The B-Team has closed its debut feature campaign for Mr Whispers with a massive crowdfunding victory, raising £67,492 from 489 backers — 269% of its £25,000 goal — over the course of a 24-day campaign that began on August 5. The campaign was fronted by the film’s producer and star Megan Tremethick, whose previous credits include The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, The Slave and the Sorcerer, and In the Grip of Terror.
Billed as a late-1990s, VHS-era occult thriller, Mr Whispers is a retro horror project about a spooky urban legend. It tells the story of a group of curious film students, led by the goth sleuth Kathryn Hale (Tremethick), as they uncover the secrets that dwell within the shadows of an abandoned cinema linked to a series of child disappearances.
While creating Mr Whispers, the crew drew inspiration from found footage horror, with films like Noroi: The Curse, The Blair Witch Project, and Lake Mungo informing its tone and style.
“Personally, I find genre films of this style to be the most frightening,” director Dorian Todd explained. “When the camera exists in the story, it feels real. With Mr Whispers, I wanted everything to feel raw and genuine. The characters, their reactions and, of course, the scares.”
Although the B-Team is a new creative label under the British Horror Studio umbrella, the production team is an experienced group. Directors Seumas MacNeil, Oliver Revie, and the aforementioned Todd are making moves in the UK horror scene following collaborations with Lawrie Brewster and Sarah Daly’s Hex Studios. The cast also includes Tremethick, Novarro Ramon, Stephen Corrall, and Sam Barclay, who will be familiar to viewers of Brewster and Daly’s brand of scare fare.
From Hex Studios to Amicus Productions, British Horror Studio’s output is inspired by the UK’s genre cinema from yesteryear, and The B-Team division is no different. The B Team’s branding references Tigon Productions, the 1960s and 1970s studio behind Witchfinder General and Blood on Satan’s Claw. The label’s logo even pays homage to the legendary studio’s emblem, replacing the tiger with a black cat. Tremethick, who co-leads the new outfit with Paul William Kelly, explained the symbolism:
“The Black Cat is eternally linked to witchcraft and superstition. It is also a beautiful and misunderstood beast, much like the team of underdogs that have come together to form this studio. Our aim is to provide inspiration to indie filmmakers and fans around the world.”
The B Team has stated that it intends to follow Tigon’s model of producing smaller-scale but distinctive horror titles, while also aiming to release three to four features each year. With that in mind, what does the future hold for the imprint?
Mr Whispers’ Crowdfunding Campaign Is an A+ for The Team
Mr Whispers‘ fundraising figures are notable for a debut project. The campaign’s shorter 24-day duration contrasts with the longer windows often used by new independent features. The average pledge of nearly £140 suggests strong uptake at collector levels, with audiences opting for physical media and premium rewards in addition to standard digital tiers.
The project also highlights the regional growth of independent horror production in Scotland. Communities in Fife and across the Central Belt have become active centres for low-budget genre filmmaking, with filmmakers and audiences overlapping through online groups and local networks. In the case of Mr Whispers, social activity from the British Horror Studio contributed significantly to late-stage pledges.
For The B-Team, the next step is production and delivery. The synopsis indicates a story set against the backdrop of late-1990s horror, with an emphasis on a visible central antagonist rather than a purely implied presence. The project will now enter post-production, with further announcements expected once schedules and distribution plans are confirmed.
The B-Team’s creation also reflects a wider shift within independent horror towards direct community engagement. Instead of relying solely on film festivals or traditional distributors, the studio uses crowdfunding as both a financial tool and a means of audience-building. This approach has become increasingly common in the genre, providing early financial data and evidence of audience interest for later negotiations with distributors or streaming platforms.
The independent film market remains competitive, but the B-Team’s debut establishes a foundation for further work. With a clear production target of three to four films annually, and with support from the British Horror Studio community, the label now has both the funding data and an identified audience to sustain ongoing development.