If you catch the theatric premiere of the new indie film “Bloodspawn” at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse, this weekend, you may think the young girl resembles someone from your neighborhood, school or sports team.
The young actress is Evanna Parker, a 7th grader at The Nokesville School. In her debut film role, Evanna plays “Sally,” a supporting character in a frightening creature film, written and directed by Leesburg residents Derek Campbell and David Rotan.
IMDB describes “Bloodspawn” as “A frontier-era gang of misfits band together to battle an ancient and evil bloodthirsty hell beast of native folklore in this retro homage to classic 80’s creature features.”
It is meant to be a little hokey but stops short of being an all-out satire and still keeps audiences on the edge of their seat.
But the film is not only cast with local talent but film and television stars, including Raw Leiba, (TLC'S “Help Wanted”); Roger Willie (“Lost Stallion: the Journey Home), R. Keith Harris of (“The Walking Dead”) and Bill Oberst Jr. (“Criminal Minds”). Patrick Kendall who worked on “Survivor” and “Amazing Race,” did the cinematography.
The movie is set in the mid-1800s in Appalachia. Sally is living with her widowed mother in the wilderness. Their situation is threatened by a murderous monster on the loose, a Cherokee legend reminiscent of the Jersey Devil. A motley band of pioneers must rely on each other to survive and save the world!
“Bloodspawn” was filmed in Leesburg and Bluemont in 2021, and unlike the adult actors, Parker is noticeably younger. The production took years to complete since Campbell and Rotan made their monster with Claymation rather than CGI, adding to the film’s retro appeal.
“Bloodspawn” held its local premiere at the famed Arlington Drafthouse on Oct 30, where it will play until Nov. 2. For Parker and many of her castmates, it was the first opportunity to see the movie.
Evanna’s mother, Leeanne Parker was blown away by the final production. “The movie was so good and Evanna was in most of the film. She did awesome!”
But Evanna’s friends and teachers may be surprised to see her on the big screen. Evanna admits she comes across as shy; that is the reason she took up acting.
In second grade Evanna was having some trouble asserting herself. Leeanne recommended she try acting to gain some confidence. Evanna was first cast in a school production. However, just days before the performance, everything shut down, including the play. Obviously, she was disappointed.
Leeanne decided to enroll Evanna with Kids Casting to give her daughter opportunities to act and to have an activity to pursue during lockdown.
When “Bloodspawn” Came along, Evanna was eager to partake. “I like scary movies, and it looked really fun,” she said.
After two auditions, she got the role.
“Bloodspawn” was shot over nine days. Evanna spent every day on location for the filming. She had more freedom to act during the day since school was already virtual.
Evanna said the experience was fun even though she was the only child on set because the cast and crew were often in a playful mood, which kept her entertained.
One challenging aspect was having to cry on demand, but she had a little help from eye drops. She also said she got scraped up running through the woods, from the "monster." Evanna said she liked that it was an “old-timey scary movie" as well.
She learned about all aspects of movie making, including responding to imaginary monsters, and emoting, and got to enjoy period costumes and locations.
Today, the young actress does not know if it was just a memorable experience or whether it will lead to something bigger in the future. Last week, she was focused on volleyball tryouts, but this week she is also a screen star.
Find out more about how to see "Bloodspawn" at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.
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