The film tells the tale of a dysfunctional family’s vacation to the Irish countryside that encounters a village of diseased, deformed and decidedly homicidal residents.
Within the past year or so, Dark Sky Films has emerged to be one of the best underground horror distribution companies around. They have released long forgotten gems such as Magic, Spider Baby and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer to DVD and foreign horror such as Them (Ils) and Anti-Bodies theatrically. When I was offered a set visit for their first in-house theatrical production, Plague Town, I immediately thought, "Where do I sign up?"
Plague Town, directed by David Gregory, tells the story of a family's vacation to the Irish countryside and the village of disfigured and diseased psychopaths they encounter. I had heard David's name somewhere before but wasn't sure where until I consulted the Internet. Come to find out, David has directed a lot of horror film documentaries, such as Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (Which I consider to be the definitive documentary on the film), The Wicker Man Enigma and Discovering 'Evil Dead'. Hell, the guy has even worked with Argento and Franco. Needless to say, I immediately ran to my DVD shelf and began perusing through said collection and watching a few of the documentaries again. As is very apparent from his work, David knows a lot about the genre and how to it works and that put my mind at ease.
After I arrived in Hartford, Connecticut, I was taken over to Hamden, where the film was shooting. After gathering my thoughts and getting settled into my room, I drove over to the set, which was about 5 miles down the road. Amidst a forest and residential areas was a YMCA campsite, where the film was shooting.
While at the site, I was immediately hit by the "homegrown" feeling of the film. People of all ages were working on this thing and even when they were just getting things set up for the day, they seemed to be having a blast. From being on other sets before, I know it's not always smiles and enthusiasm from the cast and crew so it was nice to see everyone real into it. Everyone seemed to be taking on the project with enthusiasm and for the experience, rather than looking at it like another job.
After going around and introducing myself to several of the crew members and other press (Johnny Butane from Dread Central and Rue Morgue Editor in Chief Jovanka Vuckovic), I headed over to the FX workshop, where they were putting the final touches on actress Erica Rhodes' make-up for her upcoming scene. Immediately following her make-up, I got a look at the various children's make-up and a bust of actor James Warke , showcasing a finely detailed shotgun blast to the face, pellet scorch marks and all. I was given the opportunity to talk to Tate Steinsiek, who is the head of special effects on the film, in between make-up appliances and it looks like he is going to be doing some great stuff on the film. Getting his start at Tom Savini's school, he went on to work on Zombie Honeymoon and did some work on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He is also working on finishing his directorial debut, Devoured. Another thing that really impressed me was the costuming, which was done by Thom Lussier . Mixing old school charm into a modern story, the villagers wore vintage clothing, which really set the mood and also conveyed the message of them being cut off from modern society.
Walking onto the actual set for the first time, I witnessed a scene involving Jessica (Erica Rhodes) fighting one of the diseased children in the woods. From a monitor view, I have to say it looked really great. The highlight of the shoot for me, though, involved trying to get a better look at a death scene and getting accidentally sprayed by PSI-charged blood. The blood stain on my shoe laces is my best souvenir to date.
While the crew was setting up for the next shot, I chatted with actress Josslyn DeCrosta, who plays Jessica's sister, Molly. She found it real easy to get into the film, as her character is similar enough to her own personality. And, as many of the crew members and other actors mentioned to me, she had an intense respect for David and the film he was making. I also got a chance to sit down and have a nice, long conversation with director David Gregory (Which you can read here) and producer Derek Curl (Which you can read here).
Plague Town looks like it's going to be a blast. It appears to be very finely tuned, down the last aspect. David seems to have a very precise vision of what he wants. There is never any daunting uncertainty surrounding the shoot, which makes the production, from what I saw, run very smoothly.
