Tell us what Puddle Man is all about.

Puddle Man is a story about fear, the kind of fear that twists reality and makes us believe strange things.

Set on Dartmoor in 1942, it follows an evacuee named Toby Hutton who fears that his father will die in the Second World War. Toby tries to run from what he fears but ultimately must face it, and the mystical figure who roams the moors.

The film’s trailer evokes an eerie sense of mystery, how did the story develop?

The story of Puddle Man was inspired by my experience of battling cancer as a young man. Fear twisted my reality just like Toby’s in Puddle Man. The story seemed to just unfold as I wrote it and as I discussed it with the people around me.

One thing that always remained was that the story would revolve around a young boy and the Puddle Man – the setting, time period and everything around that formed over time.

You filmed on Devon’s world-famous Dartmoor, why did you choose that location?

During the year I was writing Puddle Man, I visited Dartmoor a lot and on one of my trips I was driving through the moors at night, I pulled over and switched off the headlights. Total darkness engulfed me, scary yet magical – perfect! I chose Dartmoor for its beautiful yet eerie presence, which I wanted Puddle Man to capture.

How was filming on Dartmoor and where there any logistical challenges to filming on the moors?

The entire film was shot on Dartmoor over five days in February, but it wasn’t the cold or sleet that made some shoots hard, rather the wind.  Wind made communication difficult and we had to always worry about equipment blowing away!

Can you discuss your collaborative process with your Cinematographer and Director of Photography and how you achieved the film’s unique visual style?

DoP Alfie Dickens and I worked very closely to develop Puddle Man’s visual style. We wanted our cinematography to capture the feeling of a small boy in a vast and strange world. To do this we utilised wide shots, deep focus and Dartmoor’s natural fog. I think it also helped that Alfie Dickens and I both produced storyboards independently and then worked through them together to create the shot list – our visions came together really well.

Puddle Man stars Dainton Anderson, who also stars in Hamnet with Paul Mescal – how did the casting of Dainton come about?

Producer, India Pluves, selected Dainton to be one of the ten actors we shortlisted to audition for the role. Dainton was the second boy we auditioned and very quickly I knew he was perfect for the part and that we could work very well together.

We hear in the trailer a magical piece of music that then builds in suspense and mystery – tell us about the composer Veronica Manuel and the film’s score.

Veronica Manuel is a rising film composer from Manchester. Her original score is superb and brought the emotion in the film to life. We worked together to develop suspense and mystery through sound motifs that imbed themselves within all the film’s tracks.

The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding narrates Puddle Man, how did that come to be? His voice and delivery we hear in the trailer seem like he was an ideal choice.

I approached Noel Fielding directly,  knowing he would bring so much to the character of Puddle Man. I was thrilled to hear he loved the film and agreed to be the voice of Puddle Man.

Which other Director’s work do you admire and which films of theirs would you recommend people see?

Guillermo del Toro’s work is very inspiring to me, I would recommend Pans Labyrinth (2006) which was a major thematic influence on Puddle Man. I am very excited about his new Frankenstein coming out this year!

What has been your favourite film of 2025 so far and why?

For now I would have to say Weapons. I thought the non-linear narrative structure served the suspenseful horror really well although some of the characters did leave more to be desired, but overall I would recommend.

When is Puddle Man released and where can Film Devon readers see it?

Puddle Man is just about to start its festival circuit, kicking off with London Independent Film Festival in October. I recommend that Film Devon readers follow our Instagram page @puddlemanfilm to keep up to date with future screenings and streaming opportunities to come.

Check out the gallery below for more stills from the film and the full Puddle Man trailer.