Horror movie being filmed in Canton

CANTON — A must-watch for horror fans is being filmed here.

The Dinkins House is currently home to the filming of “The Horror Chronicles,” an anthological episodic series that will stream to Shutter, a Roku streaming service. 

Filming for “The Horror Chronicles” has been going on for the past week. According to Jackson’s Amile Wilson, line producer of the show, it’s a must-watch for horror fans. 

“Who among my friends has a ‘Cabin in the Woods?’ Wilson posted on Facebook this week. “We are looking to rent one for two weeks for a horror film coming up. Ideally close enough to Jackson that we wouldn't have to travel people and put them up, but far enough out to feel creepy!”

He said the project is a series of short horror films all tied together by a narrator. “It’s similar to shows like ‘The Twilight Zone,’” Wilson said. “You’ll have different spooky happenings with that uniting theme of a narrator throughout.”

Wilson noted that he and Jami McCoy-Lankford, the producer and executive producer of “The Horror Chronicles,” discussed the project and and saw it as more of a priority to send to broadcast. 

“The idea of this came up quick and Jami was able to find it a home,” he said. “We thought it would be best to move forward with something that we know will be sold on TV before we worked on something speculative.”

Jami McCoy-Lanford said the show will feature a cast of local talent. 

“The Canton and Madison County areas are beautiful to film in,” she said. “Mississippi has a lot of talent, along with the look and appearance of the area being perfect for this kind if project.”

McCoy-Lankford said the show revolves around one particular house, where different families and people live there and experience supernatural occurrences. 

“A variety of paranormal activities and events have been going on in the house over different decades,” she said. “We plan to have a trailer out for it by Halloween.”

McCoy-Lankford added that along with “The Horror Chronicles,” they have a Christmas film coming called “Visits of Christmas,” which will air to BET on Dec. 1. They’re also working on a suspense thriller, “The Stepdaddy,” a remake of the 90s film “The Stepfather,” which will feature an urban cast with Vincent Ward as the lead and the cast includes talent from The Walking Dead. 

“I specialize in stuff like distribution, and I have very good relationships directly with networks and distribution companies,” she said. “They call me for content, which is a blessing for me.” 

Cedric Cornelius, executive producer of the show, said Mississippi is a hidden gem when it comes to talent. 

“I feel like a lot people in the world don’t know about the potential that Mississippi has,” Cornelius said.  

Cornelius said to always pick and choose your investors carefully when doing a film. 

“There’s a lot of people that have investors that invest in these movies, and then get stuck with them,” he said. “They’re not able to get their money back, so their films end up just sitting on the shelf. Always take the time to choose the right people.” 

Mariana Marcano of Los Angeles, director of “The Horror Chronicles,” said filming the show has been great. 

“The atmosphere has been incredible and worked beautifully for what we have planned,” Marcano said. “It’s an incredible location that helps bring these horror films to life.” 

Marcano said the most challenging part of being the director is making everything work in the short amount of time the crew was given. 

“We have to plan every single detail before we shoot, and we’re doing one film a day,” she said. “That comes with a rotating cast of actors, and every film is set in a different time period.” 

In contrast, Marcano loves horror and felt that the best part of directing the show was being able to bring words on a page to life, and getting to come up with the scares herself. 

“People will be interested in ‘The Horror Chronicles’ because it’s several stories that have everything you know from horror. You have ghosts, witchcraft, possessions, slashers, you name it,” she said. “You’ll get a taste of everything the genre has to offer in one package.” 

Michael Brouphy, director of photography, said he enjoys going through and setting the mood with different lighting and camera movement. 

“I take Mariana’s vision of the scenes and bring them to life, which is a lot of fun,” Brouphy said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize just how much lighting can affect the mood of a scene.”

Brouphy feels that the best aspect of the show is the narrator. 

“The narrator idea is fresh, and that’s what ultimately drew me in,” he said. “That and the fact that I can work with darkness and spooky things.”

Makeup artist Tara Renee Enslow is a huge part of the production, taking on several roles along with makeup, including hair and wardrobe, FX artist, and is in charge of writing the scripts. 

“I am a huge fan of horror,” Enslow said. “I read horror, watch it, and collect toys connected to it. Originally I was on the fence about writing something myself that was horror related.”

Enslow said once she sat down with her husband Chris, the ideas for the show just started pumping out and it didn’t feel like work at all. 

“Once we got it rolling, the ideas started coming so fast,” she said. “There’s some shots in there that you might see that reference other horror stories, such as Twin Peaks and The Craft. I love B-horror, and it really inspired me.”

Enslow hopes everyone will like the film and is grateful to the casts’ hard work. 

“I want the whole crew to know how grateful I am for all their efforts,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a set where everyone has so much respect and love for each other. So many laughs and memories.”

“The Horror Chronicles” is scheduled to be a Christmas release this year and can be viewed on the streaming service Shutter.