Fangs ain’t what they used to be as cowboys fade away

Tom Holloway landed a plum role in the much- anticipated horror sequel The Thompsons when he was fresh out of drama school. Still only 24, he is slowly getting used to the idea that his film debut might end up being one of the cult hits of the year.

Directed by a duo known as the Butcher Brothers – real-life siblings Mitch and Phil – The Thompsons will play in London’s FrightFest this weekend as part of the official selection. Despite himself, Holloway is tremendously excited at the prospect of the premiere.

“I tell you what, the film that won FrightFest last year was A Lonely Place to Die with Melissa George and I absolutely loved that film,” says Holloway from Scotland where he is attending the Edinburgh Festival.

“As a kid my favourite film was probably Scream or The Silence of the Lambs. Getting to go down that kind of route was a small fantasy. I’m really excited by that festival. There’s an Elijah Wood film in it this year, an Ethan Hawke film..., I love getting involved in that whole vibe with like-minded people. Maybe nothing could happen, or maybe it could take off and be a whole cult thing.”

London-born but trained at Leeds University, Holloway aims to make his home ’neath the proscenium arch. Unlike many of today’s actors who see television as a route to fortune and fame he prefers the notion of actually learning the mechanics of the job first.

“My roots definitely come from theatre. I love it. It’s linear – you get to live from the beginning of that part each night to the end. I think the process is so important. On a film a director can coerce it out of you eventually and then, when you’ve got that shot, they can make it even better in the edit. In theatre you’ve got to get it right. There aren’t any short cuts. So, in a way, for a young actor theatre could be harder.”

Asked to relate the plot of The Thompsons, Holloway pauses, not wanting to give the game away. When he outlines the plot he does so with evident relish.

“The film is a sequel to The Hamiltons which was shot in America a few years back and did quite well. It’s a vampire story and the idea is that we are born, not made. We are normal people but we live with this curse. We need blood to survive.

“Things aren’t going well for this family, the Hamiltons, and they move to England to seek refuge under the name of the Thompsons. I am part of the family and I will go to extreme lengths to protect our way of living but you’ve got to kill on a regular basis to survive whether you like it or not.”

For a first job The Thompsons gave Holloway some lifelong memories, not least a sequence involving some intricate prosthetic effects...

“Then there’s a moment where I’m wearing someone else’s face as a mask. I spent the whole day with this gelatine thing on my face, very sticky. It looked awesome but it was a hot, sunny day and you have a lot of down time on films.

“I was trying to eat my lunch through a straw so I wouldn’t have to have the prosthetic face made up and then I had to avoid all the wasps. I was wearing a wine gum on my face and the wasps kept buzzing round me! I was trying to splat these things and do my scene.”

The Thompsons (18) is available on DVD and download from October 15.