Horror and fantasy fans will definitely want to check out The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center’s upcoming Emerging Filmmakers Showcases.
The Sewickley nonprofit theater is gearing up for two locally made films: horror-comedy "Batsh*t" on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.; and coming-of-age fantasy "Maxx: Son of the Damned" on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Both events are free and will be immediately followed by in-person filmmaker Q&As. Attendees can RSVP via the forms on both event pages.
Todd Wolfson, a Pittsburgh native and founder of production company Just Buried Entertainment, is making his feature directorial debut with "Batsh*t." It stars Jerry Pietrala as Felix Darby, an alcoholic who accidentally takes a hallucinatory drug and enters a nightmarish new world. The "Batsh*t" cast also includes Tiffany Kemp, Mikhail Tot and Edward Pfeifer.
“This is a very important film to me,” Wolfson says. “It’s jam-packed with a lot of Pittsburgh’s most talented actors. 'Batsh*t' is a wildly entertaining dark comedy with a fantasy twist, and it’s extremely independent to the core!”
Wolfson first began working on "Batsh*t" in 2018. He co-wrote the script with David Ogrodowski, a veteran local filmmaker and actor who also appears in the film. "Batsh*t" is a mostly live-action endeavor that also contains wild sequences involving both 2D and 3D animation, stop-motion effects, Claymation—and even puppets!
"'Batsh*t' goes bloody hand and hand with the whole Halloween aesthetic,” says Wolfson. “It features a spooky Medusa, a sassy talking bat, a late-night ghoul host, a toilet monster, ghosts, singing zombies and many more creepy creatures of the night. We also have a super spooky soundtrack to get everyone in the mood for All Hallow’s Eve!”
"Maxx: Son of the Damned" is a locally made fantasy saga from Pittsburgh-based 3.B.T. Productions. The film was directed by 3.B.T. Productions co-founders Xayne Allen and Delaney Hathaway, who will screen an early version of their film at The Lindsay.
This dark coming-of-age tale is centered around Maxx (Caleb Bartholow), the first natural-born warlock in centuries, and the evil forces who want to use his powers for mass destruction.
“This film is the perfect way to close out spooky season,” says Allen. “It’s dark, thrilling and packed with that eerie magic that lingers long after the credits roll.”
Hathaway and fellow 3.B.T. co-founder Charlie Gray both appear in "Maxx: Son of the Damned." Its largely local cast also includes Amy Lyn Elliott, Christina Chickis, Stephanie Swift, Brian Ceponis, Naomi Terrell and Erika Krenn.
“Fans of indie cinema should be thrilled to join us for this special first look,” says Allen. “They’ll get to experience the film before it’s complete and play a part in shaping its final cut alongside the cast and crew.”
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