WHEN Dominic Brunt was approached to direct comedy horror film Wolf Manor, there was a deal-breaker. The werewolf.
But with special effects and make-up wizard Shaune Harrison on board, Dominic knew the wolf was in safe hands.
“Shaune has worked on Harry Potter and Star Wars movies; he designed and made our werewolf and when I saw it I thought: ‘Yes, this is going to work’,” says Dominic. “You can’t make a werewolf film with a bad werewolf. There has to be a shock impact. We didn’t want someone just pulling a rubber mask over their face.
“Prosthetics like this look great close-up. You don’t get that with CGI.”
As the werewolf, actor Morgan Rees-Davies wore a full Latex body suit, with hidden stilts inside making him over 7ft tall. “It took four to six hours to get it on and in place, and we filmed overnight so he was freezing,” says Dominic. “It was worth it though. We couldn’t wait to see him flying out of the stable the first time - we all ran round taking selfies.”
Released this week, Wolf Manor is set on a low-budget horror movie. Shooting a vampire film in an old abandoned house should work like a dream, but with a full moon, the body count rises as, one by one, cast and crew encounter the mansion’s resident werewolf...
The film had its world premiere at FrightFest, and screenings at Mayhem Film Festival and Abertoir Horror Festival, and was part of the BFI’s Monsters and Movies programme. It is, says Dominic, a love letter to An American Werewolf in London and Hammer films: “There are references sprinkled all over it. It wears its influences on its sleeve.”
While Dominic is known to millions as kindly vet Paddy Kirk in Emmerdale, he’s also an accomplished director, having made several horror films. Horror is his passion and the comic book element appeals: “I can’t be doing with the spite and meanness of films like Saw and Hostel. It’s like looking into the disturbed mind of a teenage boy.
“With our film, there’s nothing nasty coming out of the screen. No metaphorical sub-text. There’s no back story to the characters, it’s just 10 people in the crew of a vampire film and the werewolf goes through them all. It is what it is - a cracking monster movie. It knows itself. It’s a film you can watch with a few beers and a pizza.”
Set in Shropshire, Wolf Manor was filmed in Ludlow and a Leeds studio. The impressive cast includes James Fleet and John Henshaw. “We wanted an actor who could do comedy, we kept saying, ‘We need someone like James Fleet’. In the end I said, ‘We should just ask James Fleet’. So we did, and he agreed, and he’s brilliant,” says Dominic. “He plays it straight, he just gets it. We bonded well; he used to be an engineer, and I was too, when I left school, and we’re both into doing up old landrovers.
“John Henshaw was a dream too. He was a Dingle in Emmerdale, briefly, and is very proud of it!”
One of the challenges of directing a horror film is getting the blood and gore in place: “There was a big scene in a cellar where the camera swings from one room to another, we had to get all the gore pumps ready and everyone in place; it worked perfectly on the first take. There was a big cheer. To get all that on camera, such team work, it was exhilarating. We worked from 9pm-6am, which took some acclimatising. People would be cracking open the G&Ts at 6am after the shoot!
Is being an actor an advantage for a director? “I know actors’ shorthand - and the games they play,” he smiles. “Everyone worked hard on this film but we had a blast too, and I think that shows.”
While he loves horror, Dominic’s favourite film is charming family drama Whistle Down the Wind - “Bryan Forbes made fantastic films” - and he loves European cinema too. His passion for film can be traced back to a little cinema in Clitheroe: “It got second-run films so as a kid I watched stuff like Godzilla. My first horror was From Beyond the Grave, I saw it with a mate when I was nine. I’ve always liked that element of feeling frightened, but safe too. Like watching Doctor Who behind the cushions.”
What is it about a werewolf? Why are we so fascinated by the idea of someone turning into a killer wolf? Says Dominic: “In horror there are four types of monster - vampire, werewolf, mummy and zombie. Werewolves go back to folklore and fairytales. In Victorian times fairies were known as being strange dogs or very tall people. Across the country there are still tales of beasts roaming moors.”
Dominic has a soft spot for zombies too, and for several years he and Emmerdale’s Mark Charnock ran Leeds Zombie Film Festival. He and Mark are good friends and their characters, Paddy and Woolpack chef Marlon, share their love of zombie movies. “I love Emmerdale and I love making films. Emmerdale are so supportive,” says Dominic. “My wife produces - Dominic and wife Joanne Mitchell run a production company and their horror films include Before Dawn and Bait - so it works well.”
The fall-out of Emmerdale’s 50th anniversary storyline has left Paddy devastated by wife Chas’s affair. Dominic is enjoying the drama - “I like the darkness of Paddy right now” - but hopes for fun scenes with Marlon in the summer. “Emmerdale is on a roll right now, everyone’s so proud,” he smiles. “We never used to win anything. Now we have all these awards - they get passed round to everyone for selfies. There’s a great buzz here.”
* Wolf Manor is available on DVD and digital download.
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