An area filmmaker is shooting several scenes in Russell County for an upcoming movie.
Kenny Scott Guffey, an Adair County native and Pulaski County filmmaker, said Russell Springs served as a perfect spot to film scenes for his upcoming movie, “The Dark Room.”
“We had a really good time shooting scenes in Russell Springs,” Guffey said. “You know, Jake and I are based in Somerset, but we’ve noticed over the last few years, it seems like Russell Springs is so easy to work with when it comes to film. They’re welcoming, open, and inviting. It’s such a great community. I think we’ve got even more support from Russell Springs than anywhere else. I think it’s a great place for any filmmaker to shoot a movie. I don’t think the community is really known for that, but we’ve found it to be true.”
Guffey said they are planning to film more scenes in Russell County as well for “The Dark Room.”
Shane Thompson is a featured actor in “The Dark Room” and has already shot several scenes in Russell County. He said the community support for the project was great.
“It really feels like Russell Springs is a great film community where people in the community are supportive of indie filmmaking,” Thompson said. “And I think that’s just a really important thing.”
A release date for “The Dark Room” has not been set, but Guffey noted that a lot of people who watched movies in the 1980s may recognize a familiar face in it: Diane Franklin.
Franklin has been in a number of films such as Better Off Dead, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Amityville 2: The Possession and The Amityville Murders.
Guffey and his film partner, Jake C. Young, also premiered their last film, “Night of the Undead” at Key Twin Cinema in Russell Springs last fall to much fanfare with the cast making an appearance at the premiere.
“Working with Key Twin was just awesome,” Guffey said. “They did everything they could to make us feel welcomed and the only word I keep coming back to is that it was just great.”
And Guffey said that kind of response has led him to plan a premiere for “The Dark Room” at Key Twin Cinema as well.
“Night of the Undead” is a remake of the move “Night of the Living Dead” and Guffey said the idea came to him in the midst of the pandemic.
Guffey and Young made the decision to alter the title to make it easier to find for people looking for it online.
“I really like the title and we’ve stuck with it,” Guffey said. “I think it separates it more.”
“Night of the Living Dead” is streaming on platforms such as Tubi, Vudu, Prime, Plex and BlueRay.
While major filmmaking organizations have a wider brand recognition, Guffey and Thompson said support for local filmmakers and actors is crucial.
“Local anything, whether filmmakers, bakeries, hardware stores, or whatever, are important,” Guffey said. “We need more than the big box companies. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but if somebody has a dream and they try to pursue it, it helps when they have the support of their family, friends, neighbors and community behind them, pushing them to succeed.”
“One of the things I love about this is it’s a community and it’s so important to have that support,” Thompson said. “The indie filmmaking community is such a supportive community and we appreciate all the support we receive.”
You can learn more about Guffey through his IMDb page here.
