With Halloween sneaking up around the corner, everyone is looking to get a good scare out of the next horror movie to hit the box office. An independent film premiering Saturday, Oct. 25, just might do the trick when it comes to keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
Endless Mountain Theater will host a red carpet affair for the premiere of the WarLight Pictures Film “Fair Evil.” The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $5 at the door.
“Fair Evil” is a short film filled with suspense, produced by independent filmmaker Claude T. Martin, along with his wife Tiana Lucie-Martin. The cast features actors such as the lead Connie Shelhamer, along with Bill Armitage and Johnny Paradise.
Since Martin was younger, he always knew that making movies was something he would definitely be doing in the future.
“It was the only thing that really interested me when I was young,” he said. “When my mom had her camcorder, I used to pick it up and make little skits. When I wasn’t doing stuff like that, I felt some type of void.”
Martin and Tiana both graduated from Five Towns College in Long Island, N.Y., with degrees in film and video production. Straight out of school, they started to produce short films, creating what is now their production company, WarLight Pictures.
The hard work and dedication of the duo paid off in 2004 when it won the Pocono Mountains Film Festival’s Best Original Screenplay award. The pair also won an award in 2005 for Best Short Film.
“Tiana and I worked really well together on some films, and we were honored to win those awards,” said Martin. “Once we realized that we were such a good team, we continued to make movies and decided that the next step would be to form our company; so far it’s been working out very well for us.”
“Fair Evil” gives a different spin to the theme of the movies WarLight Pictures is used to producing.
“Whatever I’m feeling at the time, that’s what I usually make,” said Martin. “I wanted a bit of a change, so this movie definitely has a different twist to it. With this film, you get a bit of mystery and suspense while tying in some horror.”
Although the movie was made on a tight budget, Martin hopes that people will see the hard work and dedication that was put into it.
“When people think of independent film making, they may think of a bunch of guys running around with a camera,” he said. “I want to show with this film that it’s not about that; it’s much more work. I’m trying to give people films with a higher quality than they may expect.”
Along with “Fair Evil,” Martin has been working on a Web site with FOX 56 called “NEPA’s New Direction.” The site focuses on independent film making in the area.
“I think the site will help the community come together to work on more projects,” said Martin. “We really just want to give filmmakers a chance to show their stuff and break the barrier of people that don’t know about the independent filmmaking process.”
Martin hopes that by raising awareness of independent films such as his, the area can become what he likes to call “the new Hollywood.”
“I’m really excited about the way things are going, and I feel this area has so much potential,” he said. “If people would give more money to independent organizations, I believe we could as a community turn out some really good stuff.”
When it comes to people accepting his work, Martin hopes that viewers can see the real heart put into it and enjoy what they are given.
“I’m not sure what to expect, and I’m a little nervous about that,” he said. “Some people may like it, some may not. For me, I know that I did my best and I know what I am capable of, but at the same time I hope people enjoy it and see what this industry is all about.”
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“Fair Evil” premiere, Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. at Endless Mountain Theater, (933 Scranton-Carbondale Highway, Dickson City). $5. myspace.com/fairevil
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