Horror Favourites – Lucy Harvey & Danielle Kummer

Why do pantomime when you can do Alien? A very amateur dramatics group led by Dorset Bus Drivers spent a year creating a serious stage adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film, Alien. Their village-hall show is a crushing flop; it seems their hard work was for nothing but fate gives them a second chance to perform their homemade homage in a West End theatre, for one night only. With wobbly sets, awkward acting and special effects requiring ‘more luck than judgement.’ Will it be alright on the night?

Out now to stream Alien on Stage is the debut feature documentary from the hugely talented duo of Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey and we chatted to the pair about the movie and more. 

After its world premiere in SXSW, Alien on Stage has had a hugely successful film festival season, screening at over 60 festivals worldwide, winning 4 audience awards and 2 jury awards. From Australia to Russia audiences have been raving about this heartwarming and uplifting film.

Danielle Kummer has been creating short documentaries and commercial content for the past 10 years, for theatre, arts and educational institutions, as a self-shooter and Editor. Based in London Danielle has filmed all over the world from Mexico, Guatemala, and the US to Malawi and South Africa. Alien on Stage is her first feature documentary. 

Lucy Harvey is a lecturer in Design and Visual Culture, stylist for film, fashion and advertising, coordinator of community arts and music events and now Director and Producer of Alien On Stage – The Documentary.

Danielle and Lucy have been friends for 15 yrs. They discovered Alien on Stage completely by accident and they thought it was so brilliant that it must be seen by everyone. It became their passion and their first feature length documentary. They proudly present this film as a celebration of the spark of madness and genius that occurs when people commit to the challenge of creating something together, purely because they love doing it! 

Below Lucy and Danielle talk about the horror movie they love the most:

“When asked to pick our favorite horror film, Shaun of the Dead instantly came to mind as the common ground in the horror genre we both share and refer to as influencing our confidence in going ahead with our own passion project Alien on Stage.

Shaun of the Dead is a masterpiece of genre-blending that manages to be hilarious, heartfelt, and genuinely tense—all while capturing a uniquely British experience. What really draws us to it, and what we think connects so strongly with Alien on Stage, is its juxtaposition of working-class British humor with the grandiose tropes of Hollywood sci-fi and horror.

What we love most about Shaun of the Dead is how it takes the formulaic tropes of zombie movies—often associated with high stakes, gore, and apocalyptic dread—and filters them through a distinctly British lens of working-class humor. The characters are ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, which instantly resonates with real-life story of our documentary heroes.

The layering of British wit, mundane social interactions, and the chaos of a zombie apocalypse gives the film a unique charm. This mix is something we’re particularly fond of, having observed a similar dynamic in our documentary, which combines the surreal world of a low-budget sci-fi production with the real-world lives of a group of bus drivers/ amateur performers.

In many ways, Shaun of the Dead embodies a playful defiance of genre conventions. It lovingly satirizes both British life and the Hollywood-style horror films we all know so well, creating something fresh out of both. An unpretentious yet deeply passionate approach to a genre, honouring the big-budget spectacle with a homemade homage.

This parallel is precisely what excited us about Alien on Stage. At first glance, our documentary might seem worlds away from Shaun of the Dead. It’s a behind-the-scenes story about a group of Dorset bus drivers adapting Ridley Scott’s Alien for the stage. But what makes it so compelling, and why we see such a connection, is how it captures that same spirit of ordinary people grappling with the extraordinary. The charm of Alien On Stage lies in watching these amateur performers tackle one of the most iconic sci-fi horror stories of all time, using DIY props and boundless enthusiasm.

Like Shaun of the Dead, our film is a love letter to the resilience and humor of working-class Britain. Both celebrate the idea that you don’t need a Hollywood budget to make something unforgettable—what really matters is heart, creativity, and a bit of stubborn determination. Both films celebrate the comedy that emerges from these strange, high-stakes situations.

At its core, Shaun of the Dead isn’t just a zombie movie—it’s about everyday people in extraordinary circumstances. Shaun and his friends aren’t heroic survivors in a high-tech bunker; they’re regular folks from North London fumbling their way through the apocalypse. The humor comes not from the situation itself but from their very British way of responding to it—popping into the pub for safety, complaining about hangovers, or awkwardly navigating interpersonal drama while zombies close in. It’s this blend of grounded, relatable humor with the high-stakes world of horror that makes it so special.

The brilliance of Shaun of the Dead lies in its ability to make you laugh and cringe in equal measure, while still managing to surprise you with genuine moments of tenderness. It’s a masterclass in balancing absurdity and authenticity—something we also aimed for in Alien on Stage, where the heart of the story lies not just in the alien antics, but in the very human connections formed through the pursuit of a common, if unlikely, goal.

In the end, both Shaun of the Dead and Alien on Stage are about taking something as absurd to the everyday as a zombie apocalypse or an alien encounter and finding a way to make it relatable. That’s why we adore it: it’s horror and comedy, but it’s also, at its core, a celebration of the human spirit.”

Watch Alien On Stage now on APPLE TV and AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

Alien on Stage trailer