Jersey Devil Expeditions: Not Necessarily Non-Fiction

Be careful, or you might run into this guy.
Photo Credit: Pinelands Preservation Alliance

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

In our film, Jersey Devil Expeditions, a group of tourists, along with their guides from a local roadside attraction, set off on an overnight hunt for the Jersey Devil. They expected campfires and marshmallows, but ended up with a whole lot of trouble.

In reality, these kinds of hunts really do exist! The Pinelands Preservation Alliance hosts Friday Night Jersey Devil Hunts, where brave souls (ages 10 and up) meet up for a mile and a half hike into the heart of the Pine Barrens.

Before the adventure - just to make sure it's dark and scary enough - the hunters gather around the campfire for a sing-along and "BYOHD" (Bring Your Own Hot Dog) weenie roast. Throughout the hunt, an intrepid guide regales the group with tales of the Jersey Devil and other creatures that are rumored to roam the woods. As for spotting the Devil ... well, it's a distinct possibility!

Obviously, this is a family-friendly, educational activity to support wildlife preservation in a fun way. If you find yourself in the Southampton area and would like more information, you can contact the PPA at (609) 859-8860 or check the PPA website.

We're still searching for our own Jersey Devil, here at Fighting Owl Films. We're making headway, as far as fundraising is concerned, but, as with any creature hunt, it's a lot of hurry up and wait. There have been rustlings and fleeting glimpses, though. We're now working with a producer consultant to find investors, and have received some very positive feedback on the script. With a little luck, maybe we'll catch something on film soon.

Jersey Devil Expeditions: Roadside Attractions

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

Photo Credit: Cryptomundo

Flying is nice - and definitely the most time-effective way to travel - but in my family, it wasn't a vacation unless you woke up around two in the morning and spent the better part of the next 24 hours trapped in the backseat, surrounded by snacks, batted to death by hanging clothes, and praying Dad wouldn't hit the brakes too hard, or that cooler in the back was going to slam into your head.

About the only difference between our vacations and the Griswold's was a dead aunt tied to the roof of the truckster. As it turns out, nurture won out over my comfort-creature nature, and Thomas and I have found ourselves following in my parents' tire treads. We have officially become "road-trippers."

I can't lay all the blame on my parents, though. A good portion can also go to the time I spent on the road as a touring musical theatre performer. We didn't have much to do off-stage, so the actors and crew stayed on the look-out for silly roadside attractions to kill the boredom. I've worn a Cheesehead in the Wisconsin Dells (and burned the photographic evidence), visited two competing Judy Garland museums in Minnesota, and blindly screamed my way through a corny haunted house at Niagara Falls. Heck, I've even "Seen Rock City," and if Thomas has his way, our next trip to Florida will include the famous Skunk Ape Research Headquarters. My bucket list truly includes seeing the world's largest ball of twine. I just need to figure out where it is.

Jersey Devil Expeditions: As Seen On TV, Part III

Photo Credit: IMDb

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

Here we are, with the last five filmed mentions of the Jersey Devil, and this time all feature-length movies!

Wait, did I say five? I meant three. Whoops. You see, when I first sat down to research this, I found what appeared to be five feature films. However, when I went to vet them, I realized one was a student short, and the other was still in production with no set release date. Apparently, there are even fewer Jersey Devil-centric films than even the Internet wants to admit.

Jersey Devil Expeditions: As seen on TV, Part II

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film. 

The Paranormal State PRS Team.
Photo Credit: A&E

In my last post, I mentioned that the Jersey Devil myth is one that hasn't seen a whole lot of action in movies or on television, but that's not to say it hasn't seen any! I've already listed five scripted television programs that featured either the creature or the legend. Here are five un-scripted, reality programs that attempted to shed some light on our favorite cryptid. As before, I've tried to stay out of spoiler country in the post, but be careful clicking on any of the links if you haven't seen the episodes and want to be surprised when they don't find him. (What?! If they had, don't you think you'd have heard by now?!)

These are shows that Thomas and I have checked out for research purposes, since you can't write or produce a movie on a subject you know nothing about. Also, we're huge Destination Truth fans, and were really hoping for an up close and personal encounter between Josh Gates and the creature. Personally, my money'd be on Josh Gates.

Jersey Devil Expeditions: As seen on TV

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film. 

From 'American Dragon: Jake Long'
Photo Credit: Wikia

One of the biggest reasons Thomas, Fighting Owl Films' founder and director, wanted to tackle the Jersey Devil mythos was that it hadn't been explored all that deeply, or nearly as often as, say, Bigfoot or Nessie. That's not to suggest the subject had never been broached before.

In fact, I've compiled a list of 15 movies and television shows that have dealt with the creature ... more or less. I've tried to keep my comments out of spoiler territory, but beware of clicking any links if you haven't seen the shows.

Here are the first five: scripted television programs.

Jersey Devil Expeditions

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film. 

Fighting Owl Films now has its very own green screen. We'd borrowed a screen for The Night Shift (see if you can spot it!), so it was time for the company to have its own. In case you're wondering, a green screen (sometimes called a blue screen, or Chroma Key screen) is a solid-colored background that can be digitally altered. It's the same thing television meteorologists use for their animated maps.

Our screen is a crayon-green muslin photographer's background on a metal stand. It's nowhere near fully extended, and still takes up one entire wall of our office. It also requires two umbrella lights (like you'd see at a portrait photographer's studio) to make sure that there are no shadows to mess up the computer imaging. Basically, this thing is a monster, which is kind of appropriate, considering why we have it. See, we've got to make a devil fly.

Jersey Devil Expeditions: The unholy beginning

The Jersey Devil Expeditions is the movie diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent monster movie of the same name. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

Last October, just before Halloween, indie production company Fighting Owl Films released to DVD its first feature-length movie, The Night Shift. The film centered around an undead caretaker, Rue Morgan, and the "lively" cemetery he oversaw. The little lower-than-micro-budget picture made it into a handful of festivals (including the Paranormal Pop Culture Film Festival), winning Best Fantasy Feature at Shockerfest International, as well as the praise of critics and viewers alike as a "potential cult classic" that all ages could enjoy. Personally, I thought it was a ground-breaking, thought-provoking, phenomenal piece of cinema - not to be missed - but then again, I could be a little biased. Afterall, I did produce and co-star in the film.

With TNS under our belts, Fighting Owl Films founder and director Thomas Smith decided it was time to branch out. "While The Night Shift was a family-friendly paranormal adventure, [the next feature] Jersey Devil Expeditions (JDE) shifts its tone to a more adult nature; a horrific creature feature that maintains a sense of fun, excitement and adventure."