"Inkubus": R.I. Made, And Just In Time For Halloween

For of East Greenwich, making Inkubus was all about keeping it local. Talking to several of the people associated with the horror film on the eve of its premiere makes it clear that Verdi was able to do just that.

Inkubus, which stars Robert Englund of Freddy Krueger fame, was directed by Glenn Ciano, who grew up in Johnston and lives in North Kingstown. The screenwriter was Carl V. Dupré, who lives in Warwick. The film was shot primarily at an old police station on Atwood Avenue in Cranston, as well as in a warehouse on Main Street in East Greenwich. And many of the actors and crew were locals.

But on Friday, the local goes national, with the movie opening across the country just in time for the Halloween weekend. Local openings at the Showcase Warwick and Providence Place theaters will get some Hollywood gloss this weekend as two of the film's stars - William Forsythe and Joey Fatone - make appearances.

Verdi said he is very excited about the movie's wide release. It's just the first of three movies he's produced through Woodhaven Productions, his EG-based company. All three have been made in Rhode Island.

"It's pretty amazing," said director Ciano about being able to direct a film in his home state. Ciano left the state for many years to learn the trade. He said the success of Woodhaven Productions could mean that in the future, young people wouldn't have to leave in order to learn.

"It would be nice to not have to leave the state," Ciano said. "I didn't have the opportunity to learn this in Rhode Island and had to leave."

The Johnston native - "I'm a Panther!" - goes home to eat dinner with his parents every Monday. He said they've always been very supportive.

Actor Tom DeNucci (Cranston West, Class of '02) said it's been great to work close to home.

"Due to the influx of these films, I've been able to stay around."

Even co-star Forsythe, who lives in California, loves the hometown feel of Rhode Island. He lived in Newport for six months to work on the three Woodhaven movies.

"I'm officially a member of the Rhode Island Traveling Players," he joked. "The passion here is so fresh. It's so not-Hollywood."

Verdi, a venture capitalist behind Gregg's restaurants among other pursuits, said the crew ate well while filming. Initially, the set needed some empty pizza boxes as props, so Verdi contacted friends who own Picasso's Pizza in Warwick. When the boxes arrived, they came with pizza and it was such a hit that the crew ended up ordering pizza from Picasso's every night for three weeks.

"We probably spent $3,000 to $4,000 on pizza," said Verdi, noting that filming in Rhode Island is a boon for local companies just as it is for local actors and film crews.

Verdi, who graduated from in 1985, said keeping it local was important. "This is a family affair for me," he said. His wife, Michelle, supervises the music and talent for the movies. His daughter Sera - a seventh grader at - has been in all three movies. His other two children have also been in the movies or worked behind the scenes.

"It's engaging for us as a family," he said. "I'm not going to film outside of Rhode Island. I have roots here."

Want to see one of the stars? William Forsythe will be at 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. showings at Showcase Warwick on Friday and 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. shows at Providence Place. On Saturday, Joey Fatone and William Forsythe will be at Warwick Showcase 9:30 and 11:50 p.m. and Providence Place 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

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