New feature-length horror film -- shot partially in Kanawha City -- to debut at Empty Glass
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Porkchopp3D," a new feature-length horror film made in West Virginia, will be screened for the first time Thursday night at The Empty Glass on Elizabeth Street on Charleston's East End.
The program will begin at 10 p.m., as part of an effort to raise money for future productions directed by Eamon Hardiman, a Kanawha County film director and writer.
"Partying, Mayhem and Gore -- 80s Style," proclaims the new film's DVD box. "It's still not safe to go back in the woods."
Much of "Porkchopp3D" was filmed using local actors in varied locations, including the forested hills across the railroad tracks opposite the Big Lots store in Kanawha City.
Like Hardiman's previous films, "Porkshopp3D" will be distributed nationally and internationally at stores and during film festivals in places that include Cannes, France.
"We are planning to sell it in Australia and Germany, too," Hardiman said.
His previous films included "Porkchop," which focused on a group of outdoor campers stalked and killed by a deranged redneck character who is disguised by wearing a pig mask.
Hardiman's other low-budget films include: "Catholic Ghoulgirls," "Zombie Babies," and "Porkchops" -- the first sequel to the original "Porkchop" that was filmed in Virginia Beach.
Sam Jones, a local resident who works on the East End, said, "It is nice to see someone in the Kanawha Valley doing something who also has local people doing something. That was the most fun for me."
Jones, who played a bartender in "Catholic Ghoulgirls," said of his character in the new film, "I drove kids out in the woods in the Porkshopp3D to help them get some weed. We went into a field out there. Then they all ended up getting killed except for me."
Hardiman also uses some professional actors and actresses, including: Ruby Larocca, Shawn C. Phillips, Ford Austin and Kaylee Williams.
"Shawn Phillips, who appeared in 'Zombie Babies' and 'Porkchops,' is a YouTube celebrity," Hardiman said. "Ruby Larocca appears in seductive cinema roles. She has a big fan base."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- "Porkchopp3D," a new feature-length horror film made in West Virginia, will be screened for the first time Thursday night at The Empty Glass on Elizabeth Street on Charleston's East End.
The program will begin at 10 p.m., as part of an effort to raise money for future productions directed by Eamon Hardiman, a Kanawha County film director and writer.
"Partying, Mayhem and Gore -- 80s Style," proclaims the new film's DVD box. "It's still not safe to go back in the woods."
Much of "Porkchopp3D" was filmed using local actors in varied locations, including the forested hills across the railroad tracks opposite the Big Lots store in Kanawha City.
Like Hardiman's previous films, "Porkshopp3D" will be distributed nationally and internationally at stores and during film festivals in places that include Cannes, France.
"We are planning to sell it in Australia and Germany, too," Hardiman said.
His previous films included "Porkchop," which focused on a group of outdoor campers stalked and killed by a deranged redneck character who is disguised by wearing a pig mask.
Hardiman's other low-budget films include: "Catholic Ghoulgirls," "Zombie Babies," and "Porkchops" -- the first sequel to the original "Porkchop" that was filmed in Virginia Beach.
Sam Jones, a local resident who works on the East End, said, "It is nice to see someone in the Kanawha Valley doing something who also has local people doing something. That was the most fun for me."
Jones, who played a bartender in "Catholic Ghoulgirls," said of his character in the new film, "I drove kids out in the woods in the Porkshopp3D to help them get some weed. We went into a field out there. Then they all ended up getting killed except for me."
Hardiman also uses some professional actors and actresses, including: Ruby Larocca, Shawn C. Phillips, Ford Austin and Kaylee Williams.
"Shawn Phillips, who appeared in 'Zombie Babies' and 'Porkchops,' is a YouTube celebrity," Hardiman said. "Ruby Larocca appears in seductive cinema roles. She has a big fan base."
Chris Woodall, who helps Hardiman with sound effects, said the three "Porkchop" films are throwbacks to the 1980s, featuring a pig-masked killer in the backwoods of West Virginia. But the films are more comedy than horror.
The new "Porkchopp3D," Woodall said, has "the most special effects, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns."
Missy Myers, assistant director and co-producer of "Porkshopp3D," said, "I was involved in everything from start to finish. I delegate tasks and organize everyone.
"We spend months ahead of time to hash out details to make the whole thing work, find our cast members and develop our wardrobe. We make sure everything gets on track."
The latest film, she added, "Is something creative and different. We had fun doing it."
During the day, Myers works 40 hours a week as a receptionist in the Governor's Office at the state Capitol, then spends 24 hours every weekend making movies.
"I am proud of the team that we have put together," Hardiman said. "And the Empty Glass is our home office. We have all our meetings here to plan our filming."
DVDs of Hardiman's films are marketed through Alternative Cinema/Independent Entertainment, a company that distributes low-budget movies through retailers that include Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.
Reach Paul J. Nyden at pjny...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5164.
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