Ormstown Native Startles Audiences in Scarehouse
Tina Bye swelled with pride as she took the stage at Grove Hall on Saturday, January 31, to introduce her former performing arts student, Sarah (Hansen) Booth who was there that night with her husband Gavin Michael Booth to screen their film The Scarehouse.
After a few words from Sarah, the lights were turned off, and the play button was pushed pulling attendee’s into the horror flick. The flickering light emanating from the tea candles resting on the tables lit up the room just enough to expose a few cringing silhouettes at the gore that was unfolding onscreen. It was a horror film enthusiast’s every delight. For those who don’t ordinarily gravitate towards the genre, the quality acting as well as the suspenseful and loaded storyline helped fixate their attention: “I never once wanted to take my eyes of the screen and I want other people to acknowledge and be aware of the talent that the area produces,” said Tina Bye afterwards.
Sarah has come a long way since she graduated from CVR in 2005. Back then she took center stage in the school’s very first Performing Arts Department production of Fame. These days, her acting is reaching a much wider market than that of the local high school’s auditorium. Neither Tina nor Sarah have forgotten her initial audition for Fame or how it sparked the fire within her that led her to pursue a career in acting. It was also an informative experience for her husband, Gavin, as Tina had mounted a collection of pictures from Sarah’s time in the production that he had never seen before. Tina is beaming as she explains how from Sarah’s audition, she could tell “she had it all—the complete package.” When they spoke with Sarah about casting her as the lead and asking whether or not she was up to the task, Tina says of Sarah: “She totally seized it and not only that, but she hasn’t let go.”
Gavin has an impressive resumé as a writer, director and producer of several other small Indie films and music videos. In addition to her acting Sarah has also taken an interest in behind the camera jobs as well. The concept for the movie was inspired by Scarehouse Windsor which is owned by Gavin’s friend Shawn Lippert. Initially the pitch was about a fraternity revenge plot at The Scarehouse, but when it shifted to a sorority, Sarah was eager to get on board and help in any way she could.
From that point on, it was a team effort by the two to flesh out the story and make the project come to life. Although, that’s not to say Sarah was a shoo-in right from start as the lead character, Corey Peters. It is an on-going joke between the two that Sarah still had to audition for the role. Luckily, having played a part in writing the role, Sarah had the upper hand because, as she explains: “I knew what we wanted from that character so it was a very different experience from when I [usually] audition. You make the character your own, but sometimes you wonder what they want for this part.”
Prior to making The Sacrehouse, Gavin and Sarah worked together on a short film entitled To Hell With Love (which premiered at Fantasia in Montreal) in order to see how they would work together. Teaming up has proven to be a smart and successful business endeavor. Gavin says, “No matter how stressful things got on set, it was always fun [working with Sarah.] We have a good kind of shared brain thing.” Sarah adds, “We agree on a lot of things and when we do disagree it’s not ‘I want to win,’ it’s whatever makes most sense for the movie.” Though the film has garnered a majority of positive critiques, the ultimate testament to the success of the collaboration, Gavin says: “The best response was the people that put the money up for it said ‘come back, let’s do another movie!’”
The Scarehouse is currently available on iTunes, but it will be released on dvd February 17. Sarah is excited as she announces that the Ormstown video store will be getting copies of it for rental.
What’s in store for the couple and do they plan to work together again in the future? They sure do. As they wrapped up the Question and Answer period following the screening at Grove Hall, Sarah announced: “We’re hoping to shoot a movie here one day.” When probed further on the concept, without even a hint of hesitation she explained that it would be for a military drama and as far as set goes, they basically need a forest and an abandoned school house or barn. Not hard things to come by in the area. Of course there are a lot of details to iron out and confirm in the meantime, but the first few steps to making that a reality are underway and Gavin says “it could be as soon as this summer.”