The brainchild of Portland-based writer, director, and puppeteer Jesse Blanchard, FRANK & ZED is a fully puppeteered feature film that took an unbelievable seven years to complete. Having lensed the film in 4K inside his garage and at a nearby studio, the 39-year-old Blanchard has long-championed the use of puppetry in film. His production company, Puppetcore, was founded in 2011 with only two rules: "The characters are real; they just happen to be puppets" and "The effects are practical whenever possible." This mantra has never been more focused than with FRANK & ZED, a feature length gothic horror adventure that required over 40 handmade puppet characters, intricate miniatures, practical cloud tank effects, and honest-to-god fire.

While similarities can easily be made to Peter Jackson's exploitative 1989 puppet film MEET THE FEEBLES, Blanchard's heartfelt work owes far more of its pedigree to Jim Henson's Muppets. While FRANK & ZED's centerpiece - a battle between angry villagers and supernatural forces - becomes wildly violent, it eschews the "splatstick" gross-out intent of MEET THE FEEBLES in favor of following its bloody, disembodied heart. FRANK & ZED is played completely straight, and exists in a world that treats its events - no matter how violent, shocking, or unbelievable - as real.

The film, which was partly funded via two immensely successful Kickstarter campaigns in 2015 and 2017, was written and directed by Jesse Blanchard. It is produced by Evan Baily (Sonic Boom, Turok: Son of Stone); executive produced by Jane E. McGregor (Sonic Boom); and associate produced by Cody Klewin, Cameron Harrison, and filmmaker Ted Geoghegan (We Are Still Here, Mohawk).

A sprawling Gothic horror story set in a far-away fantasy kingdom, Frank & Zed is an unbelievable DIY passion project from Portland-based filmmaker and puppeteer Jesse Blanchard. Conceived and filmed over a period of six years, this love letter to classic terror is filled to the bloody brim with long-forgotten ancient secrets, a towering cursed castle, and a world of unbelievable characters that both honor the legacy and humor of The Muppets while simultaneously making their own ghastly mark on the world of cinema.

Long ago, a foul wizard was cut down by cursed weapons of tremendous power, leaving behind two servants, Frank and Zed.

For centuries, the two monsters have survived by working together: Frank hunts for squirrels to feed Zed, and Zed hooks Frank up to a lightning rod to charge. But just as their decrepit bodies crumble beyond repair, a new threat arises in the nearby village.

In a dark grab for power, the Lord Regent of the village deliberately triggers the curse by sending innocent civilians into the woods. Frank mistakes the wayward villagers for threats, cutting them down and serving their brains to Zed. This awakens a thirst for human flesh in Zed and stirs memories of his tragic past in Frank. In the ensuing chaos, their friendship is torn asunder.

Convinced that killing the monsters is the only way to save themselves, the villagers dig up the cursed weapons and storm the castle. Now, Frank and Zed must come together if they are to survive The Orgy of Blood.

Filmed over the course of six years, Frank and Zed is one of only a handful of films made entirely with hand puppets. Featuring stunningly detailed handmade props and creatures and packed with old-school practical effects (from detailed cloud tank shots to fiendishly complex puppet disembowelments), FRANK & ZED is a loving, blood-soaked homage to classic monster movies, delivering a story that’s outrageously fun, funny, and surprisingly tender.