Leslie Phillips, Nick Moran star in mystery comedy Death

British film-maker Martin Gooch is in post production on his first feature, a micro budget mystery comedy called Death starring Leslie Phillips, Paul Freeman, Nick Moran, Linal Haft and newcomer Claira Watson Parr.

Gooch wrote the screenplay, about four brothers and sisters who return to the mysterious family home following the death of their father where they are forced to face their past. He is pitching it as “Frankenstein meets The Others with a sense of humour”.

The film shot on a tiny budget of £28,000, on location at a stately home in Basingstoke and another stately home, Hamerwood House, which used to belong to Led Zeppelin. Roger Taylor from rock band Queen also gave Gooch permission to use exclusive re-mixed tracks for the film, from his solo back catalogue.

“The film’s real value if we had paid everyone a proper rate is £500,000. But I had worked with virtually everyone on the film before and everyone worked for free,” said Gooch whose TV directing credits include Doctors and Hollyoaks.

“It’s based on a experience I had when I was 14 and thought I saw a ghost at a stately home” says Gooch who runs his own production company Gothic Manor and raised the money for the film by asking everyone he knew for £250. He is now looking for the final pieces of financing to complete post production.

Meanwhile, Gooch has also written the screenplay for Deathtrap Dungeon based on the fighting Fantasy games books by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, which has been optioned by LA production Company Mark Holdom, Inc with a view to shooting in 2012.