The streets of Ponoka are going to be crawling with zombies this spring.
Director CJ Hutchinson is filming his movie The Masked Maniac VS the Zombies in May. He has applied to have some minor streets blocked off May 12 to 15. “We really want to stay local as much as we can.”
Most of the crew is from Ponoka and they have been training for the last six to eight months. Despite a budget of just a few thousand dollars, Hutchinson cannot wait to start filming. He has been working closely with the Town of Ponoka and is grateful for the support the town has provided.
The movie is called, usually Hutchinson writes comedic zombie movies but this one is different. “It’s going to be a hard core zombie movie, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Since he does not have a big budget, many of the crew will trade services with Hutchinson, who will provide makeup work for another movie or he trains them for future projects with other companies. Makeup and special effects are where the Winnipeg native shines but since he is directing, others will have to do that work.
“It’s really nice to get my vision out there,” he added.
People are still needed however and Hutchinson is looking for a villain who can go up against a hero who is quite tall. He is also proud of the support Ponoka residents have given him toward the making of this movie.
“It’s a pretty friendly town,” he said. “Ponoka’s a great scene but I’m turning this into a zombie town.”
Auditions will happen in the next few weeks but a location is not yet set as Hutchinson is working with town administration and is waiting on confirmation and the availability of location to see people’s talent.
Search Masked Maniac VS the Zombies on Facebook or email Hutchinson with a head shot at deaddenizens@hotmail.com.