Clown sightings inspire local film

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By Krystle S. Morey

At a time when clown-sightings are instilling fear across the nation, a Granville filmmaker has found a way to capitalize on what he calls a “clown epidemic.”
Cameron Gallagher released a short film last week, spinning off of the recent clown hysteria.

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Granville filmmaker Cameron Gallagher (left) takes a close-up shot of his brother Grant Gallagher, who dressed up as the clown in the short film.

“When I first heard about the clown sightings, I thought it would be an amazing short film,” he said.
Clowns have allegedly been sighted recently by many across the country, beginning in Greenville, South Carolina, in August. They’ve even been reported close by in Clifton Park, New York and St. Albans, Vermont. Police and witnesses allege that people dressed in clown costumes are scouring schools and apartment complexes, trying to lure children into the woods.
Of these numerous sightings, only a few have resulted in arrests – mainly those related to threats made to schools by the clowns.
Dubbed the “killer-clown craze” by the media, the unexplained phenomenon continues.
“I kept seeing more and more articles about it… in 20 years, people will be like ‘hey, remember when there was this huge clown epidemic?’. It’s cool that we get to be a part of it,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher’s picture, which is just a short two minutes, 24 seconds long, takes viewers on a horrifying journey from the perspective of a detective who’s investigating the clown sightings.
The opening scene shows the main character, Detective Tony Genelli, driving into a dark and foggy cornfield, the scene of a reported clown sighting. Next, the car’s two-way radio fades out and a little red balloon rises from in front of the car, paying homage to Stephen King’s infamous “It.”
Gallagher purposely wrote the film to include references to “It,” including the balloon and a tunnel that looks similar to the sewer scene in King’s movie.
The local film, called “Ha. Ha. Ha.,” features local actors Pete Baez and Grant Gallagher, with music by Kyle McCuiston. Gallagher wrote, produced, directed, filmed and edited the movie.
It was shot in the village of Granville, on East Main Street. Gallagher and his crew used parts of the street and a nearby cornfield to produce the film’s frightening setting.
After just a few hours of being posted on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, the film attracted more than 1,500 views and even more likes, shares and re-tweets on social media.
The Horror Society, an online forum that features independent horror films, music, art and performances, last week featured Gallagher’s film on its website.
“It’s definitely capable of being made into a feature in the future,” Horror Society author MGDSQUAN wrote. Gallagher said he plans to expand on the short clown film and shoot a full-length feature.
The picture was written, filmed and edited in five days, with a budget of about $75.
“It’s tough, because things can go wrong when you are shooting,” he said.

The film was shot in Granville on East Main Street.
The film was shot in Granville on East Main Street.

With the recent clown hysteria gaining recognition in this area, Gallagher said there were some challenges when it came to filming. Because the crew was shooting outside on a Granville street and in a cornfield, it needed to be careful to ensure the clown’s (Grant Gallagher) safety. There have been numerous threats against clowns during the recent epidemic.
“If someone driving by saw him or if you see a clown on your property, it could be bad,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher, 20, has been a filmmaker for about six years. He started at the age of 14, shooting various short films with his friends as actors. He worked behind the camera a bit throughout high school, taking video production courses, and filming the morning announcements and different commercials promoting school events.
“In the last two years, I started to amp things up,” he said. “Before it was just kind of fun, but now, I’ve really started to take it seriously.”
Now, he’s the CEO of two of his own companies: Espience: A Media Company, which specializes in video and photos for weddings, senior and family portraits and commercials for various businesses; and camerongallagher.net, which is geared more toward short and feature films.
“It started as shooting films as a hobby, but I hope to push that further,” he said. “This is so attainable if you just be proactive, go out there, and do it.”
Gallagher’s films have been recognized by several film societies and at various festivals, including the Castleton Film Festival in Castleton, Vermont. One of his recent feature films, “And then they came,” was showcased on the red carpet at an event in Boston.
He plans soon to release a couple of new short films, “They aren’t human” and “The devil’s puppet.” Those can be viewed on Instagram at instagram.com/cameron96g.
The clown idea, Gallagher said, was kind of a given, because of its growing recognition.
“It’s like fashion, you have to figure out what will be the next trend,” he said. “…and this time it was the clowns.”
Check out the clown film on Gallagher’s YouTube page at youtube.com/funnyfilmsman.