The upcoming horror-comedy by Weber Pictures, Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies, is in the home stretch! Filming is expected to conclude within the next week or week and a half. I’m sure it will be a bitter-sweet moment for everyone involved; while it has been a fulfilling experience, it’s also been a tiring one. I know this because I’ve been on set for a total of six days now and I’ve seen a lot of the inner workings of the film. With that said, here is my second on set report from the filming of Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies!
First and foremost, Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies is a direct sequel to 2012’s Mary Horror, a horror film also by Ryan Scott Weber. Being that it is a direct sequel, obviously the production had to return to one of the first film’s most infamous locations – the Mary Horror house (pictured above). Situated on top of a grassy green field in Somerset, NJ sits a huge, old house from 1875, the Van Lew-Suydam Home. Away from any street lights and standing in front of a corn field, the Van Lew-Suydam Home is the perfect spot to shoot scenes for a horror film. Many thanks to the care-takers of the home who so graciously let the Sheriff Tom Team take over the property for a few nights.
Secondly, Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies is filled to the brim with celebrity cameos and featured appearances. Three of the guests I was lucky enough to meet with during filming include Edward X Young (Mr. Hush, Psycho Street), John Link (Spiderbabe, Road Hell), and Monique Dupree (Pot Zombies, Step Up 3D). Monique was also filmed with her husband, Anthony Saint Thomas, who is absolutely hilarious. While I wasn’t there to see them, I can confirm that Tom Savini (Creepshow 2, From Dusk Til Dawn), Jamie Kennedy (Scream franchise), Carl Weathers (Predator, Rocky), and Patricia Quinn (Rocky Horror Picture Show) have filmed very minor cameos for the film. They will join Carmela Hayslett (“Roxsy Tyler”), Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman, Robbie Rist (“Michaelangelo” in live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) – and the yet to be filmed Shawn C. Phillips and Debbie Rochon – in rounding out the all-star appearances.
They may not be ultra-established yet, but other members of the cast have been amazing to meet and work with too. I’m speaking directly of model Cheryl Downey, Mario Like’s Movies’ own Mario Melillo, Kimberly Moore, model Missy Heather, Genoveva Rossi, and Bradley Creanzo (Klown Camp Massacre). Then there is Randy Memoli (Gitchy, Mozart of Rap) who is a great actor and has become a good friend outside of filming. But, I have to say, the biggest star of the production is Sheriff Tom himself, Joe “It’s All Good” Parascand. I feel like he could go down in cult cinema history for his portrayal of the sinister Sheriff Tom. Seriously, when the Sheriff Tom Team went to Monster Mania last month (and were featured on CBS Phili) people were lining up to take pictures with him. A great actor and funny guy, a star has definitely been born!
Special shout-outs go out to our amazing director, Ryan Scott Weber, who also plays Billy The EMT; our cinematographer Tazio Ruffilo, who also plays Ringo Perkins; production managers Jes Vasquez and Kristin Pingio; special effects artist Avery Leigh Hilton; Tom Brady who plays Jimmy The EMT; and all the amazing zombie extras who have really been put through the ringer to give you all a great looking film. The picture shown above was taken by Michael Enoches and features the lead roles – from left to right, then bottom – Jason Jackson, Kayt Supple, Jessica Mulcahy, Kristen Accardi, Ryan Scott Weber, Tom Brady, Jeffrey Fetzko, and Joe Parascand. I think they all look pretty frickin’ bad ass.
So, what can I tell you about my personal experiences on set this time around? I’m not going to spoil my scenes, no matter how minor they are, but I will tell you about all the fun I’ve had on set. I’ll always remember my long chat with Edward X Young, trying to direct Brad Creanzo to the set, eating snacks with Randy Memoli and other cast and crew members, getting tossed around the lawn by Kimberly Moore, talking to Mario Melillo about V/H/S and Bait 3D twenty times, having to do some stand in assistant work, feeding Tom’s horses, the trip to Monster Mania, hanging around the set until 4:00am when I had to be up at 8:00am, and watching Joe Parascand dance in a…well, you’ll just have to see it for yourself when Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies comes out! Still, genuinely one of the best film sets I’ve been on in my career.
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