In the quaint seaside town of Barry, Wales, a father-son duo is carving out a niche for themselves in the world of independent horror filmmaking. Lawrence Fowler, the writer and director, and his father Geoff, the puppet master, have steadily built a reputation for delivering a series of unsettling, hand-crafted tales of terror featuring possessed dolls and demonic toys.

Unleashing Nightmares, One Puppet at a Time

From Crowd-Funded Beginnings to a Thriving Horror Empire

What started as a crowd-funded venture with the release of "The Curse of the Witch's Doll" in 2018 has blossomed into a full-fledged horror empire for the Fowler family. In the span of just eight years, Fowler Media Ltd. has delivered a trilogy of chilling marionette-driven jump scare flicks, including "The Jack in the Box" (2019), "Jack in the Box: Awakening" (2022), and "The Jack in the Box Rises" (2024). The company has also ventured into the realm of haunted house tales with "The Ghost Within" (2023) and is currently in production on "Rob1n," a M3gan-esque story of a lonely man who builds a robot companion, unaware that its source code includes the spirit of his long-dead murderous son.

Crafting Creepy Puppets: From Handmade to High-Tech

At the heart of the Fowler family's success lies their meticulous attention to detail and their commitment to practical effects. Geoff Fowler, the family's resident tinkerer, designs and assembles all of the evil puppets from scratch, using a combination of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. For their latest project, "Rob1n," Geoff has taken his puppet-making skills to new heights, utilizing 3D printers to create the fully motorized robot doll.

Capturing the Audience's Attention: From Local to Global Acclaim

The Fowler family's horror films have not only captivated local audiences in Wales but have also found international success. "Jack in the Box," featuring a creepy wind-up spring toy that morphs into a murderous demon, has racked up over 1 million theatrical admissions worldwide, even cracking the top 10 in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic when theaters were desperate for content. The sequel, "Jack in the Box: Awakening," has had an even more impressive run, with at least 3 million theatrical admissions globally, primarily in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Pushing the Boundaries of Low-Budget Horror

As the Fowler family has gained more experience and resources, their films have become increasingly ambitious. "Rob1n," for example, boasts a budget that is at least 10 times larger than that of "The Witch's Doll," allowing the team to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with practical effects. According to Lawrence Fowler, the film features around 200 effect shots, with 90 to 99 percent of them being done in-camera, a testament to the family's dedication to old-school filmmaking techniques.

Earning Critical Acclaim in the Horror Community

The Fowler family's commitment to quality and their innovative approach to low-budget horror have not gone unnoticed. Scary Content, a German-based horror specialist, has handled the world sales for the Fowler films since the first "Jack in the Box" release, and the company's representatives have praised the team's work. "Their films look good, they are well-designed and well-plotted with good jump scares," says David Marsh of Scary Content. "I watch a hell of a lot of these [low-budget horror] movies and they're ahead of the rest. They are really a cut above."With each new project, the Fowler family continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of independent horror, captivating audiences and earning the respect of industry professionals along the way. As they forge ahead, the future of their chilling cinematic nightmares remains bright, solidifying their status as the undisputed masters of the creepy puppet horror genre.