Local Haunt Goes 'Rabid' For Film

Cast and crew members of the independent film Rabid filled in downtown New Baltimore Thursday to shoot a scene for the upcoming thriller.

Rabid tells the story of a small Michigan town called Elm City torn apart by employment changes, immigration and militant ideologies.

The Pump was the setting for a scene in which the lead character, Warner Stone, returns from duty in Afghanistan and is greeted by a surprise party thrown at Elm City’s local bar.

Warm welcome

“There is such great hospitality,” said actor Anton Narinskiy, who plays Stone. “With the owners and the local people into it, it really got us into the scene and gave us the setting we were looking for.”

The nearly 70-year-old bar was chosen after location scouts searched across southeast Michigan for small bars in small towns. Almost the entire crew is from Michigan.

“We’ve got a sense of a hometown here,” said Brian Lawrence, writer, producer and director of Rabid. Lawrence instructs at The Actor’s Workshop in Royal Oak. This is his fifth full-length feature film.

New Baltimore takes stage

Also used as film locations were downtown Main Street, the exterior of the , and homes in the city.

“We loved shooting with locals,” Lawrence said. “The police station looked as cool as can be, and when things got stressful on set, the park was real neat.”

He added, "New Baltimore is amazing. The neighbors help us out and the city has been really friendly."

Town Pump gets Tinseltown treatment

A huge banner was erected in the bar that said “Welcome back Warner” and a fog machine was used to give the now smoke-free bar a smoky atmosphere.

“It was so cool,” said Robin DiMaggio, the bar manager whose husband, Eddie, owns the business. “You never realize what it takes to film a scene and make a movie until you’re in one.”

Nearly 30 crew members packed the tiny bar, using the bathrooms to change into costume and the back room to put on makeup.

“It was pretty cool that they picked this bar,” said DiMaggio. “The Town Pump is exactly that; it’s the local watering hole.”

Movie-making in Michigan

Rabid is being produced by Planet Four Films and has been filming for five months. Filming is expected to wrap in the next couple months. With post-production factors, the film is expected to be released either late this year or early next year at various film festivals.