Editor’s note: Our contributing writer served as an extra for the movie and delivers this first-person account as Broken Arrow went “Hollywood” this month.
By John Stapleton IV
“Horrified” is a horror/comedy film with big Hollywood stars, elaborately-crafted sets and an expert technical crew — everything you’d expect to find in the production of a feature film — and it was set and filmed this month in Broken Arrow.
I’m no psychic, but I’ll risk the blowback and ask the question we’re all thinking: Why did Hollywood pick Broken Arrow?
In an exclusive interview with Director Michael Zara, he told the Sentinel, “Well, I feel like Broken Arrow picked us.”
The explanation Zara gave is two-fold, the first of which is how much of the setting and the people of Broken Arrow match his vision.
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Twelve years ago, Zara came up with his film, set in a small town with big energy. It was his “pet project,” his “baby,” and Zara himself called it “a project I could never let go.” After a decade of passion and perseverance, his dream finally came to fruition, and he chose Broken Arrow to film it.
“Our movie takes place in a fictitious Oklahoma town…So I wanted shoutouts to different towns that are nearby or maybe towns that are a little further away (than Tulsa or Oklahoma City), I wanted to give a nod to Broken Arrow,” Zara said.
“What I tried to do with this movie is make it as authentic as possible…So, (Broken Arrow) has been amazing. It really was the perfect partnership. That’s why Broken Arrow happened. But also we got an incentive through Broken Arrow to film here.”
That last line is the second reason Zara and his team are filming here.
In April, the Broken Arrow City Council approved a $100,000 pilot film incentive and a rebate program to entice more production companies to film their movies here.
A proponent of this incentive is Makala Barton, Tourism Manager for the city of Broken Arrow.
“The film industry in Oklahoma is booming right now, and we’re confident this incentive will serve as a catalyst for economic growth in Broken Arrow. We’re expecting the ultimate economic impact of this film is estimated to be $800,000 to a million dollars,” said Barton about “Horrified” in a recent interview.
Production days are long and exhausting, with some cuts, reshoots and set adjustments taking up to half of a day of sweating through your costume and makeup.
But there’s a vibe of solidarity between the local talent, and the visiting cast and crew — who have been invested in making this film for much longer than a single shift. Despite the long hours, the motivation becomes ubiquitous: If Zara can dedicate 12 years to his vision, we can dedicate 12 hours to support him.
If you’re asking yourself how I know so much about the experience of being in a feature film, it’s because I was cast in the movie. “Cast” is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but the film wanted extras, and I wanted a behind-the-scenes look of how a big movie gets made in a small town, so when the casting agency put out the call for background extras, I jumped on the opportunity.
I was only in one scene (and it did actually take 12 hours to shoot it), but what was more astounding to me was who else was in that scene: Over 150 local residents. And that was just the background cast. And that was just one day.
The production company also hired local backstage crew, tech assistants, costume and makeup artists, catering…hundreds of jobs for hundreds of people in the Broken Arrow community.
And you’d be correct in thinking those are just temporary jobs, not careers. But the film also brought its own cast and crew, so not only was the film employing residents, it was shopping here, sleeping here, eating here, sponsoring and being sponsored by local businesses here.
And if, again, you rightly conclude that this was just one film, you’d be forgiven for the limited scope. This wasn’t one film. It’s the first film in a new campaign to put Broken Arrow on the map for filmmakers, and for filmmakers to put Broken Arrow on the map for continued economic growth. It is, after all, “The City Where Opportunity Lives.”
When asked if he observed more businesses in the film industry gravitating towards Oklahoma, Tulsa, and specifically Broken Arrow, Zara said, “Broken Arrow has been incredible. I want to come back. I want to make the next movie, whatever it is, or a TV show here. Like, my crew is incredible…and everybody’s just knocked it out of the park.
“Yeah, you have to follow where the incentives and rebates are, but also where there’s good crew, and people. I think in an oversaturated market, it’s hard to get going. And so that’s why, for me, Broken Arrow was really enticing.”
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