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It’s not often that horror movies are filmed here in Connecticut, especially ones starring the legend that is Tom Savini. Last week, Sean Brickley and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend the premiere of “The Sadist†which was filmed right here in Waterbury, Middlebury and Naugatuck, Connecticut.
“The Sadist†starts off with Jack Bird (played by writer, and Connecticut native Frank Wihbey) who is getting ready to embark on his annual camping/hunting trip with his uncle (played by veteran actor Santo Fazio). After making their preparations for the trip, they stop off for breakfast at legendary Waterbury eatery ‘Top o’ the Mornin’’. While there, they discuss the news they’ve heard about a group of people who’ve escaped from a mental institution not far from where the guys usually camp out.
On their way out, they run into their local sheriff who is stopping in for a bite to eat and ask him about the escape. He advises them not to worry as all of the nutjobs have been rounded up save one (of course), so the two head on up to their campgrounds. At the same time, another group of three kids is readying to go camping in the same area.
We’re then shown a scene with a doctor explaining to the sheriff that the one patient who remains unaccounted for is some kind of Rambo-type; he’s trained to survive in any condition and is a certified killing machine.  As I’m sure you can guess, “The Sadist†(played by Mr. Savini) ends up in the same woods as Joe, his Uncle Wil and the other three campers (Jay, Don and Lucinda). This, as they say, is when the fun begins.
For an indie movie, the acting was surprisingly good (Joe Pisani as Dick Catelli was hysterical). It definitely had some slow parts and the plot was a bit transparent here and there but overall, it was done very well.  There was a nice twist at the end which I didn’t see coming and the acting of Tom Savini was…well, interesting. The best part, for me, was seeing the support that this little indie was able to drum up from the local community; the theater was so packed with people that they ended up having to run the movie in another theater at the same time!
Bravo, fellas, I hope this leads to big things for all of you.
