Morbid curiosity: Area filmmaker among pitch competition finalists

Oct. 3—Think of it as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" meets "Friday the 13th": A group of aspiring filmmakers is lured to a horror convention with the promise of a chance to pitch their scripts to industry insiders. They flock to a recently restored historic theater in the center of a down-on-its-heels Rust Belt city and then, one by one, they are "eliminated" from the competition.

"I feel like I'm living it," filmmaker Jacob Perrett said with a laugh earlier this week.

But unlike the grisly ends met by numerous characters in his previous films, Perrett hopes this story ends on a brighter — if still bloody — note.

"It would be an opportunity to elevate what I've done so far," the 24-year-old said in a phone interview, "to go from crowdfunding money to producer money — that's when 'real' movies are made."

The opportunity comes as the result of "Morbid Curiosity," the Saegertown native's latest horror film script and one of five finalists in a pitch competition that is part of Eerie Horror Fest. The annual four-day marathon of horror films and shorts from around the world takes place this week at the Warner Theatre in Erie and is organized by the Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Perrett will pitch the idea to a panel of film executives in front of a live audience Thursday at 4 p.m. For those dying to know how the process works and, more importantly, whether Perrett's film idea proves to be the lone survivor, the event is open to festival-goers with all-access passes or Thursday passes for the celebration of horror movies.

Not only is the event a "golden ticket" of sorts for the writers of the five scripts that will be pitched, it's a rare opportunity for northwest Pennsylvania residents to go behind the scenes into the real world of moviemaking, according to Erika Berlin, director of the Greater Erie Film Office and one of the festival organizers.

"Our goal with the pitch competition is to connect filmmakers with producers and distributors who can take their careers to the next level, and to create opportunities for more films to be produced in Erie," Berlin said in a statement announcing the finalists. "What a great opportunity for fest attendees to watch the filmmaking process at its earliest stage: the idea. We encourage writers, artists, filmmakers and any creatives to attend on Thursday."

The winning scriptwriter will receive a consultation package with Blood Oath, a production company that specializes in independently created horror movies.

It's a prize worth shrieking over. Sure, Perrett has made five feature-length films before. In addition to screenings at The Movies at Meadville and various festivals, those films can be streamed online via Tubi or Amazon, or DVDs can be obtained through various major outlets. But for a director whose previous work has been supported by online fundraising — and who supports himself with jobs as a substitute teacher and supervisor at The Movies at Meadville — this would represent a new level of professionalism.

For those working in the horror genre, Perrett said, Blood Oath is "absolutely" the kind of company you want backing your work.

"If there's anyone in the game who knows what they're doing," Perrett said, "or can understand what a filmmaker wants as far as a horror movie is concerned, they would be a good choice for that."

Each pitch in the competition is allotted six minutes, Perrett said, half to present the idea and half for feedback. The panel of judges, including several executives from Blood Oath and another from Warner Brothers, will have already reviewed the opening pages of the script and the film's pitch deck — what Perrett called "a glorified slideshow" with a basic plot outline, character sketches and images, often from existing films, to convey the writer's conception of how the film will look on the screen.

"I think I'm down to two minutes," Perrett said of his pitch. "Their feedback is a lot more important than me taking up the majority of the time talking about the story."

John Lyons, the Erie-based filmmaker who directs Eerie Horror Fest, agreed with Perrett's take on the contest.

"While there will only be one official winner of the pitch competition, the feedback these filmmakers receive from our panel will be invaluable," Lyons said in announcing the finalists. "I certainly am jealous I didn't have this opportunity when I was starting my film career."

In addition to Perrett, the other finalists include two Erie-based filmmakers, Erik Brown and Braden McClain, and Ryan Imhoff, who had two scripts selected for the pitch competition.

And as for the script that put Perrett in the finals — "Morbid Curiosity" is the tale of a man driven by his fear of death and what may or may not come afterward. After marrying and raising a daughter, the man turns to religion, eventually becoming a priest. The new path helps the man's fears, but also raises new concerns.

"Now he's constantly worried about his wife and daughter, who didn't make that conversion," Perrett said. A visit from his daughter leads the man to pressure her toward religion. The two argue, the daughter leaves, and a car crash sends her to the hospital, where she is soon pronounced dead — perhaps too soon. She recovers, Perrett continued, perhaps through divine intervention.

"She's brought back and she brings with her the news of what she saw," Perrett said, "and it's a lot different from what her father has built his life and his safety around."

With a more explicit turn toward horror, Perrett said, the film explores the question of "what does a God-fearing man do when he's not afraid any more?"

Audiences will see the answer one way or another, according to Perrett, even if he doesn't win the contest.

"I'm very excited about it, but I'm trying my best not to put all my eggs in that one basket," he said. "If it doesn't work out, I'm still going to be making films at the end of the day regardless."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.