By Julie D’Aloiso
In 2016, some of you may remember some discussions about a movie project here in town called The Dollhouse (see related article).
Before I give the update about that, the Director Russell Emanuel recently asked me to represent him at the Origins Film Festival at the Origins Game Fest in Columbus! Two of his movies were screened: “The Assassin’s Apprentice” and “Occupants”. And I was very happy to accept the award Best Feature Film award for Russell for “Occupants”!
So many memories of the trip, here are a few pictures:
Getting back to the DollHouse movie project. At the Origins Film Festival I met other people working on movies, and learned more about the whole process.
I even found a game that could possible cross promote my movie:
Getting back to my movie project:
If you remember: We launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2017.
So where are we now? The money raised from the campaign was able to fund the writer for the movie. I am currently working with the writer and am finding out that it takes longer than anticipated to “make a movie”.
Here is the current synopsis which is a work in progress:
On a cold, wintry blizzard in 1921, Joe Cordray mysteriously disappears while on a job in a recently abandoned home. The only clue – A child’s dollhouse sitting atop a frilly pink bed.
Fast forward to the present. Ellen Chapman, recent big city transplant, struggles to keep up with the leisurely pace of small town living. Unlike her widowed mother, who finds the atmosphere positive and life affirming, Ellen sticks out like a sore thumb. She spends her days avoiding the local bully who has a deep-seated hatred for city folk. Oddly enough, it’s the only thing Ellen actually looks forward to in her self-imposed dreary existence.
All that changes when the vice principal tears down a sealed up annex of the school building and discovers a large box containing a dollhouse – The identical one that was around when Joe Cordray went missing. She places the dollhouse in an empty room and leaves for a self-conferred vacation.
Ellen’s history teacher, Mary Pride stays late one night grading papers. She’s the only person Ellen has any meaningful connection with via their love of early American history. Mary feels an uneasy presence outside her classroom door. She goes to investigates. A figure disappears round the bend, just shy of Mary’s peripheral vision. She follows and ends up in the room where the dollhouse resides. A ghastly sight greets her and the room is suddenly empty, save for the dollhouse sitting atop a large table.
Ellen shows up to school the next day to a slew of whispers and rumors. Mary Pride disappeared, leaving all her belongings still on the teacher’s desk and her car still sitting at her assigned spot. Days go by. Nothing. Local cops begin doing their rounds, questioning friends and family. Nothing.
Ellen seems worried. The local bully makes a salty remark about “missing Mary” and the two square off and straight to detention. While on a bathroom break in detention, Ellen catches a figure crossing the edge of her sight. She goes to investigate but gets stop by the detention monitor.
Ellen sets off to further investigate what she witnessed and brings a few friends along for the ride. They scour the school halls, keeping in touch with their phones. One by one, they go missing. Ellen being the last, she attempts to escape and runs straight into the local bully who chase her into the room where the dollhouse sits.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Ellen finds herself no longer in the school but in a strange manor. There’s no sign of the bully or her posse. She tries to leave but all the exit doors lead her back into the house.
Follow the movie project on Facebook for future updates: https://www.facebook.com/thedollhousemovieohio/
