Cast, Crew and Fan Screening: 'The Jester'

Oct. 2—Epic Pictures' new horror film "The Jester" will be screened at 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at Warehouse Cinemas in Frederick. Colin Krawchuk wrote and directed the film from a story by Michael Sheffield and Colin Krawchuk. Frederick's Eduardo Sánchez, co-creator of the original horror blockbuster "The Blair Witch Project," and Patrick Ewald served as the film's executive producers, among others.

The film follows the story of two estranged sisters who find themselves being stalked by a malevolent being known as The Jester. Revealing himself to be more than just a man in a mask, the evil entity begins to further torment the inhabitants of this small town on Halloween night. The path to defeating this unholy monster lies with the two sisters who realize that the only way to survive is to figure out how to right the wrongs of their dark past.

"The Jester" is based on a short film trilogy by Krawchuk and stars Lelia Symington ("Brut Force"), Matt Servitto ("The Sopranos"), Ken Arnold ("Swagger") and Sam Lukowski ("Satanic Hispanics").

"When Brian Clarke [developer of The Mortuary Assistant game] introduced me to Colin's insanely popular YouTube shorts of 'The Jester,' I was immediately captivated and knew we had to make a feature film out of them," said Epic Picture Group CEO Patrick Ewald. "It is incredible to see how Colin has taken his original concept and evolved it into a truly terrifying feature film."

"It's been so exciting to see the little short film we made back in 2016 eventually get us to the big screen," said director Colin Krawchuk. "Turning the essence of a short into a feature was an unexpected challenge — and one that could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of a passionate crew."

Tickets to a VIP reception at 5 p.m. at Warehouse Cinemas cost $40 and include food, giveaways and a chance to meet some of the cast and crew. General admission for the screening costs $20.