Since A.A. Milne released the first Winnie The Pooh books in 1962, the eponymous character as well as his pals Eeyore, Piglet, and Rabbit have all lived harmoniously in the Hundred Acre Woods…Until now.
Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey sees the beloved childhood characters develop an insatiable taste for blood as they return to their animalistic roots after being abandoned by Christopher Robin. Here, one of the films leading ladies, Amber Doing-Thorne, tells FILMHOUNDS all about the horror sensation sweeping the internet…
You star as Alice in Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey, how did you get involved with the project?
I'd worked for Jagged Edge Productions previously on a film called Return of Krampus, another horror film. I saw the casting call for Blood and Honey online and it piqued my curiosity. I grew up with Winnie the Pooh and I love the characters, but I also love horror films, and I never thought that I would see a film where those two merged together. It's a really unique idea, and I feel like nowadays, there are very few unique ideas in film because everything's a prequel, a sequel, or a remake. So that was the first thing that made me want to get involved.
The second thing was my character, Alice. I saw the character breakdown, saw that she is in an LGBTQ+ relationship, and I thought “okay, that ticks my boxes for representation. Yes, please.” When I read the script, I fell in love with the character and her journey. I feel very, very privileged to have been involved with the film. I'm seeing it for the fourth time this evening, so you could say that I enjoy the film.
As you say, Alice in the film is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is seen in a loving relationship with another woman. What is it like to be bringing that representation to the big screen?
Every time I'm offered a role of a character that is LGBTQ+, I feel very privileged. I think representation is so important and as an actress, I feel like I'm responsible for the roles I take on and for championing diversity, whether it's to do with gender, sexuality, or ethnicity. I do a lot of writing as well and I always try to make sure that it encompasses diversity in the greatest sense of the word so that everyone is represented no matter who they are, where they're from, or who they love. Everyone is the same on the inside, why can't everyone just appreciate everyone?
At the end of the day, Blood and Honey is just a fun, low-budget independent film. But I think the fact that we have an LGBTQ+ relationship portrayed so authentically is amazing, and I'm really hoping it will pave the way for more independent filmmakers to do the same, which hopefully will make it through to mainstream media. I do feel like representation is getting better over time, but it's not changing as quickly as I would like it to. But I have faith that we can start at the bottom of the filmmaking chain and make a really big change in the industry.
You've starred in quite a few independent horror productions. What is it that appeals to you about horror?
I think it's because my parents love horror and I grew up in a household where we would watch horror films all the time. I probably started watching them a bit too young. When most people went to theme parks, I always went to the cinema with my mom when a new Saw film came out or things like The Conjuring, Insidious, and Paranormal Activity. So I've grown up with horror, and it's one of my favourite genres. It made complete sense that when I started acting, I would want to act in them just because I enjoy watching them so much. When I was younger and watched a horror film, I always loved to watch the behind-the-scenes and see how it was made, but with other films, I didn't have that extra level of interest. The special effects and all of the work that goes into horror fascinated me. So as soon as I started acting, I was specifically looking for horror roles.
The film has garnered quite a reaction online, with some people even claiming the concept is ruining their childhood, what has that been like for you to navigate?
When it comes to people reacting to the film, I've categorised them as three types of people. There's the first type of people who aren't really familiar with Winnie the Pooh and are just intrigued to see the film. The second type is people like me, who grew up with Winnie the Pooh but haven't really come across them as an adult. So the fact that now that it's now being retold for an adult audience in this horror setting is really exciting. And then there is, of course, the third type of people who don't like horror films or don't like the idea of the characters being used because they see it as ruining them in a way. I totally respect anyone who says that to me. That's fine, just don't watch it. If you don't want your childhood to be ruined, then don't watch the film. I've seen all sorts of responses online, and I respect everyone's opinion, I just like to see what people are saying.
As the film has gone viral, a lot of people will have formulated an opinion about the film before seeing it due to its popularity. What is one thing you'd like people to know about the film before going in?
Before people see the film, they need to realise it was made on a £30,000 budget and it was filmed in 10 days. Most of the films in cinemas are made with hundreds of millions, especially in America. In England, I think we're really great at promoting independent films. I've seen independent films in the cinema, and we have so many film festivals that champion independent films. Whereas in America, I gather seeing an independent film in the cinema is not as common. So I predict that the audience reaction over here is going to be a lot more positive and a lot stronger than in America.
It's a low-budget film, you know, and we just wanted to have fun. We want people to laugh, to be shocked, to be entertained, and not take it too seriously. When we were filming it, we weren't taking it too seriously. It kind of takes the mickey out of itself a little bit, which I really love. I think if you go in with realistic expectations that it is a low-budget film, you will really enjoy it.
The cinematographer Vince [Knight] did a fantastic job. He made it look like a Hollywood film. Vince was also the cinematographer on the first indie feature film I ever did in 2018, So we've like come full circle now to working together again, which is nice. When we were in Mexico for the world premiere none of us had seen the film before. So we were seeing it for the first time along with the audience, and we were blown away. There are shots that wouldn't be out of place in a Quentin Tarantino film, you know, it looks spectacular to see it was filmed on such a budget. The underscore as well composed by Andrew Scott Bell is amazing. The cinematography and sound really elevate it to the next level.
Watching the film, it looks like it must have been such a blast to make. What was the atmosphere like on set?
It was great. There was a really lovely atmosphere on set, the cast and the crew were just great. Comedies and horrors are the most fun that I have filming because in horror you're just thrown into the most insane scenarios that you've never faced in your real life. There's a scene where I have a standoff with Piglet, and never in a million years did I think I'd be facing off with one of my favourite childhood characters in my acting career.
I had this feeling while filming that this could really go somewhere. I thought that because we had so much fun filming, think how much fun people are going to have watching it. I thought fingers crossed that maybe a few thousand people will see it for now, and now it's in thousands of cinemas worldwide.
The film had its UK premiere at Frightfest Glasgow and you were in attendance with your co-stars and director Rhys Waterfield – what was the reaction to the film?
I think Frightfest was the perfect audience for our UK premiere. I was over the moon when I heard it was going to be screened at Frightfest Glasgow. Not only because Glaswegians have the best sense of humour, but I have Scottish heritage so I was excited to get back to my roots and do some exploring. I sat in with the audience when it premiered in Mexico, Amsterdam, and Glasgow and they all had different reactions, but I have to say my favourite reactions were definitely in Glasgow. We were all laughing and shouting at the same moments. I think it's that British sense of humour within that makes it perfect for a British audience.
And, of course, Frightfest is the best horror film festival in my opinion. Everyone going in there are fans of horror, so they're the perfect audience for the film. I stuck around for half an hour after the screening and people were asking questions about the filmmaking process. It was the perfect evening.
Finally, I would like to know if you could take any story from your childhood to be turned into a horror film, what would you choose and why?
If I had to say just one, I think I would have to go with Snow White. Of course, I grew up with Disney films and she was my favourite princess. My parents introduced me to the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, and honestly, a lot of people don't realise that these Disney stories actually have very, very dark roots. It wouldn't be a far stretch to turn most of them into horror films. If I could throw in another, recently I was also having a conversation with friends and we said how funny would a horror film be about Scooby Doo? If Scooby was rabid, foaming at the mouth, and the only way you could get away from him was by throwing Scooby Snacks. I thought that'd be hilarious and I'd be totally here for it.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was released in UK cinemas on March 10
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