Newington native introduces horror film

Connecticut-made movie ‘Ten Minutes to Midnight’ premiering at Real Art Ways before national opening

A psychological horror thriller about a DJ melting down after contracting rabies, directed by Newington native Erik Bloomquist, will have its Northeast premiere in a one-time-only screening on Thursday at Real Art Ways in Hartford. Bloomquist and other cast and crew members will attend the screening.

“Ten Minutes to Midnight” is about the last day on the job of Amy, a longtime late-night radio host. On her way to work in a violent storm, she is bitten by a bat. The night turns into a literal horror show of confusion, conflict, hallucinations, blood and gore, as the whole staff is trapped inside by the weather.

“The central horror is the perceived disposability of people of a certain age, especially women,” Bloomquist said. “I’m using vampirism as a metaphor for losing yourself, transitioning to someone else, in a forced, invasive way.”

The film stars horror film veteran Caroline Williams (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” “Halloween 2”) as Amy. It also stars William Youmans, Nicole Kang and Adam Weppler, who also co-produced, co-wrote and starred in Bloomquist’s last film,

“Long Lost,” which was shot in Greenwich.

Bloomquist, who now lives in Hartford, shot the movie over the course of seven days inside the radio station WILI in Willimantic. “We arrived when they were leaving for the day and we left when they arrived for the next day. We were living like vampires,” he said.

Bloomquist dedicated the film to his friend, Nicholas Tucci, who appears in the film as a security guard. Tucci, a Middletown native and Yale graduate, died at age 38 on March 3 at the Smilow Cancer Hospital in NewHaven. Tucci also starred in “Long Lost.”

“He had a creative presence unlike anyone else. He had a total commitment to the work and a devotion to the entire mythos of the movie,” Bloomquist said.

“Ten Minutes to Midnight” will be shown in theaters nationwide starting this weekend, and will be available for streaming starting Jan. 19.

Bloomquist, 28, a graduate of Trinity College, created the CPTV original series “Cobblestone Corridor” in 2016. He and his brother Carson Bloomquist, whoco-wrote and co-produced “Ten Minutes to Midnight,” founded Mainframe Pictures, the movie’s production company.

The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the arts venue at 56 Arbor St. Admission is by reservation only. Attendees should bring their own blankets or chairs. Seating is limited to promote social distancing, with maximum four people per seating pod.

Parties that do not check in by 7:20 p.m. will have their reservations voided.

Admission is $11, $8 seniors and students, $6 members, $5.50 seniors and student members. The rain date is Sept. 24. Tickets: realartways.org.