Lawrie Brewster
Lawrie Brewster is a Scottish filmmaker, producer and founder of the British Horror Studio, bringing film development, financing, production, talent development and distribution together within an independent company.
With writer and producer Sarah Daly, he has developed a repertory of actors, filmmakers and technicians around Hex Studios, the revived Amicus Productions and The B-Team. Inspired by the classical studio system, the company makes original pictures, develops screen talent and reaches audiences through its own shop, community and BHS Picture House.
As a freelance producer, Brewster raised US$8 million for Kids vs Monsters, on which he served as senior producer. He has subsequently raised approximately US$2 million in private equity and crowdfunding for British Horror Studio films. These are the studio’s figures, covering separate stages of his producing career. His record includes Automata, later released as The Devil’s Machine, which Bloody Disgusting reported as the UK’s most-funded narrative film on Kickstarter in May 2018.
His directing credits include Lord of Tears, The Unkindness of Ravens, The Black Gloves, In the Grip of Terror and The Reign of Queen Ginnarra. Lord of Tears, his breakthrough horror feature, won the Audience Award at the 2013 Bram Stoker International Film Festival. Subsequent work screened at FrightFest, Brussels and Glasgow.
The List included Brewster in its 2023 Hot 100 of Scottish culture. In 2025 he received a Special Recognition Rondo for his work reviving Amicus; in 2026, The Reign of Queen Ginnarra won the Rondo Award for Best Independent Film.
His continuing ambition is to build the means of independent production as well as the films themselves: a studio where artists can develop successive projects, retain a direct relationship with audiences and make theatrical, performance-led cinema.