(Photo by Jack Reynolds)
It’s been said that when one door closes, another opens, and the same is true even in the television industry. When two New Jersey filmmakers found themselves with lots of time on their hands, they decided to put their minds together and funnel their passion into writing and filming a horror movie. With a small budget and a bare-bones crew, every second, every crew member and every volunteer made a world of difference. Filming just wrapped after two jam-packed weeks on Long Beach Island.
The movie, “Red Flag,” “an extreme horror movie about horrible relationships,” was taken from a sparse outline of Act I to a fully composed script, then through funding and filming, all in just over a year’s time. There’s still a long road of post-production and promotion ahead, but there’s a distinct possibility of seeing an LBI-based film screened at our very own Lighthouse International Film Festival.
In each of the film’s three acts, the viewers get a glimpse into alternate versions of the same ill-fated, but celestially intertwined relationship. Employing Hemingway’s iceberg theory, the film will have its audience picking up on patterns without predicting what comes next. The bigger story is left up to the viewers’ interpretation.
Filmmakers Mike Cangemi and Matt Giaquinto took notes from horror greats John Carpenter, Wes Craven and Stanley Kubrick. Islanders might, in fact, see some of that symbolism woven into their familiar landmarks. For example, their tribute to “The Shining” manifests in an iconic, chilling hallway scene shot at none other than the Sea Shell Beach Club and Resort.
DREAM TEAM: (Clockwise from above) ‘Red Flag’s’ cast and crew (clockwise from left of back row) Bizz DeCrenza, Sean Tulner, William Vonroth III, Keith Lombardi, Mike Cangemi, Sheila Hilliard, Jovanna Del Plato, Claire Blackwelder, Neal Ward, James A. Pierce III, Michael Vassallo, Silvio Luvolsi and Matt Giaquinto huddle in to celebrate their hard work and say ‘thanks’ to all who supported their creative efforts. (Supplied Photo)
“Thanks to Mike Boyle at the Sea Shell for allowing us to overstay our welcome,” co-writer and producer Cangemi joked. “Trust me, the shots are worth it.”
“I still can’t believe we did all this,” said Cangemi, who’s been visiting Long Beach Island from the Montclair area since childhood and even plays music locally.
“My dad fell in love with LBI when we were very young, so we became summer kids,” he said. His parents are the friendly proprietors at Foodies LBI. “I was sad at the death of Pier 18. That’s how long I’ve been coming here.”
Co-writer and director Giaquinto, from Bloomfield, met Cangemi while working in the reality television industry, which they described as paying the bills but, of course, not passion-stoking.
“We’d locked eyes before the pandemic while working on ‘90 Day Fiancé,’” Cangemi shared, “and it was like ‘OK, what are we doing?’”
Both of them self-proclaimed horror nerds, Cangemi had been dying to make a horror film. “And Matt was the guy,” he said, describing his co-writer as “master of all,” with experience in the genre. In fact, Giaquinto has won three Emmy Awards over the course of his three decades in the field.
“I write really disturbing stories, and then I spend my afternoons frolicking with my rescue cats,” he said, chuckling.
He made his first feature film, “The Good Book,” almost 30 years ago, about a futuristic society ruled by a government that forces its citizens to live their lives entirely indoors via the internet, or otherwise be banished from the community.
“That was in 1997, and nobody knew what I was talking about,” he said with a laugh. Then, however, the pandemic hit, and cult film studio Vinegar Syndrome reached out to Giaquinto about re-releasing it.
Blackwelder and Ward share a quick laugh in between takes of exchanging some bloody blows on camera. (Supplied Photo)
“I was coming home from the screening in late 2023 high off endorphins, and I thought, ‘OK, one more movie.’”
Meanwhile, the whole industry had collapsed due to Hollywood’s double strike, leaving Cangemi and Giaquinto with nothing but time to pursue writing a film that Giaquinto had conceived in 2006.
Once they decided to go all in, Giaquinto gave the most critical piece of advice: “Once we agree to do it, we can’t stop. Once you stop, you’re dead.” His second piece of advice to Cangemi was to tell everyone what they’re doing in order to keep them accountable and widen their network as people expressed interest in getting involved.
“We collected a bunch of people from all different walks of life and made a nice little team,” he said.
Cangemi called Bizz DeCrenza to bring in his favorite crew, Showbizz Productions, which he’d worked with for years. Wonderfully horrific makeup and effects were executed by Sean Turner, Sonia Witek and Jovanna Del Plato.
There were only three acting roles to fill: husband, wife and Godfrey. An astonishing 3,000 women auditioned for the leading wife role, which was awarded to Claire Blackwelder, best known for her role as the purple Power Ranger from “Power Rangers Dino Charge.”
The filmmakers spotted actor Neal Ward in horror-comedy flick “Feed Me,” which earned him Best Actor at 2022’s British Film Awards, and decided to send him an Instagram message asking him if he’d be interested in their film. Just like that, he was cast as the leading husband role.
Blackwelder takes notes from director Giaquinto while her scene partner, Ward (lying on table), enjoys a little rest from all the killing. (Supplied Photo)
James A. Pierce III, known for his work in the original Broadway cast of “Anastasia” and, more recently, as the lead in Samuel D. Hunter’s “A Case for the Existence of God,” was cast as Godfrey.
Once they had their cast locked in, the next order of business was location, location, location. In order to keep the audience’s focus on the story among the main characters, the film was intentionally shot predominantly indoors, with the exception of a few exteriors and some drone footage. This is where LBI came in clutch.
“Through a friend of ours, Marko Grasso (of Rusty Anchor Trading), we were introduced to Billy Vonroth, whose family owns two properties on LBI,” Cangemi said with gratitude. Act I was shot in Vonroth’s lakefront home in the wooded hills of Hibernia, “with real trap doors,” Cangemi was excited to share. Most of Acts II and III were shot in the Vonroths’ Brant Beach homes, one of them their primary family residence. “His family allowed us to shoot our entire dream movie in their homes. So we were very lucky – and cautious!” He added, “We did warn them that there would be at least a little blood.”
Cangemi’s parents, who winter in Florida, offered up their condo. “They live at Shelter Harbor Marina, which has a beautiful clubhouse,” he explained, extending particular thanks to Michael and Susan Nalepa and the entire board at Shelter Harbor. “We ended up getting clearance to use it, and they were nice enough not to charge us.”
However, then the fog machine set off the smoke alarm, “and all the cops and firefighters on the Island showed up,” he added. Cangemi had to call his parents in Florida in the middle of the night and hope he wasn’t in danger of being disowned, he quipped. “We went from quietly filming this horror film to announcing exactly what we were doing to the whole Island.”
It wasn’t Giaquinto’s first rodeo, as a former nightclub owner. “I went outside right away and announced, ‘No open flame, just a fog machine!’” Fortunately, the responders were all kind to the film crew, and they were able to return to the task at hand.
That was just one of many hiccups along the way. On day one, Ocean County Dental’s Dr. Harry Gilbert was called on to fix their makeup artist’s tooth, saving the day. Throughout filming on LBI, Cangemi was pulled over a total of eight times for a busted taillight until local mechanic Mike Bruno made a necessary repair. But, of most of the stunts gone wrong, the worst of it was getting prop blood in places where blood shouldn’t be.
Having worked together in production and editing, Cangemi knew they’d make an efficient team.
“Who better to direct our movie than our editor? Matt’s one of the greatest editors in the business,” he said. “If you can get along in that high-stress environment, what better partner to write a film with?”
Coming from the perspective of both editor and director, Giaquinto had preplanned every shot to maximize his time and resources. His process was highly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock, who said the most expensive part of making a movie is the actual filming, and the cheapest part is the most creative part, which is pre-production (planning, writing, blocking, costume designing). The storyboards were set, and the crew knew exactly where every light, camera and actor should be stationed, so they could waste no time or money in the filming process.
“While that’s happening, I’m set designing a room next door,” Cangemi added. “We’re doing double duty and wearing a lot of hats through all this.”
The film is now in post-production, and then they’ll have to begin campaigning to have it screened.
“We still have another mountain to climb, but I’ve seen it in its rough state with no music and no editing, and I’m already excited,” Cangemi said.
Cangemi and Giaquinto attribute their success to a small but mighty crew. “Everybody’s job was super crucial,” Cangemi shared.
“You always see ‘filmed by’ in the credits, and I hate that,” Giaquinto said in agreement. “It’s such a collaborative process, and every single person on our 15-person crew contributed so much. So it’d be pretty offensive for me to say ‘filmed by Matt Giaquinto.’”
And that sentiment extends beyond cast and crew, they said. They owe much thanks to Grasso for introducing them to so many helpful people and for being their LBI emergency contact. Of course, they expressed gratitude to Shelter Harbor Marina and the Vonroth family for giving their team places to film. Then there was Silvio Luvolsi, who “helped us with literally everything from meals to production runs to hanging set pieces,” Cangemi said.
Special thanks were in order to the Panzone family of Panzone’s Pizza & Pasta, as well, “for literally fueling our production and giving us home cooked, amazing meals every day and night,” Cangemi said, praising them for their flexibility in working late hours and accommodating dietary restrictions of his crew. “That is not for the faint of heart!”
Above all else, Giaquinto and Cangemi thanked each other, and their respective families, for their continued support and encouragement.
“I would love nothing more than for this to be our new job, Matt and I,” said Cangemi. “We’ll definitely need a little bit more money. We’ve cashed in all our favors, and I’m down to, like, zero charm level,” he quipped. “If we can keep our band together, that would be great.”
In the meantime, horror fans can follow their progress on Instagram at @redflagmovie.
“Matt told me making this movie was going to change me forever, and it absolutely has,” said Cangemi. “It’s been the craziest experience of my life, and I thank Matt every day for it.”
