Filming will start next week for a theatrical movie that its writer/director/producer calls a psychological thriller with a message.
“Rachel’s Return” is the story of a young woman dealing with the issues of promiscuity and peer pressure.
She is murdered by a stranger while hitchhiking after fleeing from her boyfriend and returns from her grave, said Victor Thomas Di Tommaso, the writer, director, and producer.
Di Tommaso said his movie will deal with the issues that teenagers face and said it is not a “slasher movie.”
He described it as “a psychological thriller that turns into a horror movie.”
Di Tommaso said principal filming will be done in Taft. He is seeking permission to film at local schools.
He was in Taft again Wednesday to meet with the Taft City Council for approval to use a municipal parking lot for storage and to film scenes at City Hall.
Filming will start on July 21 and continue through Aug. 14, Di Tommaso said.
The crew will be filming Wednesday through Sunday and taking Monday and Tuesday off each week.
Di Tommaso said casting for the movie is still underway and the lead character may be played by either Julie Marie Berman, who appears on the soap opera General Hospital, or by Danielle Monet.
He said other actors in the film include Charlie Matthau, son of famed actor Walter Matthau; Bart Johnson, who played coach Jack Bolton in the popular “High School Musical” series; and Mary-Margaret Humes from “Dawson’s Creek.”
Also appearing in the movie is professional wrestler Kevin Nash, who may be available for autographs in Taft, Di Tommaso said.
Locals will be needed as extras, he said.
Taft, Calif. —
