Robert Tinnell

Robert Tinnell
Born
Fairmont, West Virginia
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer, Director, Producer
RelativesJeffrey Tinnell (brother)

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. 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. 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. 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.

Robert Tinnell lecturing at West Virginia University while on call with Todd Livingston (2025)

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

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1987Surf Nazis Must DieProducer
1993Young Goodman BrownCo-Producer
1995Kids of the Round TableDirector and Writer
1996Frankenstein and MeDirector and Writer
1999AirspeedDirector
2000BelieveDirector and Writer
2009Shades of GrayWriter and Producer
2010Romeo Must HangWriter and Producer
2019Back ForkProducer
2019Feast of the Seven FishesDirector and Writer
202312 Desperate HoursProducer
2024Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer StoryProducer
2024The Bad GuardianProducer
2026 River Executive producer

References

  1. ↑ Kronenberg, M., Comic Book Market Place, vol. 3, No. 114 (Aug 2004), pp. 40–43.
  2. ↑ McTigue & Keller, Vampirella magazine No. 4, page 40.
  3. ↑ Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin. "SDCC '07: Robert Tinnell's Feast of the Seven Fishes to Become Film," Newsarama (July 26, 2007).[dead link] Accessed March 26, 2009.
  4. ↑ Darazio, Tara; Fear, Kevin (December 6, 2008). "Douglas Education Center announces hiring of filmmaker Robert Tinnell" (PDF). Douglas Education Center.
  5. ↑ "Robert Tinnell named WVIHF Italian-American Man of the Year". WV News. August 30, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ Black Forest: Behind the Scenes
  7. ↑ "Kids of the Round Table". ComiXology. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Kids of the Round Table". Comic Vine. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  9. ↑ Maslin, Janet (October 2, 1987). "Film: 'Surf Nazis Must Die'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Tromatic Thursday – Surf Nazis Must Die (Review)". Horror Society. May 17, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Free screening of new holiday movie in Pittston". www.timesleader.com. October 15, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ Siwak, Miranda (May 2, 2024). "Ryan Gosling Says Burt Reynolds Crushed on His Mom During 'Frankenstein and Me' Production". Us Weekly. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ Kit, Borys (August 10, 2017). "Appalachian Opioid Addiction Drama 'Back Fork' Rounds Out Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  14. ↑ Barnett, Cameryn (July 20, 2025). "Before 'Superman,' Skyler Gisondo Got the Girl in This Underrated 88% Rotten Tomatoes Rom-Com". Collider. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  15. ↑ Mohan, Kiruthigaran. "12 desperate hours movie review". Families. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Rankin, Roxanne (March 18, 2026). "West Virginia on the big screen: 2 locally produced films featured on Netflix's 'Top 10 Movies in the U.S.'". WDTV. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  17. ↑ Earl, William (November 5, 2025). "Scream Queens Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe Team for Slasher 'River' as Shudder Original Sets Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2026.