Let’s give a warm Fango welcome to Welcome Villain Films! WVF is a new production and distribution company with a love for the genre and some upcoming projects we’re already excited about. The first two feature film projects on the slate are an expanded re-imagining of Last Shift and an untitled slasher project from the creators of the celebrated franchise The Houses October Built. Creative kills and killer collaborations
Welcome Villain Films is currently made up of four founding executive partners —Bonner Bellew, Dan Clifton Luke LaBeau, and Eric Kleifield, with plans to expand in the future. Head of Development, Luke LaBeau says, “We live, breathe, and dream horror, and our goal is to partner with artists who share that same passion, and to support their creative visions in a truly collaborative fashion, ultimately bringing high-quality films to the widest audience possible, in hopes of breathing new life into the genre.” Head of Production Dan Clifton envisions WVF as “a beacon for filmmakers who are looking to collaborate with a full-fledged studio without all of the headaches and hurdles those relationships have presented in the past.”
The fully integrated studio model is kicking off with a collaboration with original Last Shift creators Anthony DiBlasi and Scott Poiley for a reimagining of their hit horror film from 2015, this time with “a bigger sandbox.” Director DiBlasi says, “Reimagining the world of Last Shift and pushing the storytelling to its fullest potential has long been a goal of ours. We were constrained by our budget on the first film, and the team at Welcome Villain is giving us the ability to revisit this world, delivering more of what fans loved about the original but also expanding on the mythology to terrify a whole new audience.”
The studio’s second project is in collaboration with Bobby Roe and Zack Andrews, creators of The Houses October Built franchise. Their currently untitled film is also in active development at WVF and will “bring a shocking new entry to the slasher cannon.” Roe and Andrews had this to say about the collaboration, “We’re excited to bring creative kills and new twists to the genre, and happy to be spilling blood with Welcome Villain on this longtime passion project of ours.”
Take a look below for a more in-depth breakdown of the Welcome Villain founders.
Welcome Villain Films is comprised of four founding executive partners, with plans to expand the team as the year progresses. Head of Operations Bonner Bellew, a founder and CEO of advertising and media agency Soda & Lime, previously served as a television producer at NBC Universal and Warner Brothers, founder and CCO at Rocket XL, and Executive Creative Director at Big Picture Group. Bonner will bring his decades of industry experience and operational fluency into the fold, building a powerhouse studio structure to support an expanding roster of genre-specific content.
Producer Dan Clifton will serve as Head of Production, bringing his experience working on over two dozen independent feature films to the role. Through his work with XR studio Top Right Corner, Dan will also expand WVF’s technical capabilities to meet an ever-evolving production landscape.
Creative executive Luke LaBeau will serve as Head of Development, bringing over a decade of experience and dozens of theatrical and PVOD releases in the genre space at high-profile companies like Blumhouse Productions, Orion Pictures, and Relativity Media. At WVF, LaBeau will combine his lifelong passion for film and vast knowledge of the horror space to bring a unique and relationship-focused approach to the film process.
Eric Kleifield will spearhead marketing initiatives and assist in the development of commercial horror properties as Head of Creative. An advertising specialist and creative director with a focus on producing and marketing genre content, Eric brings his passion and experience marketing horror films from renowned studios such as Blumhouse Productions and Orion Pictures.
For more information on Welcome Villain Films visit their official website, and follow them on socials: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. We can’t wait to see what cinematic nightmares they conjure up.
