Hollywood horror film to be made in and around Mansfield
The Mansfield area is once again the location of a major film.
Local director, producer and writer Gary Jones is filming "Dead Run: Detour" starting June 3 in Richland County.
This movie is the first of a planned trilogy called the Ohio Heartland Chronicles.
His latest horror film is about a young girl who takes a job as a funeral home transport driver.
"She doesn't know what she's transporting," Jones said, making sure not to give too much away about the film and what happens on the back roads which he said will be, "a thrill ride."
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Jones, who has been a Crestline resident since 2005, on Friday said there is nothing better than working close to home.
In 2021, Jones filmed "Escape From Death Block 13," in the Mansfield area, with the bulk of the scenes taking place in the historic prison-turned-museum known as The Ohio State Reformatory.
In June, he is planning to shoot a car scene on Richland Shale Road for a couple days. Richland County commissioners approved a permit from Jones and his company, Mosquito Entertainment, asking for the road closure.
The films will be shot in and around Mansfield, Crestline, Galion and Ontario, he said. The final production is expected to be released at the end of 2024 or in 2025.
Bob Cohen, director of Braintree Business Development Center on East Fifth Street, said Jones is a Michigan native who has been in the area for several years, coming here by way of Hollywood, and has been a Braintree Business Development Center client for about three years. The Heartland Horror Chronicles was one of 23 Ohio film productions awarded the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, five of which have a Mansfield connection, Cohen added.
The film is set to feature Sophie Swiszcz and Matt Fling. Several local actors also have been cast including Bo Roberts, Lyindaa Russell, Jimmie Lee (ASWA wrestler) and Chris Hahn, Jones said.
Extras will be needed to portray lost souls, he said.
Jones said his goal is to shoot for a PG-13 rating so families can watch the film together.
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Gary Jones known for films including 'Mosquito' and 'Escape from Death Block 13'
Jones is an award-winning director, screenwriter, producer and visual effects supervisor with more than 50 motion pictures and 30 TV episodes to his credit. Recently, Jones wrote, produced and directed, "Escape from Death Block 13," a retro action adventure inspired by 1970's action films. The film stars Robert Bronzi, Nicholas Turturro, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Chris Hahn. The film was released in October 2021, according to Gary Jones' IMDb biography.
In 1995, Jones made his directorial debut with the SyFy cult classic "Mosquito" starring Gunnar Hansen, the original "Leatherface" from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and Ron Asheton, guitarist from the punk rock band "The Stooges."
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In 2009, Jones was chosen by Sam Raimi and Sony Pictures to direct "Boogeyman 3" the third installment of their series. The supernatural horror film stars Erin Cahill, Jayne Wisener and Kate Maberly. After finishing post-production, Jones switched genres and directed "Ballistica," the fast paced action-thriller starring Robert Davi, Martin Kove and Paul Logan. Jones also supervised the visual effects and created the film's title sequence.
In TV, Jones has directed episodes of "Xena: Warrior Princess;" "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys;" "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids," and "Sheena." Jones returned to the creature feature genre in 2013 with the SyFy network premiere of "Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan." He co-wrote, produced and directed the film as well as supervising the creation of the more than 400 visual effects shots needed to bring Paul Bunyan to life. For his work on "Axe Giant," Jones was inducted into The International Indie Filmmakers Hall of Fame and received the award for outstanding directing of 2014.
Other films Jones has directed for SyFy include, "Ghouls," "Spiders," "Crocodile 2 Death Swamp," "Lightning Strikes," "Xenophobia," and "Planet Raptor."
As a producer, Jones' credits include the 2019 western adventure "Warpath" starring Tom Mathews and Sasha Higgins. Jones also directed second unit and created the visual effects. His other producing credits include the action film "Death Kiss;" a sci-fi thriller "Moontrap: Target Earth;" the supernatural horror film "The Death Matter," and the grind-house horror favorite, Robert Kurtzman's "The Rage."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Hollywood horror film to be made in and around Mansfield Ohio
