Locals make throwback-style werewolf movie in Wooster
Mia Jones, left, plays Sketch Williams and Athena Murzda plays Constance Wilmenson in the just-released “Beast of Walton Street,” a throwback-style werewolf movie set in Anytown, Ohio and filmed in Wooster.
Nobody’s likely to mistake Wooster for Hollywood. Maybe if there were a Holly-Woo sign on the side of a hill or something. The two really couldn’t be less similar.
There is one tiny bond, though, thanks to a pair of area cinematic talents. Turns out either place is a good one to make a movie.
“That’s really what we want to prove,” said Athena Murzda, a 2016 Wooster High School graduate, who with Dusty Austen cofounded Street Rat Studios, which produced the just-released “Beast of Walton Street,” a throwback-style werewolf movie set in Anytown, Ohio.
“You don’t have to be in Chicago or New York or L.A. to cultivate your passion,” Murzda said. “I don’t think there should be any shame about staying in your hometown. There’s something about helping that community you grew up in and watching it prosper.”
Production on the film began back in 2018. It was shot over a couple weeks, starting in November with Wooster as the backdrop. That included many of the decorations the city boasts during the holiday season including the annual Window Wonderland.
“It was always intended to be in Wooster,” Murzda said. “This is where I grew up. We worked in conjunction with the support of local police. They were super-amazing. They let us shoot anywhere we wanted downtown. We were able to showcase Wooster in a cinematic way.”
Once it was all put together and the duo had a chance to see the film on a screen instead of under a microscope, the experience was surreal. While anyone could do it, choosing a hometown location is a rarity for filmmakers, who tend to go wherever their scouts send them.
For Murzda and Austen, putting Wooster at center stage was an easy call.
“It’s beyond special,” Murzda said. “This town meant so much to both of us. We’ve done everything here. It was fun to make it a little bit larger than life and really dig deep in some of the nostalgia.”
There is no Walton Street in Wooster. Murzda said that could be any of the back alleys downtown. The road is named for Karen Walton, who wrote 2000s “Ginger Snaps,” a Canadian werewolf film that turned a half-million-dollar budget into a $4.5 million payday. According to one site that covers the indie horror industry, all the streets in the films are named after screenwriters from the horror world.
The pair completed the film before the pandemic but then had to sit on it for a while. Though its current release is limited to digital/streaming services, Austen and Murzda took it out on the festival circuit and were pleased by the reaction.
“We wanted to be with the audience at the festivals,” Austen said. “A film is a team. You want to make sure everybody has that beautiful moment to see those images they worked so hard for, up on a big screen. It was just a lovely experience to be in theaters with an audience. It’s a film that was meant to be seen in theaters with an audience.
“It’s a cool opportunity to do it. The first screening we did was like, ‘Let’s pay attention.’ We’d seen the movie 100 times. We’re looking like, do the scares work? Do the laughs work?”
Austen said the decision to wait on the release wasn’t difficult and definitely worth the wait.
“Lots of filmmakers were making the same decision that year,” she said. “It’s based on you and your company and your film. Because it was our first one, we didn’t want it to be squandered. We have more options now.”
The film is being distributed by Scream Team Releasing and can be bought on Blu-ray through its site at www.screamteamreleasing.com. The Blu-ray features commentary, character-hosted menus and more.
Austen and Murzda teamed on the writing of the film. Austen directed and Murzda plays a lead role.
Murzda plays Constance Wilmenson, one of two protagonists along with Percy “Sketch” Williams, portrayed by Mia Jones. The two, who live in an abandoned auto repair shop, defend their “nameless Ohio town” from a werewolf who preys on less fortunate residents.
Genre-specific critics have praised the film for its dry sense of humor, ‘90s vibe and making the most of a small budget.
“Reviews are always kind of like a double-edge sword,” Austen said. “You want to see what somebody thought, but oh gosh, what if they don’t like it?”
The world won’t wait as long for the next project from Murzda and Austen. They will release “Fiber Burn,” again directed by Austen, along with “Spooky Madison,” again cowritten by the pair, also with the help of Madison, who plays a role along with Murzda. Amy Lynn Chadwick, who played in the critically acclaimed web series “Tinsel’s Town,” as well as in “The Beast of Walton Street,” also appears in “Fiber Burn,” which is still in production.