Last Night On Earth

It’s not often that a 17-year-old gets to debut a film they’ve made at a movie theater, but tonight Ian Chickering, a junior at the will be screening his film Last Night On Earth at the in Vineyard Haven.

Last Night on Earth is a zombie movie with a plot loosely based on a board game with the same name created by Flying Frog, Inc. and Jason C. Hill. Last year, Chickering wrote a feature-length screenplay for his final portfolio using the board game as a guide. For this year’s portfolio, he decided to take that screenplay to the next level. He shortened the script, did all the casting, filming, producing, directing and editing. 

“I wrote the script last year,” said Chickering, “and that was my first foray into screen writing, so I thought this year, why not see if I can make it into an actual movie?”

Enlisting a cast of friends, classmates and teachers, Chickering has spent the last nine months perfecting the film.

“The hardest part was coordinating everything with actors who were doing it for nothing,” said Chickering. “I had to convince them to come out, have fun and make a movie, and then I had to keep it interesting and not monotonous.”

The fun part for Chickering?  “Covering everyone in blood numerous times out in the cold,” he joked.

Chickering first became interested in making movies when he was in fifth grade. While he appreciates all genres of films, he’s got a soft spot for zombie flicks. His favorite is George A. Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead.

“It’s a classic, it created the genre,” he said.

As to why we are a society that has been willing and eager to watch zombies on the big screen for over 40 years?

“It’s the genre’s ability to take heroes and heroines and put them in scenarios where they can still be a hero while slaughtering massive amounts of people – or zombies rather,” he said.

Chickering has already moved on to writing two new screenplays currently called The Cobbler and Cheshire. While neither are zombie movies, both have an element of horror. However, tonight’s debut won’t be the end of Last Night on Earth. Chickering jokes that he plans to “tour the movie around the country in a smelly van.” On a more serious note, he said he’ll keep trying to get Last Night on Earth out there. “Now it’s a labor of love. I have to try to get as many people to see it as I can.”    

The public is invited to the free debut of Last Night on Earth tonight at the Capawock Theater followed by a brief Q&A session with Chickering and cast members. The film starts at 6 pm and runs approximately 20 minutes. Due to the graphic violence and adult language, it is recommended for middle school age kids and up.