GLEN RIDGE, NJ — Four short movies, with a collective running time of about 90 minutes, were shown at the Glen Ridge Public Library on Friday evening, Oct. 26. Written and directed by Bloomfield resident Tom Ryan, they were part of a self-contained anthology called, “Theatre of Terror.”
Within the anthology, the four movies are shown being screened in a majestic movie house, the Loew’s, in Jersey City, for an audience of one, a young woman. Director/writer Ryan plays the part of the theater caretaker who screens the anthology for her.
The first movie she sees is “The Gift.” This story is a dark drama about a prostitute who accidentally causes a man’s death when she pushes him away and he falls. Panicky, she seeks refuge in an antique shop where she pours out her heart. We learn in flashback that she was a happily married mother until becoming addicted to workplace amphetamines. Turned out by the husband, she finds a way back into her home and the love of a young daughter through the assistance of the antique store owner who turns her into a doll.
The second movie, a creature feature, is “The Bookworm.” Shot at the Glen Ridge Public Library and the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center, this tells the story of a wealthy young man who seeks refuge from the troublesome world through the purchase of a private library and reading. His misfortune is that the library is not what it seems to be, but the dwelling of monstrous, slimy worms that turn out to be the metamorphosed remains of previous book lovers who have fallen prey to this cursed bibliotheque.
“Abducted,” the third short movie, is a sci-fi. In this, we learn from the sheriff that two college girls on a camping trip in the area never came out of the woods. He shows photographs of the missing to a man who is holding a shovel. The sheriff apparently knows the man. The man says he has never seen the girls, but is surprised to see the photograph of an acquaintance also missing. The sheriff cheerily asks the man if he is still digging for his grandfather’s treasure, but not expecting an answer, drives off. At night, the man witnesses the landing of a UFO. Within its bright lights, he confronts the missing acquaintance who disappears into the woods without a word. The following night, when the spaceship lands again,
the man abducts an alien.
The fourth movie is “Endangered,” a horror short. Its setting is a forested area and workers are marking trees to be removed. They are attacked by a predator, unseen by the audience, but sounding ferocious and capable of eliciting extreme terror in its victims.
Later, three protesters attempting to prevent the hunting of the gray wolf decide to take matters into their own hands by tossing buckets of pig’s blood onto unsuspecting hunters. They are met by a woman who offers them a place to clean up. They follow her home to discover the hunter they covered with blood. He is tied to the stake with a companion hunter. A werewolf is present.
In a telephone interview earlier this week, Ryan said each production had its difficulties. In “The Gift,” he almost lost the antique store location because the owner had a flood in his residence. “The Bookworm” was shot while the library was open, otherwise paid security would be required.
“That provided difficulties,” he said of shooting around library patrons.
In “Abducted,” much which was shot was at night in a wooded area. Ryan said lighting was difficult, it was cold and debris had been dumped in the area.
“Again, in ‘Endangered,’ we were out in the elements,” he said. “It was a long day and very difficult. In “The Gift,” it rained, but that helped the feeling.”
Solitary people played roles in the anthology. Ryan said solitude is definitely an element of horror films. He said in solitude is when we are trapped with our own fears.
“The point of doing the anthology is to explore all different forms of horror,” she said. “Being a fan of horror, I don’t rely on gore. I’m a story-driven writer and director. In ‘Endangered,’ we thought it poignant showing the wolves gutting the hunters. It was a fun moment. We consider it campy. It was a lot of fun for us.
“As the films progressed, from “The Gift,” with the doll crying, to “The Bookworm” and the slime, and the aliens in “Abducted” and then to “Endangered,” we wanted to build to that point. You might like all the films or you might like one, but we wanted to play with all subgenres.”
In “Endangered,” there was a crowd scene of protesters. It was presented as if on TV. Along the bottom was a crawl, a ticker tape of important, off-camera news. Reading it, audience members would learn of the mysterious disappearance of a young man who bought a private library — a reference to the previously seen “The Bookworm.”
“In all films I’ve written and directed,” Ryan said, “there are news bulletins. I use it as an “Easter egg.”
In his news bulletins, Ryan will provide information of other films he has made.
“All my films exist in the same world,” he said.
The anthology, “Theatre of Terror,” will be screened Jan. 12, in the Loew’s Theatre. For additional information, please go to: www.theatreofterror.net.
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