Trapped in an elevator with zombies: Longtime friends from Syracuse debut movie on Amazon – syracuse.com

What happens if the zombie apocalypse begins while youre trapped in an elevator?

A pair of longtime friends from Syracuse put a scary twist on the undead genre in a new horror movie called Deadlocked, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The film follows five young strangers stuck in an apartment building elevator when a virus breaks out, and must work together to escape an infected rider and the zombies awaiting them outside.

Nick Ghezzi co-wrote Deadlocked with director Josh Bailey from a story by Ed Tommassi, Ghezzis friend of 25 years. Ghezzi and Tommassi both graduated from Westhill High School in 2000.

I always knew Nick was a crazy talented writer and was like, witty, which I think is half the distance in terms of script writing, Tommassi told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Im constantly running through scenarios. I swear Im a very normal human but Ive just always been intrigued with the post-apocalyptic genre as a whole, so I had this initial idea of a zombie apocalypse happening and a group stuck in an elevator, and Nick developed the whole narrative and characters.

Ghezzi and Tommassi are fans of the zombie genre, citing influences like The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later and George Romero. Tommassi even worked on promos for The Walking Dead around the time the AMC TV series launched in 2010.

I love anything zombie related. Its such a fun world to live in, Tommassi said.

The film was shot in Portland, Oregon, in 2015, but Ghezzi notes the timing of its release Dec. 1, 2020 may make viewers see similarities to the coronavirus pandemic.

Its about a group of strangers working together to overcome a great adversity, Ghezzi said.

Tommassi, 38, has been living in Rochester since the Covid-19 crisis began, but normally splits his time between Los Angeles and New York City working in marketing for Disneys ESPN, Marvel and Freeform.

Ghezzi, 39, lives in Canastota and works for a financial institution in East Syracuse.

Deadlocked is his first movie, but already hes thinking about another one with Tommassi. Theyre hoping to do a psychological thriller revolving around the rideshare industry, and may consider filming in Central New York next year.

Ghezzi says they shot Deadlocked in Portland because thats where Bailey, an up-and-coming director, is from. Most of the cast is also from Portland, but one lead actor, Nick Champa, is a Syracuse native who graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School.

'Deadlocked' is a new zombie movie created by Nick Ghezzi and Ed Tommassi, two lifelong friends from Syracuse. Pictured is cast member Nick Champa, a Fayetteville-Manlius High School graduate.Provided

Tommassi said Champas mother, who works in food services at Syracuse University, reached out to a friend of Tommassis mom and connected them in L.A. Champas other credits include the 2016 short The Letter, the YouTube series Astrid Clover, and a 2019 documentary called Jawline.

Tommassi hopes their success Deadlocked already has 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon shows anyone can be a filmmaker, no matter what their day job is.

All it really takes is a great idea and then the gumption. If you want something, you just have to make it happen. Your hustle has to be stronger than 10,000 others with the same dream, he said. If youre willing to hustle and make the grind, you can make it happen.

Deadlocked is currently streaming on the Amazon streaming service, free to Prime members.

Read the original:
Trapped in an elevator with zombies: Longtime friends from Syracuse debut movie on Amazon - syracuse.com

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero