.
You can also follow Lawrie Brewster on his Official Website at www.lawriebrewster.com
Lawrie Brewster recently published a series of fascinating articles, including his five top tips for indie filmmakers, his thoughts on the current state of film distribution, the creation of the British Horror Studio project, his journey from outsider to filmmaker, and his staunch defence of 1980s-style Sword and Sorcery.
For those with an eye for vintage charm, a full 1950s broadsheet-style rendering of this article awaits your attention at the British Horror Chronicle.