Interview with Neil Jones Director of The Reverend

Neil JonesThere is a new vampire vicar on the block and his name is The Reverend. Part man of god part blood sucking beast this holy man will put holes in your neck if you cross him. We caught up with The Reverend director Neil Jones to ask him some biting questions before the film is released on the 6th August.

LoveHorror: Tell us how The Reverend came to be and how you got involved with it?

Neil Jones: We’d just done a period boxing film called RISEN and I wanted to do something a bit different, RISEN was so important to me as it was based on a true story and I knew I could never really top the experience. So The Reverend was a chance to jump into a new genre and try something new, so with that in mind I wrote the script with the main character as a vehicle for Stuart.

LoveHorror: What was the inspiration for the film and the main character?

Neil Jones: The film loosely is based on the Biblical book of Job which has always fascinated me. To try and place this tale into a urban setting I thought was quite original.

LoveHorror: The movie has a great eclectic cast from cult legend Rutger Hauer to Pinhead himself Doug Bradley to Eastender Shane Richie to horror babe Emily Booth and more. What was it like working with all these actors?

Neil Jones: Rutger Hauer is a legend and he was on our list of people we thought we’d never get, so to get him in the film was amazing. I’d wrote the parts for Doug Bradley and Emily Booth in mind so was relieved when they accepted because I couldn’t see anyone else in the roles. I’d worked with Shane on RISEN, where he played a boxing promoter.

We’d been chatting and he said he really wanted to play a dark role, so I sent him the script and he instantly said yes. Another actor I’d always wanted to work with was Tamer Hassan, he’s one of England’s finest actors, I loved him in THE BUSINESS, so was really chuffed to get him as the main Villain.

LoveHorror: What in your opinion sets The Reverend apart from other vampire movies?

Neil Jones: It’s not your typical Vampire story, our main Vampire is the good guy, he’s cursed with it and he uses it to fight evil. We also don’t use fangs and I consciously tried to avoid some of the clichés like garlic and crosses, in fact a cross is our Vampires main practical weapon.

LoveHorror: What are your favorite vampire movies apart from you own of course and why?

Neil Jones: I’m a fan of the old Hammer classics with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and for pure entertainment I loved FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.

LoveHorror: So what’s next for you?

Neil Jones: Straight after THE REVEREND I directed another horror film DERANGED based in Spain which is just finishing off post, so for me I’m going to leave the Genre for a while. I have a few projects in Pre-production, which are thriller/action based working with Stu and Tamer Hassan.

LoveHorror: And lastly who would win in a fight The Reverend, The Vicar of Dibley or Father Ted?

Neil Jones: Sorry Stu I’m going to go with the Vicar over the Reverend on this one!

The Reverend is out on DVD on the 6th August 2012 and you can read our review right Here.

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Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

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