A woman’s special ability connects her to a forgotten mystery in the supernatural thriller, “Applewood.”
About 90% of the film was shot at the Clay House on Milledge Road,” said Robert Hollocks, the film’s director.
A private screening of the film for its cast and crew will be held in Augusta Monday.
Hollocks is no stranger to the Augusta area. He was the executive producer of “Encounter” with Luke Hemsworth in 2018.
When scouting for locations, Hollocks found that the Thomas-Clay House or Cloister Garth as its formally known according to Historic Augusta was the perfect place for filming.
Cloister Garth is a blend of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architectural styles and is “a unique home with walls made of stone, brick, and wood and a red clay tile roof,” according to Historic Augusta’s website after making its appearance on the group’s Endangered Property List in 2021.
Hollocks said the script was even tweaked to fit the home.
“Applewood” is about a young couple who buys a home in hopes of fixing it up and turning it into a bed and breakfast. After he’s killed in the war, Kaitlynn Harris, his widow, forges ahead with their dream; however, things start happening around the house. But they are more than just bumps in the night associated with an older home.
Kaitlynn begins having visions after touching parts of the house. The visions are related to the mysterious disappearance in the Applewood family, who owned the house a century before.
“Applewood” was filmed in Augusta in the summer of 2021. It was recently selected as part of the Catalina Film Festival – the live version of which was held Sept. 21-25 and the virtual is Sept. 29-Oct. 9.
The film will be on the festival circuit for several months, and Hollocks said it will be distributed in 2023.
Hollocks said he gets a welcome reception when making a movie in Augusta.
“Everyone wants to help,” he said, adding that they are enthusiastic when they do.
He’s got several additional film projects ongoing including one overseas but definitely plans to head back to the Augusta area. He doesn’t have a firm date, but he’s hopeful for a 2023 return.
Monday’s screening will be the first time most of the cast has seen the finished product.
And for Hollocks, although he’s seen the film at least 450 times during the editing process, he said seeing it on a big screen never gets old.
“I saw it the other day for the technical screening, and I fell in love with it again,” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
