Peter Filardi can’t help it. It’s what he DOES.
He writes and makes horror movies.
And if it so happens that the kind and charismatic Filardi relocates to your town, well, don’t be surprised if, at some point, it seems as though he’s got the whole community making horror movies.
So it goes in Guilford.
Filardi and his family moved there in 2016 after several years in Los Angeles, where he headquartered as the screenwriter of hit films like “Flatliners” and “The Craft” and a TV adaptation of Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot.” Filardi’s wife, Claudia Grazioso, is also a screenwriter who co-scripted the Ice Cube film “Are We There Yet.”
But Filardi, 61, a Mystic native and Fitch High School graduate, yearned to return to the Connecticut shore and, thus, they acquired a Guilford zip code. Now, Filardi has written, directed and co-produced two short comedy/horror films using an inspired mix of professional colleagues and young amateurs from Guilford as well the Mystic/Noank area.
The first film was 2021’s “Hazardous,” in which smoking isn’t as dangerous — at least in this case study — as trying to stop smoking. The first film was 2021’s “Hazardous,” in which smoking isn’t as dangerous — at least in this case study — as trying to stop smoking. It starred seasoned actor Roger Clark as a nicotine addict. Clark is best known in the industry for portraying Arthur Morgan in “Red Dead Redemption II,” for which he won a 2018 Best Actor award at the Video Game Awards. Kellari Crispin co-starred in “Hazardous” as the hypnotherapist whose sessions uncover too much information.
“Hazardous” did well on the film festival circuit and can be seen on YouTube by searching for “Hazardous short film.” The film’s success — as well as the all-around fun the whole crew had making it — convinced them to do another comedy/horror short. This one is “Damn Handy,” also starring Clark in a story about a plumber whose routine is grotesquely shattered during a routine house-call. Shooting was completed in October and Filardi hopes the editing process will be finished by February — just in time for submissions to the next round of film festivals.
It started with paws
“Hazardous” and “Damn Handy” would never have happened if Filardi and Clark weren’t dog lovers. During COVID, each took their pups to a Guilford dog park and happened to meet. They bonded not just over their animals but also their shared experiences as professionals in the entertainment business. The dog park discussions evolved and they started discussing collaborative possibilities for a locally based project.
“It’s funny. During COVID, going to the dog park was pretty much the biggest social activity. It was outdoors and you could keep a safe distance,” said Clark, who’d moved with his wife to Guilford from New York City a few years back. “And it just seemed so serendipitous that, in the middle of a small Connecticut town, we ran into each other and became friends and then found a way to work with each other.”
Adds Filardi: “I really enjoyed Roger’s company and we were bouncing around ideas, so I wrote up this little script. The first person we pitched was Alec Asten of Firesite Films in Noank. Alec had made two noteworthy horror shorts that I was aware of, ‘The Curse of Micah Rood’ and ‘The Locket.’ We met and Alec introduced us to his friend Doug Lively of Invecta Entertainment, another Noank film company.”
Clark, Filardi, Lively and Asten hit it off instantly. Lively said, “It was one of those rare times that you feel like you’ve met brothers-in-arms. We just sat talking about films and our love of cinema and we decided we’d like to maybe all work together on a film as soon as possible.”
Asten became the “Hazardous” producer and cinematographer, Lively signed on as the project’s editor, and the entire Firesite and Invecta teams were activated for various technical and crew assignments.
No lack of direction
Filardi directed, something he’d wanted to do since “Chapelwaite,” a 10-episode series he co-wrote with his brother Jason Filardi for Epix network. Based on a Stephen King short story and starring Adrien Brody, “Chapelwaite” aired in 2021 and used six different directors to helm respective episodes.
“I’ve always admired directors and when we did ‘Chapelwaite’ I got to see several directors work with essentially the same tools,” Filardi said. “It was amazing to see how wonderfully different each director’s work was. And I was just inspired to try it again.”
Going into “Hazardous,” everyone involved accepted that there wasn’t any money to be made — that it was just going to be for fun and creative enjoyment.
“Professionally, what happened is we got a bunch of wildly overqualified local people to go on this little adventure with us,” Filardi said. “And it worked. And we wanted to do it again.”
One aspect of the filmmaking was that, given the lack of budget, the utilization of non-professionals was key, and the bulk of those participating were younger folks attending Guilford High School.
All hail the young persons
“One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed working with Peter is that he loves sharing his passion for making movies by giving opportunities to young people who might be interested in pursuing it for a career,” Lively said. “I feel the same way. We fill key positions with a professional crew, then invite any interested college or high school people onboard to work side by side with the pros. And we’ve loved seeing them dive right in and just soak it all up.”
There was and is a sizeable “family affair” and/or neighborhood element to using young persons. David Lively, the son of Doug Lively and his wife Tiffany (an Invecta partner and photographer), was at the time of “Hazardous” a student at Berklee School of Music. He composed the “Hazardous” film score and also handled the soundtrack for “Damn Handy.”
There was also a snowball effect once the word started getting out.
“The Filardis and my family have been close for years, ever since they moved to Guilford,” said Lexi Handelman, a senior at Guilford High School who was an extra in “Hazardous” and is prop master on “Damn Handy.” “I’ve always expressed interest in Peter and Claudia’s writing endeavors, and Peter knows I have a passion for theater and, by extension, acting and film. Plus, my mom (Kim Handelman) is the production designer on ‘Damn Handy.’ These experiences have been incredible! The film industry is a difficult industry to enter. Having access to accomplished professionals has been a huge opportunity for me to learn from some of the best.”
Handelman’s sister Cassie, a sophomore at Guilford High, is the costume designer for “Damn Handy.” Having worked on the costume crew and served as costume co-crew chief on various school productions, Cassie said the film experience is quite different.
Excitement and responsibility
“On stage, if an item isn’t perfect, it’s OK because of the harsh lighting or distance from the audience,” Cassie said. “For a short film, everything has to be neat and very intentional. I focused on getting to know the characters and talked with Peter about what he was looking for. I spent a lot of time distressing clothing items and making them bloody, even just going outside and rubbing something in the dirt.”
Filardi said he also recruited one of the special effects makeup artists, Gianna Amter, a Guilford High junior, after seeing some of her Halloween makeup work on Instagram. “It’s amazing what they can do, and it’s hard to believe they’re just in high school,” Filardi said. “They might ask, ‘Well, what should the monster look like?’ And I say, ‘What do YOU think the monster should look like? You’re the makeup artist. Do your own thing and don’t rely on references from other horror movies.’ And they take it and go with it.”
Asten emphasized that there was definitely a consciously education component to the film. He said, “You know, Doug and Peter and I have all been teachers in one capacity or another. And part of the fun of doing this is giving back — with part of the objective of these films to be a sort of working classroom.”
Part of the experience, of course, was the lack of room for mistakes. The professionals wanted to make the young people feel comfortable, but there was a level of genuine pressure that’s part of the experience.
“Everyone on the team was so incredibly fabulous,” said Lexi Handelman. “(The professionals) took time to explain how things worked or terminology if I didn’t understand. The biggest thing I want to get across about my experience is how valuable an opportunity it was and how grateful I am to Peter for involving me and inviting me … The crew and cast truly are one big happy family.”
Filardi said, “Putting young enthusiasts in key positions wasn’t lip service. We put them there and we held them accountable. They have to have costumes ready and show up two hours early to do monster makeup. And they all stepped up and were ready.
“It’s fun to share our love of cinema with young people, but it’s also a great chance for them to learn from professionals and manage that level of responsibility and expectation. We don’t have time to pander on a film shoot. It’s a steep learning curve and I’m happy to say everyone of our young filmmaker rose to the occasion.”
Built for the future
Regarding the future, Clark, Filardi, Lively and Asten would love to continue collaborating. They’ve all got their “real jobs,” of course, but they’re sufficiently excited of the work they’ve done to keep their options open.
As for the younger crew members, some have expressed a desire to pursue film and stage, at least to the next level.
“Some of these kids are so hands-on and so talented that there’s room in the industry for them,” Clark said. “Often, I couldn’t tell the difference between the pros and the kids. I know it was invaluable to me when I was young and had any interaction with professionals, and to learn what’s expected and the amount of work and the atmosphere involved. Personally, I’ll say that if any of these kids have any aspirations, all they have to do is reach out.”