The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘CANDLEWOOD’
Independent horror movie explores urban legends of New Milford
During the pandemic, Connecticut saw a record number of out-of-state people, predominantly from New York, move into the state. In fact, the wealthiest movers into Connecticut in 2020 came from New York County and moved to Litchfield County.
Such an occurrence was destined to be put to film and for the team of Victoria Flores (executive producer, writer), Joseph Patrick Conroy (director, writer) and Emmy Award winner Myke Furhman (producer), a horror-thriller movie was the only way to do it.
Inspired by some true events and some local lore, “Candlewood’’ is an independent film that will be released in 2023. The movie, which stars Matt Walton (“The Irishman,” “Mindhunter”) and Lisann Valentin (“The Blacklist,” “Jessica Jones”), focuses on a family that moves to New Milford from New York City amid a pandemic. However, not all is quiet in their new town as New York transplants are being killed off one by one. Current affairs compound with urban legends surrounding Lover’s Leap in New Milford and the underwater town of Jerusalem at the bottom of Candlewood Lake, leading to a great battle between good and evil.
“We just took in a lot of different storylines from a lot of different stories, and kind of weaved (them) together into one,” Flores said.
“Candlewood” is the first movie in a planned trilogy of movies that will focus on the urban legends surrounding the New Milford and Danbury area. The following two movies are tentatively named “Candlewood 2: Lover’s Leap” and “Candlewood 3: Jerusalem,” and will delve into the historical nature behind these prevailing urban legends. The movie has a 2023 release date but according to Furhman, the final release date could be as early as next spring or as late as late summer.
The filmmakers have also launched an Indiegogo account in order to crowdfund for some upcoming filming for the movie. So far, the fundraising campaign has net $8,255 as of Sept. 1 — roughly 33 percent of their $25,000 goal. The filmmakers are offering “thank you” gifts to contributors like tickets to the movie’s premiere in New Milford and the chance to be in the movie.
For Furhman, a New Milford native, being able to shoot the movie in his hometown was a dream come true. “I think a lot of filmmakers are realizing that this area of Connecticut that had been previously untapped is absolutely amazing for filmmaking,” Furhman said, explaining that New Milford has been a “hotbed in independent filmmaking.” In the past year alone, independent movies such “The Thursday Night Club” and “A Stage of Twilight” have been filmed in New Milford.
According to Furhman, the town of New Milford will act as an anchor and its own “character” during the trilogy, grounding the story through the series of urban legends.
Flores echoed Furhman’s sentiments regarding New Milford, adding that she “just couldn’t believe that there were no types of movies like this already made within the area.”
“There’s just so much rich history in this town that you can’t turn away from it,” Flores said referring to the local legends.
For Flores, who now lives in New Milford, working on a horror movie has been a lifelong dream. The movie is doubly important for her as “Candlewood” is the firstever, Latina-led horror feature film that will be developed into a franchise, according to Flores. “This was the final thing in my spoke of a wheel of just manifesting this dream that I’ve always had of creating a horror film,” Flores said. “This is special to somebody like me.”
When writing “Candlewood,” Flores said she was inspired by the likes of “Friday the 13th” (the second of which was filmed in nearby Kent) and the 2018 psychological horror movie “Hereditary” from director Ari Aster.
“When we created this franchise, we basically thought of ‘The Conjuring,’ but more of an anthology,” Flores said. “It 100 percent has franchise suitability and a lot of IP, so it can only grow.”
Though town residents and horror enthusiasts alike eagerly await the new film, the path to get to the final product has been an arduous one. During pre-production, producer Bedhan Ball died from heart failure in Stamford. The movie, which would’ve been his sixth feature film, will be dedicated to Ball. “He was instrumental in starting to get the crew together and once he passed, we kind of had to take time to regroup and create a new crew,” Flores said. “We managed to find Myke Furhman, who has been instrumental in getting this project made.”
Filming is set to resume next month, with the filmmakers hoping to finish “Candlewood” by early 2023. Once the movie is complete, the team is then aiming to land a distributor.