Indie horror film shot entirely in N.J. town will premiere this summer – NJ.com

The first feature-length film The Haunting on the River shot completely in the Town of Clinton will make its debut in August at the historic Red Mill Museum Village.

For resident Mark Zhutianli, owner of Citispot Tea & Coffee, The Haunting on the River is the first feature-length movie he has written and directed. The movie, which was filmed at various locations in Clinton, centers on the friendship of three teenagers and their efforts to eliminate a ghost that haunts the Red Mill and threatens the safety of the town.

I hope at least that this movie can play a role in continuing to enrich our culture for our little Town of Clinton, Zhutianli said. In this digital age, although we can go all over the place to search for information, I think having something of your own has a special value. I hope this film will have an effect to inspire others locally.

Producer Christine Groth of Bethlehem Township said they are seeking sponsors for the movies premiere weekend. All proceeds from the screenings will go to The Red Mill Museum Village.

This is about supporting the arts, all sponsorships will allow filmmaking to continue, Clinton Mayor Janice Kovach said. For (Zhutianli) this is a passion project. He doesnt have to do it, but he loves Clinton and filmmaking, so he put the time into this project.

The film will debut on Thursday, Aug. 25, followed by a special family-friendly showing on Friday, Aug. 26. There will be an additional showing on Saturday, Aug. 27. Tickets for the premiere and showings will go on sale starting in May.

Another special showing will also be held at Hunts Mill Park in September. All proceeds from this showing will go to the Clinton Fire Department, and tickets will go on sale this summer.

The town normally charges fees from any kind of film production, and the town waved all of the fees, Zhutianli said. How enthusiastic that our whole local government, from our government office, fire department, emergency services management to the police department participated.

They physical participated with their uniforms, trucks and even became actors. I think at this moment, I have not seen another town with our enthusiasm.

Cast and crew on location from "The Haunting on the River" indie film, which was shot entirely in the Town of Clinton in 2021.

Inspire by Clintons 150 years of history and passionate about his community, Zhutianli wrote the script for the film in 2019. He had previously created several documentaries about the town, including Living in Clinton, The Great Fire of Clinton and The Story of the Clinton Music Hall.

Groth has been friends with Zhutianli for over 20 years, and first learned about the project when Zhutianli asked her to edit his script. At the time, Groth said she was in the middle of writing her own novel and would often visit Zhutianlis coffee shop to work on her book.

I was happy to edit the script when he asked me, but when he asked me to do more at first, I said no because I knew it would take up much of my time, Groth said. So, we found a couple of people to help him out, but their schedules didnt allow for everything that he needed, and I just fell into it and kept going.

Co-managing a cast and crew composed of 300 volunteers, Groth said that everyone who worked on this movie were residents or from surrounding towns.

Everyone, expect for people like me who are retired, had full time jobs and theyre volunteers, Groth said. So, they were crew members at night, they acted at night, so everyone was volunteers with no pay whatsoever. It was all a community effort and a labor of love.

But making this indie flick was no easy feat, Groth said as shooting delays occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Groth said filming was cancelled, and five out of their eight lead actors quit.

The film hadnt even started yet, and people were quitting for various different reasons, Zhutianli said. I saw our organization start to fall apart, until Groth came along and held a firm grip that helped bring the organization back together.

They recast their five lead roles and began shooting in September 2021.

I am happy I had a plan B, because I think it actually turned out better with the people that we had because they are locals and their all committed, Groth said. This is their town, everyone is going to see them, they know lots of people, their friends are going to see them. I think they put more into it than the people that were from outside the area.

Then filming was delayed again as Hurricane Ida causing flooding throughout the town. Despite this additional setback, Groth said they returned one week later and shot their final scene in early November of last year.

From the inception of the movie, Zhutianli said Kovach has been one of the projects biggest supporter. Kovach even plays a zombie in the film.

As mayor I was beyond thrilled that (Zhutianli) chose Clinton as his home and has chosen Clinton as the location for all that he does in film, Kovach said. Not just this movie, but also the documentaries that he has filmed all have a Clinton focus.

A film enthusiast herself, Kovach helped created the Clinton Film Commission and the towns River Town Film Festival in 2017. They were not able to host the festival in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

There is quite a bit of work that goes into it and it is completely run by volunteers with sponsor dollars, Kovach said.

Groth said the movie has brought so many people together, whom wouldnt normally interact with one another, saying of the premiere, I want to see everyones reaction because they dont know the whole story.

First Assistant Director Mark La Rue, who lives in Clinton Township, said he is excited to hear the feedback from the cast and crew at the premiere. I hope they see what I saw when I read the script in 2019, and what became of all the hard work, La Rue said. I want to sit back and see it on all of their faces.

For more information about The Haunting on the River visit its Facebook page.

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Vashti Harris may be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com.

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Indie horror film shot entirely in N.J. town will premiere this summer - NJ.com

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero