Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Chris Osgood on location for Curse of Moose Pond

Movies are a thing I usually enjoy while lounging on my couch with a bowl full of snack food on my lap and a cold beer in my hand within the comfort of my nice warm apartment.

Not on this day.

It’s January 23rd and I’m off to Monmouth to hang out with the cast and crew filming the first of many small productions written by Chris Osgood. This one is called The Curse of Moose Pond. I won’t give too much away although the story has already been broadcast on 92Moose as part of the Moosebumps series hosted by Chris Osgood: a local writer who lives just down the road from me (Click the red player to hear it at the top of the story).

It was a very cold day but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was a brilliant blue. This might not the best day to film a short horror story. Not quite the menacing atmosphere I’d expect, but I’m sure they’ll make it work.

I pulled in to Bill McLean‘s driveway, slipped on my hat and gloves and knocked on Bill’s door and his son was there to greet me. I told him briefly who I was and why I was here. He instructed me to follow a  path across the pond to a large island where the filming was taking place. I turn around and face the small landing not 200 feet away then look down at my feet. I am wearing low top Nikes and jeans. I’m not dressed for walking across a pond and wading through knee-deep snow on an island. I’m simply not prepared. Oh well. It’ll make the experience that much more interesting.

The whine of snowmobile engines echo in the distance as I make my way along the slushy path on the pond. I snap some photos and everything looks nice enough. I can see a small cabin directly in front of me nestled in the trees but close to the shore of the island. The path takes a sudden right turn forcing me to follow it into the heavily wooded island.

As I enter it the entire mood of the day goes from cheery to very ominousterious, which is the only word I can muster at that moment. Yet very fitting. A lot of the trees here seem to be “old growth”. Each one shoots straight up creating a high canopy with precariously placed mounds of snow high in the branches.

Straight ahead I see a man running wildly through the trees and chasing him is a camera and boom Mic each one attached to a person breathing heavily. I can just make out Chris Osgood, the writer of this short film, among the many large trees waving to me. Things are a bit more spooky now that I’m on the island under the canopy of so many large trees. The mood instantly became more ominous and brooding. The long shadows from the trees and the occasional snow falling from their branches really improved my perspective of what this short film might look like. I showed up after the other actors had already done their parts.

Jeff Sullivan and Tiffany McLean were holding the cameras and Abby McLean captured sound with her boom mic. I had found myself in the middle of a scene where Bill was being chased down by a moose. He carried a bolt action rifle and was running all over the place, many times at full sprint. He was going through branches, falling onto the snow and struggling with the unseen animal. I was tired just watching all this! But he was in character and taking this very seriously. What a pro!

Many times I found myself in the wrong place having to step aside quickly during all the action. After the filming was over we all went into the cabin to warm up, brush the snow from our clothing and get formal introductions out of the way.

This lull in activity was short lived once all the gear was packed up and we were set out to eat a quick bite at Bill’s place and go off to Nielson’s Sporting Goods in Farmingdale to get the last bit of footage for the film.

It was here that we met up with Vanessa Novak to film and gawk at the moose on the wall, and I’ll tell you what — I didn’t know moose could get this big! It dwarfed the other two moose on the wall considerably. Everyone should see this animal, I was told it’s the largest moose trophy in Maine.

The cast and crew decided it was time to eat lunch and I was invited to tag along. I pulled into the Denny’s parking lot and had no problem finding the group of highly talented actors, writers and film makers.

We discussed how long it would take before the short film would be finished (about two weeks) and we also found some time to discuss an upcoming feature length film written by Chris Osgood, Directed by Jeff with actors Eileen Daly and Joe Zaso as the lead in “Beauty is Only Skin Deep”; a horror film that will certainly make waves in the horror film genre here in Maine and the world. Keep an eye out for more on these amazing and highly talented actors and film-makers in the coming months.

Check back here soon for more information about The Curse of Moose Pond and Beauty is Only Skin Deep.