By Jessica Dillon
The locally produced film 39 Ghosts will have its final screening at Hollywood Cinema on Dec. 10 and 11. One of the movie’s directors, Myron Smith, said he is especially excited for the premiere, which will also raise resources for the local food bank. The screenings celebrate the film’s long-awaited DVD release.
39 Ghosts is a ghost story. “A family inherits a haunted house inhabited by angry spirits. Will one of them become the 39th ghost?” reads the main description. The film stars the Rorrer family — Mal, Melanie, Katherine, Mason, and Lillian — along with Aleta Whitten, Robbie Hendrix, Michael Patterson, Alison Eastwood, and the Ghostbusters of North Carolina.
The film first premiered at Spencer-Penn Center in 2021 and was later screened in Lynchburg that same year. Smith recalled, “When we booked it, it was when things were starting to calm down from, you know, COVID and everything. But then it had, uh, started, you know, the restrictions started increasing again like right after that.”
After COVID restrictions eased, the movie returned to the public. “It played at Hollywood Cinema in 2022. And we did a similar event where it was also 10 cans of food or $10,” Smith said.
Smith said he has been working toward a DVD release since 2022. “It’s been about a three-year journey. I was hoping to get distribution through a company that was distributing Youngblood Evil Intentions.” That project was another film Smith participated in, but the distribution company eventually ceased operations.
The DVD release was made possible through a Kickstarter campaign and community support. “We launched a Kickstarter campaign to do self-distribution. And so the DVD is made possible by basically crowdfunding and people of the community and outside the community supporting the effort,” he said.
Smith said proceeds from the event will benefit both the local food bank and future film projects. “We’ll be donating the food to, you know, [the] local food bank.” Even those who do not wish to watch the film in theaters can attend to purchase a DVD.
Smith has already started planning his next project. “I definitely have a new project on the horizon.” He and his brother have been making movies for 14 years, gaining experience along the way.
DVDs of 39 Ghosts will be sold for $19.99 and include a two-sided poster and special features. The remaining stock will be sold at future events attended by Smith.
