Lithia Horror Filmmaker Releases 'The Beast' On National Audiences

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — The moment screenwriter and independent filmmaker Ed McKeever of FishHawk Ranch walked through the doors of the International Independent Showmen's Museum and spotted the carnival banner featuring the hirsute sideshow freak known as "Wolf Boy," he knew he'd found the subject of his newest horror movie.

Having moved from New Jersey to Lithia three years ago, McKeever, a longtime fan of the horror genre, was eager to explore all the myths and mysteries "Weird Florida" had to offer, starting with the nearby Showmen's Museum in Gibsonton, a town that's been the winter home of carnies, sideshow freaks and circus performers since the 1930s.

"I've always been fascinated by the circus sideshows, so my son and I decided to check out the museum," McKeever said. His son, Michael, is a student at Newsome High School.

To McKeever's surprise, they were warmly greeted by 74-year-old Doc Rivera, founder of the museum and the self-appointed keeper of a form of entertainment that's been lost to political correctness and PETA protests.

"He didn't know we were coming or that I was a filmmaker but he graciously gave us a personal tour of the museum where we saw this great poster of a sideshow act that said, ‘Devil Boy, Wolf Boy, Ape Boy,’" said McKeever, "My son just casually looked at me and said, ‘I wonder what the Wolf Boy is up to now?"

Before their tour was over, McKeever was already writing the script for a new film in his head, featuring a hairy beast reminiscent of the real-life 1950s sideshow freak who would walk out on stage hunched over with a chain around his neck, shirtless and barefoot to expose as much of his hairy body that was allowed under mid-century standards of decency. He'd get down on all fours, growling and showing his teeth, then he'd begin to howl. For the climax of his stage appearance, Wolf Boy would reportedly bite the head off a live chicken.

McKeever had already established himself as a horror film producer with the release of his first full-length feature film, "Blood Lodge" in 2012, about a group of friends who take a weekend ski trip to Ten Acres, Vermont, only to discover the town has been overrun by zombies.

It was followed by "100 Acres of Hell," in 2019, about an ex-pro wrestler named Buck Severs (played by real-life WWE pro wrestler Gene Snitsky) who travels to an abandoned wildlife preserve in the coal mountains of Pennsylvania with his friends for a "Bro's Weekend' and find themselves the focus of a deadly manhunt.

Friend and fellow FishHawk Ranch resident Todd Oifer said McKeever's enthusiasm was contagious, and he signed on as executive producer of the film, "The Beast Comes at Midnight."

"We set out to make a monster movie with practical FX and a riveting story that appeals to both lifelong horror fans and new followers of the genre," said Oifer.

By the time they were ready to cast the movie, the pandemic was well underway.

"So we did all the casting online," McKeever said. "In the process, we discovered that Tampa Bay has a huge acting community. We received more than 800 submissions."

He also received welcome support from the Hillsborough County government's film commission, Film Tampa Bay. McKeever said Film Tampa Bay Executive Director Tyler Martinolich was invaluable in smoothing the way for him to start filming, putting him in touch with professional film crew members, helping him obtain the necessary permits, which Hillsborough County provides free of charge, and scouting locations.

The county even provided a $10,000 grant to offset the cost of the $142,813 production.

The movie, filmed entirely in Tampa Bay, including Gibsonton, Lithia, Ybor City and Plant City, stars Michael McKeever as a teen outcast trying to produce a podcast centering around his family heritage of sideshows and carnivals in Gibsonton.

Fascinated by paranormal phenomena, serial killers and conspiracy theories, McKeever's character, Tuff, discovers his town is under attack by a flesh-eating beast that hunts during the full moon.

Nobody believes him, except a popular cheerleader, Mary, played by Madelyn Chimento, who admits to Tuff that she's a fan of his podcast.

Tuff eventually enlists the help of Mary and three other kids from the upper-crust Fishhawk Ranch community, which, for the purposes of the film, is located across the river from Gibsonton, connected by a bridge that plays a critical role in the storyline. In reality, FishHawk Ranch and Gibsonton are 11 miles apart.

The teens get help from retired a sideshow fortune-teller, who is hiding his past as Cold War-era monster hunter Andras in Gibsonton. Andras is played by veteran actor Eric Roberts, an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe nominee for his part in the 1985 film "Runaway Train."

Roberts is no stranger to the horror genre. His filmography includes "The Prophecy II," "Endangered Species," "The Dark Knight," "The Butcher," "The Tomb" and the cult classic, "Sharktopus."

Also on the marquis is Michael Paré, who plays the character, Night, in the film.

While Paré hit the big screen playing 1960s rock icon Eddie Wilson in the 1983 film, "Eddie and the Cruisers," and later appeared in "The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)" and "Hope Floats (1998)."He's become quite familiar of late with the Florida monster scene. He also portrays Captain Stryker in "The Wild Man: Skunk Ape," Florida's version of Bigfoot, also shot in Tampa in October 2020 by director Ryan Justice.

Rounding out the cast is "Wiseguys" star, actor John Maciag, who plays Harold, and Snitsky, who rejoins McKeever, this time playing Mr. Leavitt. Christopher Jackson is the film's director.

The characters ultimately discover that the killer in their midst is a real-life werewolf. Wearing the realistic-looking costume he designed, legendary Hollywood FX artist and monster creator Joe Castro plays the Beast Man.

Spoiler alert: If you think The Beast Man was defeated, think again. McKeever is already working on a sequel "The Beast Comes at Midnight" with Eric Roberts.

The film premiered June 11 at the Tampa Theatre and, just this week, returned for another screening as part of the theater's "Nightmare on Franklin Street" Halloween series.

Distributed through McKeever's own production company, Showtown American Pictures, the film is also showing at Halloween events around the country including Horror Fest 2022 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Local horror fans will have a chance to see a free screening of the film Friday starting at 9 p.m. on Evers Street in Plant City, where portions of the movie were filmed. The screening will follow Plant City's Nightmare on Main Street Halloween event, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m.

McKeever invites movie lovers to bring blankets or chairs and enjoy the film in the moonlight. Nightmare on Main Street takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. at McCall Park, 100 N Collins St.

Then, on Monday, Halloween night, the local cast will be at the popular FishHawk Fright House for a meet-and-greet.

The Fright House, staged by Tim Kugler and his family at their home at 16116 Palmetto Circle in the FishHawk Ranch Garden District, will run from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 31. Admission is free but the Kuglers are accepting nonperishable food donations for FishHawk Ranch nonprofit Seeds of Hope.