Indie horror film The Axeman of Henderson County comes for one night only to Athena Cinema Saturday night.
Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean people can’t enjoy some low-budget horror.
For one night only, the West Virginia-made film The Axeman of Henderson County comes to the Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., on Saturday at 7 p.m., in the film’s first official theatrical screening.
“I hope that when people come to the movie, they come in with an open mind,” said Megan Marie Wilson, who plays Stacy in the film. “I know a lot of people think when they see an indie film they think ‘Oh God, this is going to be horrible,’ and while some aren’t great, some are good. Plus, a lot of well-known films were indies, like Halloween.”
A tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy, the film was made by Semi-Charmed Productions, with husband-wife team Larry and Cindy Parmiter making the film as director and writer, respectively. Despite its low-budget origins and small town background of Parkersburg, West Virginia, the film features wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, West Virginia University football hall of famer Major Harris and Jeremy Ambler, a featured zombie in The Walking Dead.
Most of the cast will be in attendance Saturday night, according to Larry. Alexandra Kamody, managing director of the Athena Cinema, was approached by the group after the filmmaker’s friends showcased their movie, and found it to be a great venue for their film, and not too far from their West Virginia location.
“I’m both excited and nervous about the film,” Larry said. “It’s a mix of emotions, but I am eager to hear what people think of the movie.”
Although Larry feels that the movie isn’t exactly the way he would like it, he is proud of it overall, and feels people should come out and experience the film.
“While I haven’t seen the final film yet, I have read the script and it’s very strong,” Wilson said. “So I am 100 percent confident that this movie is a success. If you are going to watch an indie movie, know that it’s an indie. You really got to have an open mind. These people, whether it’s the cast or crew or producers, puts their heart and souls into it.”
At the moment, Larry and Cindy Parmiter are working on their next movie, Duncan, which Wilson is also set to star in. Production isn’t cemented yet, but the plan is to shoot the movie in either the spring or summer.
Additionally, between 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, the actors and crew will be signing autographs, selling DVDs and more at Peddler’s Junction in Belpre. As of press time, there are still 50 tickets available to purchase.
“We have gotten a lot of good responses on Facebook praising the work we have done and saying that they were inspired by us, which feels really good,” Wilson said. “It really makes my day knowing that we inspired someone.”
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