When you think of horror and sci-fi movies Dunfermline might not be the first place that springs to mind.
But a Scots film company has spent the last six months building a huge internal set on farmland outside the Fife town, in preparation for shooting this spring.
Zoghogg Studios is working on its first solo feature film – known as Skinjacker -and hopes horror fans will help get it off the ground.
A £20,000 online crowdfunder was launched at the weekend to allow people to invest in return for film memorabilia, such as prints, posters and T-shirts.
Writer, director and producer David Izatt said it was the company’s most ambitious project to date.
It follows his work as co-producer on other films, including the 2016 Horrorhound Film Festival award winner Plan Z starring Bafta winner Stuart Brennan.
David described Skinjacker as an epic.
“If you like Ridley Scott’s Alien or John Carpenter’s The Thing then this might be for you,” he said.
“We’ve been working on it since June last year.
“We were offered a large warehouse which we’ve turned into a kind of stage and we’re building a big sci fi set in there.”
The 42-year-old from Dunfermline is excited about the project, which is set on the Isle of Skye.
“We’re doing a lot of the filming down here inside the warehouse and in a few other locations around Crook of Devon and Perthshire,” he said.
‘It’s got horror’
Skinjacker follows several groups of people all trapped on Skye.
The power goes out and there are no torches or mobile phones – then the noises start.
“It’s got horror in that you can’t really see what’s there, then there are sci fi things that creep in,” said David.
“It’s all set inside so we’re welding steel frames together and building rooms for internal shots.
“The reason it’s inside is mostly down to the pandemic to make it easier without traipsing into different houses to film.”
David founded Zoghogg Studios in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008 but later moved to Dunfermline.
If you like Ridley Scott’s Alien or John Carpenter’s The Thing then this might be for you.”
David Izatt.
“This is the first feature film we’ve done without bringing in another production company as a lead,” he said.
“It seems like the worst possible time to begin working on a film with everything going on.
“But if everything goes to plan we’ll start filming towards the end of April.”
The movie should be complete by the end of the year, meaning David can look towards next year’s film festivals.
“That could go on from three months to a year before we start looking at general release at cinemas, DVD, Netflix, Amazon or whatever,” David added.
He said the crowdfunder would help push things along.
“It’s not just funding,” he said.
“It’s a way of gathering a fan base as well.”