STORY BY JOYANNA LOVE
PHOTOS BY DOOR NUMBER 3 FILMS
A love of movies has brought together a group of like-minded locals to pursue creative projects.
Door Number 3 Films is set to launch its second feature length project “Fall Boy,” a horror/ comedy, on Halloween.
The name is inspired by the classic game show which gave contestants a choice between two known options or whatever is behind door number 3.
“It is this mysterious third option,” owner David Gentry, a 23-year-old from Clanton, said.
He sees the majority of movies produced today as falling into one of two categories — “mainstream blockbusters” or niche “made for the Academy” movies that are not readily enjoyed by the average person.
Gentry wants to be the third option.
“People who have visions don’t need a studio to tell them what’s popular,” Gentry said. “They just need to be allowed to have a vision or a story that they want to tell … If you let people be creative, you get great things. I think that is something that we have kind of lost, and I am hoping we can cultivate that culture.”
Gentry has always wanted to make movies. Growing up, he watched classics like “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings” series and the special features on all his DVDs.
His first attempt at an original movie was made with his mother when he was around the age of 4. It was inspired by the show he enjoyed at the time, Winnie-the-Pooh.
“It was basically a monster would come in and steal things from all of the people in the Hundred Acre Wood, and Pooh was supposed to go track him down,” Gentry said. “… Mom did that for me. I had no idea how movies were made. I just knew I wanted to make something.”
As he got older, Ray Harryhausen became an inspiration.
“Ray Harryhausen was the stop motion animator who did all of the monster effects for pretty much all of the big budget Hollywood monster films 1940s to the early 1980s,” Gentry said.
Gentry wanted to make movies, but he did not have access to a lot equipment. He started thinking about what story he could tell with just two actors and a camera.
The idea began in 2018, and the short film “The Hour” was released on YouTube in 2019.
After that, his sights were set on working toward a full-length feature.
For this project, “Vindicated,” which was released in 2021, Zachary Davis and Gentry were inspired to write the script while at a rest stop. The movie is a thriller about kidnapping and sex traffickers.
Permission to use certain locations was obtained, and auditions were held to get other Chilton County creatives involved.
One of those who auditioned was 17-year-old Jase Marshall from Jemison.
He wanted to work with makeup and special effects on the movie and showed Gentry some of what he could do.
“He is extremely, extremely talented when it comes to makeup effects,” Gentry said, especially the blood and bruising effects needed for “Vindicated.”
Marshall said he “has been into movies since he was young,” citing Kevin Smith’s “Dogma” as piquing his interest in working on movies “because of the weird monsters and stuff that is in that movie.”
Marshall had done a few short films on his own before auditioning with Door Number 3.
Now, at 19 years old, Marshall has written the story that became the script for “Fall Boy,” the second full-length movie for Door Number 3 Films. He said meeting new people has been what he has enjoyed most about working on the movies.
“He definitely has an eye for hilarious situations and creates just these wacky out this world ideas,” Gentry said. “He is just fantastic with that kind of stuff.”
Marshall said he was encouraged by feedback from his Juggalo friends (fans of hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse) and the hip hop artists themselves to move forward with the project.
“They told me to not give up,” Marshall said. “They said they love what I am doing and that put more pep in my step.”
The horror-comedy film follows the story
of a boy and his once girlfriend turned ghost.
“I like movies where there is comedy in between the horror,” Marshall said. “That’s why I wanted it to be a horror-comedy. I don’t just want it to be completely dark.”
Gentry and Marshall also enjoy writing “snappy dialogue.”
“I really hope people enjoy what we do … I just want to bring enjoyment,” Marshall said.
Reagan Edwards plays the lead female role in “Fall Boy.”
“I just think it’s really cool that … a bunch of people who are incredibly talented and creative and in the middle of nowhere decided to go out on a limb and do something profound, something that people discourage people from doing even in more populated towns,” Edwards said.
She said she has enjoyed being a part of something that is “literally just running on passion and love for film.”
Edwards described those working with her as “the people who literally saved my life.”
The movie makers are getting some notice on YouTube with “Vindicated” receiving 16,000 views so far. “Fall Boy” will be released in a different format than the production company’s previous film.
A first chapter short film will be released to start interest in the film in the hopes of gaining financial partners for the rest of the film. Crowdfunding through an online platform will also be pursued.
“We will release the film in seven organized chapters,” Gentry said.
Once these have all been released, the separate movies will be incorporated with additional scenes into one film that will be marketed with hopes of having a studio purchase it to show in theaters.
Door Number 3 has also worked on music videos with regional artists.
Future goals for Door Number 3 Films include becoming an established recognized brand in the Southeast and online through promotion and partnerships.
Information for upcoming releases is available at doornumber3films.com.