Urban legend comes to life

nearhood@sanduskyregister.com A piece of local folklore is getting its chance to shine in the spotlight, thanks to two out-of-state filmmakers.Producer Cody Knotts and his wife, actress and director Emily Lapisardi of Uniontown, Pa., began filming their feature film, "Gore Orphanage," in late June and based the film on the infamous urban legend of the Vermilion orphanage that supposedly burnt down in the 1800s. The movie is set in 1930s rural Ohio.At the time of the interview, Knotts, Lapisardi and two other actors were traveling to Vermilion to get a glimpse of where the orphanage supposedly stood and to shoot behind the scenes footage.Interestingly, a couple actors have Ohio ties. Bill Townsend, the son of Miss America 1963 Jackie Mayer, plays Ernst, a German janitor and is one of three adult lead characters. Townsend also works as a technology entrepreneur and sits on the board of directors for Newegg.com. In addition, Jeremy Kaluza, 13, hails from Parma, Ohio and plays Harmon, a Polish immigrant who is one of several orphans in the film. The movie also nabbed Maria Olsen, an actress who starred in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" as Mrs. Dodd/The Fury. She also appeared in "Paranormal Activity 3" and 40 other feature films, according to IMDb.com. "We cannot tell you how pleased we are to have her on this film," the movie's Facebook page said.Knotts, 45, began making movies three years ago after working as a newspaper editor for a number of years. "Gore Orphanage" is Knotts' fifth film.Inspiration for the movie came when Knotts and Lapisardi were traveling to Detroit and passed by Gore Orphanage Road in Vermilion. With further research, the couple became more interested and developed their script for the film."I said, 'Why hasn't anyone made a film been made about this?'" Lapisardi said.Throughout the filming process, they've tried to stay true to the legend."(The purpose of the movie) is to tell the story that we hope gets across, and to gain exposure for the legend. But of course, we want to make people in the theater scared," she said.Knotts hopes to release the thriller in 2015 with a bigger flash than their most recent film, "Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies," which premiered in Cleveland in May.They also hope to release the movie locally.Filming should be complete by late July and takes place at Greystone Manor, a historical mansion in Scottdale, Pa.Bill Townsend stars in "Gore Orphanage" as Ernst, a German janitor. (Donated photo)."Gore Orphanage" child actors with Emma Smith, 9, center, a lead child actor in the film. (Donated photo).Maria Olson plays Mrs. Pryor in the movie "Gore Orphanage." (Donated photo). Greystone Manor in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, serves as the filming location for "Gore Orphanage." (Donated photo).