The TRIP Local Premiere

This scary season, Los Angeles-based director, actor, writer and producer Dean Jacobs will return to his native Pittsburgh for the local premiere of The TRIP, a haunted house/slasher film honoring the legacy of late director George A. Romero as well as the city of Pittsburgh.

Featuring local and nationally known actors, the film screens Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. as part of The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center’s Emerging Filmmakers Showcase. Showcase events, a staple at The Lindsay, are designed to encourage exchanges between local filmmakers and the public, and are free to all.

“Supporting local filmmakers with Showcase events is part of The Lindsay’s mission,” says Carolina Pais-Barreto Thor, The Lindsay’s CEO. “It is always such a thrill to see local filmmakers get a chance to show their work on the big screen, and we are especially delighted to see Dean bring the results of his West Coast experience back home.”

The setting is a farmhouse in Westmoreland County’s Mount Pleasant, where four childhood friends visit with plans for a relaxing weekend. But, Jacobs says, “the group soon finds out the house has something else planned.”

Raised in McMurray and a 2002 graduate of Peters Township High School, Jacobs began performing at the age of 10 for South Park Children’s Theatre, Little Lake Theater and others. 

After graduating from Indiana University of PA, he landed some film roles, including a small role in the locally shot feature, A New York Heartbeat, opposite future Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan. Afterward, Jacobs decided to make the move to LA.

“Filmmaking can and should be accessible for everyone with a desire to create,” Jacobs says. “If you have a (phone) camera—and almost everyone does—that’s a good start. Tell a story. Give the audience something to invest in.

“George Romero wrote the textbook on making a great independent film on a minimal budget. My intention was always to pay tribute to the city of Pittsburgh and, in some small way, hopefully honor the legacy of Romero in the process,” Jacobs says. “The casting of Lori Cardille and John Amplas furthered that intention.”

In Romero’s third zombie film, Day of the Dead, Cardille played the lead role, a tough-edged woman who had to fight off her rage-fueled male counterparts as well as zombies. She’s the daughter of “Chilly Billy” Cardille, host of Pittsburgh’s Chiller Theater from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, who played a small role in Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

Amplas, in addition to his roles in  Romero films (Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Creepshow, Martin and Knightriders), served as Romero’s casting director. Theater director at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Amplas taught theater at Point Park University for more than 20 years.

Other stars of The TRIP include: Doug Bradley, who played the lead role of Pinhead in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Luke Edwards, whose film credits include The Wizard, Newsies, Little Big League, Jeepers Creepers II, and Hannah Fierman, a horror film veteran known for films and television shows including V/H/S, Siren, Creepshow, Dynasty and Vampire Diaries. LA-based actor Evan Sloan and Salt Lake City-based Calvin Dittmore round out the main cast.

Director of photography Ethan Leisie is from Cranberry Township and supporting crew all live in the tri-state area.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers. Big Spring Spirits, a community-centric craft distillery that is based in Bellefonte, Pa. and operates a store in Sewickley, will also be on hand with “The TRIP-inspired” signature cocktails available for purchase.

While admission is free, those attending are asked to RSVP at The Lindsay’s ticketing page to ensure seating for all.