With big scares, beautiful cinematography, and a baddie for the ages, the film Director’s Cut seems like a huge-budget Hollywood production. Instead, director and White Plains local Don Capria shot his modest slasher completely within Yonkers alongside a production team, editors, and special effects makeup artists all from Westchester. The result is a top-tier horror flick that has already appeared in hundreds of theaters from coast to coast as well as making its way to film festivals and on demand.
According to Capria, frightening films have long been close to his heart. “I grew up in Harrison as a hardcore punk rock kid and skateboarder, and the sister genre of all that is horror. I loved the excitement of it.” After spending years filming music videos for up-and-coming artists, Capria began to craft an idea for a feature-length flick.
“When I was writing this script, it came from a very real place,” says Capria. “I wanted to focus on a drama that turns into a slasher because I had spent so many years managing and cultivating young music artists who are at times ready to sell their lives away to a record label, and found themselves in a dangerous situation.”
Once he presented a proof of concept to Regal Theatres, Capria was able to secure the rest of the approximately $500,000 it took to create the movie. “It was a cowboy shoot,” says producer Anthony Carpenito. “Donny worked from 5:30 in the morning until 10 at night.” The result is home-grown horror film that’s already drawing rave views from audiences around the country.
The flick follows a punk band that heads to a creepy Pennsylvania manor house after meeting a director who promises to make them famous. “The real story beyond this just being a two-dimensional slasher film is a cautionary tale to musicians seeking fame,” says Capria. “Be careful who you are getting into bed with and who you are trusting to take care of your art, because it can kill you.”
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