Robert Tinnell is an American writer, film director and producer. Notable directing credits include Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019), Frankenstein and Me (1996), and Kids of the Round Table (1995). Producing credits include Back Fork (2019), The Hunted (2013) and Surf Nazis Must Die (1987).
Career Filmmaking Tinnell's work as a director includes the films Kids of the Round Table (1995), Frankenstein and Me (1996), which was very popular with fans of classic horror, and Believe (2000). Tinnell has frequently acknowledged his passion for horror, particularly classic horror films.Kronenberg, M., Comic Book Market Place, vol. 3, No. 114 (Aug 2004), pp. 40–43. Hammer Film Productions aficionados seek out Frankenstein and Me because of a sequence inspired by the 1960 Terence Fisher film Brides of Dracula, which starred Peter Cushing. Tinnell's film actually recreates a windmill set that is used in the Hammer film.McTigue & Keller, Vampirella magazine No. 4, page 40. In the same film, Tinnell meticulously recreated a scene reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead as well as other horror classics. All of the sequences featured children in the adult roles. Burt Reynolds and Louise Fletcher starred in Frankenstein and Me, alongside a young Ryan Gosling. (Stars Elisha Cuthbert and Gosling both had early film roles for Tinnell.)
As a producer, Tinnell worked in both the music video world as well as feature films. Among his credits as producer are the MTV Award-winning Paula Abdul music video "Straight Up," directed by David Fincher, and the notorious cult film Surf Nazis Must Die (released through Troma).
Authorship
Tinnell is best known in comics for a series of horror graphic novels, including The Black Forest, The Wicked West, The Living and The Dead, and Sight Unseen. His book Feast of the Seven Fishes was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – Reprint.Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin. "SDCC '07: Robert Tinnell's Feast of the Seven Fishes to Become Film," Newsarama (July 26, 2007). Accessed March 26, 2009. While promoting Feast of the Seven Fishes, Tinnell was a guest on several popular radio cooking shows, including The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the Rocco Dispirito Show, and KCRW's Good Food.
Teaching Tinnell has served as a guest professor at several institutions, including West Virginia University, West Virginia State University, and Queens College.
Personal life Tinnell is the brother of film producer and graphic novel publisher Jeffrey Tinnell. Robert lives in West Virginia with his wife, Shannon, and two children, Isabella and Jack.
Works Bibliography The Black Forest (co-scripted with Todd Livingston, with art by Neil Vokes, Image Comics, 2004)Black Forest: Behind the Scenes The Wicked West (co-scripted with Todd Livingston, with art Neil Vokes, Image Comics, 2004) The Faceless: A Terry Sharp Story (with art by Adrian Salmon, Image Comics, 2005) The Living and the Dead (co-scripted with Todd Livingston, with art by Micah Farritor, Speakeasy Comics, 2005) Feast of the Seven Fishes (writer/art by Ed Piskor and Alex Saviuk, Allegheny Image Factory, 2005) Sight Unseen (co-created with artist Bo Hampton, Image Comics, 2006) The Wicked West 2: Abomination and other tales (numerous contributors, Image Comics, 2006) Kids of the Round Table (co-wrote with Aaron J. Shelton, with art by Brendon Fraim and Brian Fraim, Action Lab Comics, 2015) based on the film of the same name. Filmography
Year Title Role Notes1987Surf Nazis Must DieProducer1993Young Goodman Brown Co-Producer 1995Kids of the Round TableDirector and Writer1996Frankenstein and MeDirector and Writer1999AirspeedDirector2000BelieveDirector and Writer2009Shades of Gray Writer and Producer 2010Romeo Must Hang Writer and Producer 2019Back ForkProducer2019Feast of the Seven FishesDirector and Writer202312 Desperate HoursProducer2024Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer StoryProducer2024The Bad GuardianProducer2026RiverExecutive producer
References
External links Robert Tinnell's Feast of the Seven Fishes Blog Shades of Gray site (Robert Tinnell, producer)