Cast and crew of “McCurdy Point” discuss a scene in front of Granite Hall Store in Round Pond. Filming took place in 2022. (Courtesy photo)
Two years after a cast and crew descended on Damariscotta Lake to make a horror film, Lincoln Theater will host a premiere event for “McCurdy Point” on Saturday, Nov. 2.
In the film, which was co-written by Lincoln Academy alum Ryan Gaul and Jeremy Brothers, Sam (Gaul) wins a weekend cabin getaway in the fictional town of McCurdy Point, Maine. He brings three friends to help celebrate his 40th birthday. Things quickly begin to go awry in the rural community in a story relayed to audiences via “found” footage.
Keil Kennedy, Christian Noah Roberts, and Joey Krulock also star in the film, which was produced by Kennedy, Gaul, Brothers, and Nick Paonessa.
“We created a film with a lot of emphasis on the characters, these four guys – we want people to care about them,” said Brothers, who co-directed the film with Paonessa. “We watched a lot of found footage movies. Many of the characters were annoying. We want people to love our characters, root for them, and hate to see awful things happen to them.”
“McCurdy Point,” at its base level is a ghost story. Scares were built with intense moments and atmosphere, similar to the 1999 horror film “The Blair Witch Project,” Brothers said.
“It’s not gory, not a slasher, there are no gross-out scenes,” Gaul said. “It’s more eerie and evocative than violent.”
Filming took place in and around Damariscotta during the fall of 2022. In addition to Gaul, the “McCurdy Point” includes appearances from fellow LA alums Mary Boothby and Joe Lugosch. Both were asked at the last minute and ably rose to the challenge.
“What we asked (Boothby) to do was not fun! She had to be in the lake, at the end October, in the middle of the night,” Gaul said.
Close to two years after filming wrapped, the producers are getting to hear audience reactions as “McCurdy Point” tours festivals.
“You put your heart and soul into a project for such a long time, then each day get a little more paranoid that people won’t like it,” Gaul said.
That doesn’t seem to be the case with “McCurdy Point.” It has picked up accolades from festivals, including Best Feature at the Chicago Horror Film Festival and Best in Show at the Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival, as well as positive feedback from audiences. After one screening, a viewer told a cast member it was a relief to know the actor was actually alive, Gaul said.
The Nov. 2 Lincoln Theater premiere is a homecoming and a celebration, according to Gaul, who will host a pre-screening reception with Brothers beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 2.
“It could not have been made without so many people who came out to support us,” Gaul said.
That support was both emotional and material. For instance, King Eider’s Pub, of Damariscotta, provided a filming location and catering for the shoot.
“To say ‘We need lunch and dinner every day for three weeks,’ and have Sarah (Maurer) and Jed (Weiss) deliver hot meals twice a day is one way in which this film is a community effort,” Gaul said.
Another day, when the film crew got stuck in a ditch, help arrived within 10 minutes to pull them out.
“It feels like more than a small town – people are connected,” Gaul said.
Tickets to the Nov. 2 reception and screening are $15 general admission. “McCurdy Point” is rated PG-13 for language and violent terror content that may not be suitable for young audiences.
Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St. in Damariscotta. For more information or to pre-purchase tickets, go to lincolntheater.net or call 563-3424.
For more information about “McCurdy Point,” go to seedandspark.com/fund/mccurdy-point or find the film’s Instagram page.
