A horror movie filmed with local cast and crew and shot entirely in the Kitchener-Waterloo area is set to hit the big screen in the coming weeks.
After four years of work, SHIFTED will play Apollo Cinema in Kitchener on October 1 and 6.
“I would say 80% of the cast and 100% of the crew are Kitchener-Waterloo locals,” said SHIFTED director Adrian Konstant. “We live here and we made a movie here.”
This is the third independent film shot by Fable Forest Films.but the first horror thriller.
“In 2018, we were creatively stuck, so we decided to shoot a film without a script. We started with a general plan, a house and a group of actors. It was hard. Long nights, writing pages as they went, throwing out scenes that didn’t work, adding intense new moments. It took us four years to finally get to this,” reads a description posted by the team at Fabel Forrest Film.
The plot of the film surrounds a group trapped in a house surrounded by murderous creatures as they struggle to survive while trying to catch a killer.
Konstant and lead actor Derek Lackenbauer said their goal is to show how local talent can leave a mark on the film scene.
“It’s just wonderful to see when people come together and chase their dreams and go for it, and it takes a long time, a lot longer than you think,” Konstant said.
As for local filming, Lackenbauer said working locally was beneficial compared to the years he spent traveling to Toronto for an audition.
“I’ve been trying my hand at acting since I was young, but I’m doing the Toronto thing all the time and going back and forth…it’s really, really painful to go to Toronto to audition and hear no “, Lackenbauer said.
Apollo Cinema said it was excited to premiere the film in October as fans change their viewing habits for horror films ahead of Halloween.
“I love the idea of them kicking off Halloween for us with a horror movie, and it’s even better if it’s by a local filmmaker,” said Becca Dallaire, COO of Apollo Cinema.
Having already toured the film festival circuit, reviews are starting to roll in and the team said they were happy with what they’re hearing.
“It’s been at a number of festivals, and we have a number of festivals coming up around the world where people are going to see this film, and that’s the most attention we’ve had with any of the films. that we’ve gotten out yet,” Lackenbauer said.
As for the sequel, the team said a spooky sequel is in the works.
