I rate this TV movie a 9. I was involved in it as both a stand-in for Granville and then later on as a stuntman. It was shot at an abandoned cottage on a small island in the Thousand Islands near Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
I am reading some of the reviews here and it's amazing how it scared some kids.
There were a couple of memorable occasions. The regular stuntman (from Hollywood) was injured, and because I had a judo background, they asked me to fill in for him. With a fire poker in one hand and a flashlight in the other, I had to fall down the basement stairs as if the severed hand had grabbed my foot. Instead of falling down sideways as recommended, I decided to somersault down the stairs. At the bottom, I managed to turn just in time so I wouldn't do a face-plant on the wall, bounced off and rolled down the rest of the stairs. It's hard to catch the big collision on the screen because it happened so fast. I remember everyone being quiet for a few seconds, and then there was a big applause when they realized I hadn't killed myself.
The severed hand seemed to scare a lot of viewers. SPOILER: It was really one of the crew sticking his hand up through a hole in the floor. It was my hands that were going to pick it when it grabbed her arm.
Near the end, the poor 'mud monster' almost drowned because his rubber suit was so heavy that the divers had a hard time getting him out of the water. Many years later, I actually met the 'monster' himself quite by accident because we had met while working on something completely unrelated to movies. When we realized who we were and the chances that we would EVER meet again, we were simply amazed. I think he still lives somewhere nearby in the Toronto area.
From what I recall, it was to be a TV series but was never picked up by a studio. I had an opportunity at that time to go out to Hollywood to continue in the stunt/acting field but never did. Life goes on but I still wonder... it was a wonderful time, and as were all the cast and crew.
I'll post some pictures from the shoot in the near future on my resume, but in the meantime, I think I need to buy a copy somewhere.
I am reading some of the reviews here and it's amazing how it scared some kids.
There were a couple of memorable occasions. The regular stuntman (from Hollywood) was injured, and because I had a judo background, they asked me to fill in for him. With a fire poker in one hand and a flashlight in the other, I had to fall down the basement stairs as if the severed hand had grabbed my foot. Instead of falling down sideways as recommended, I decided to somersault down the stairs. At the bottom, I managed to turn just in time so I wouldn't do a face-plant on the wall, bounced off and rolled down the rest of the stairs. It's hard to catch the big collision on the screen because it happened so fast. I remember everyone being quiet for a few seconds, and then there was a big applause when they realized I hadn't killed myself.
The severed hand seemed to scare a lot of viewers. SPOILER: It was really one of the crew sticking his hand up through a hole in the floor. It was my hands that were going to pick it when it grabbed her arm.
Near the end, the poor 'mud monster' almost drowned because his rubber suit was so heavy that the divers had a hard time getting him out of the water. Many years later, I actually met the 'monster' himself quite by accident because we had met while working on something completely unrelated to movies. When we realized who we were and the chances that we would EVER meet again, we were simply amazed. I think he still lives somewhere nearby in the Toronto area.
From what I recall, it was to be a TV series but was never picked up by a studio. I had an opportunity at that time to go out to Hollywood to continue in the stunt/acting field but never did. Life goes on but I still wonder... it was a wonderful time, and as were all the cast and crew.
I'll post some pictures from the shoot in the near future on my resume, but in the meantime, I think I need to buy a copy somewhere.