Ravenstein (film)

Ravenstein is a 2020 British horror film directed by Eveshka Ghost And Co-written with Thomas Walters. It is the third film produced by Rusalka Pictures.

The film involves two friends David and Marky who find an abandoned warehouse on a bike ride. However upon entering and the investigation of the warehouse they find out why it is abandoned, for it is home to a horrific monster known as "The Ravenstein". Their urban exploration becomes a fight for survival whilst they escape from its nest.

Ravenstein had a modest theatrical opening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and received mostly positive reviews, praising its commitment to the classic horror genre.

Whilst Ravenstein was directed by Eveshka Ghost it is also the first screenplay that was co-written with Thomas Walters.

The movie stars James McClusky, Nik Kaneti-Dimmer, Chris Wilson, and Martyn Eade.

Plot

Styled after classic B-movies from the 1940s and 50s, Ravenstein revolves around two friends David (McClusky) and Marky (played by Kaneti-Dimmer). Tempted by urban exploration The Two of them stumble upon an abandoned worksite with a dark secret and they find themselves hunted by a killer birdman.

Production

Background

Following meeting during post-production on The [...] Sword, Eveshka Ghost and Thomas Walters began finding new locations and imagining what stories could be told there, one of which was an abandoned worksite. Soon after a script was written between the two of them and it was agreed the majority of the directorial duties would go to Ghost and the majority of the producing would go to Walters.

Casting

The cast for Ravenstein featured James McClusky who up to the time had been in every Rusalka Picture and is considered to be a "good luck charm".

The reason for McClusky was due to his loyalty on previous projects and due to "not having a chance to shine due to his supporting roles"; but Ghost also thought of actor Nik Kaneti-Dimmer, who previously appeared on 2017's The Granary. Kaneti-Dimmer and McClusky were friends and had good chemistry together.

Martyn Eade played Ray, David's father. A change from his previously more villainous role of "Mars" in The [...] Sword. However Chris Wilson who also featured in The [...] Sword played the character Jack, as well as doubling as "The Bird". During an interview, Thomas Walters commented that his favourite part of filming was helping Chris dress in the suit or "Bird Up" as he put it.

Executive producer Xander Phillips described in a behind the scenes clip that Chris Wilson is "Our resident Boris Karloff". due to his transformation into a monster.

The film featured the supporting characters "Charlie", and "Andy" played by ex [...] Sword actor Seth Easterbrook and producer Thomas Walters. The two of which being drunk comical characters respectively, in horror scenarios similar to Abbott and Costello. Who would often meet monsters like Frankenstein and The Wolfman in a similar fashion.

Filming and Release

Ravenstein was filmed entirely in privately owned locations in West Sussex with a "skeleton crew" and was filmed over a total of 12 sessions, however similar to The [...] Sword, and due to time constraints the audio was completely dubbed and was in post-production for a total of two years.

Due to these time constraints the final shot of the film which required no actors was left for a year until the leaves would bear a similar colour to the rest of the film.

Due to the small crew, it was not uncommon for the crew to do multiple jobs and Chris Wilson also composed the score for the film. with an original "Djent Metal" soundtrack in contradiction to the more traditional approach of Classical music often composed by Ghost. in previous Rusalka Pictures.

Chris Wilson stated the feathers were "painstakingly stitched in by hand" to create a truly custom and original costume. The rest of the props were cheap to match the nature of the B-Movie aesthetic and to reflect that of a film of the era.

Ravenstein released on the 24th of October 2020 but did not have a theatrical run due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. It then went straight to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital and even featured a collectible limited run VHS tape.

Sequel

On October 24th 2020 during a Q & A at the premiere, a question was raised AbOUT a potential follow up to Ravenstein, and the filmmakers expressed some interest, however at this time no official statement has been given.

Cast

James McClusky as David, one of the two protagonists of the story.
Nik Kaneti-Dimmer as Marky, one of the two protagonists of the story.
Chris Wilson as Jack, a homeless man who's found his home amongst the rubble of the factory.
Martyn Eade as Ray, David's father.
Seth Easterbrook as Charlie,
Thomas Walters as Andy.