Mokena man’s horror flick set to premiere

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Kevin Greene mimics a famous scene from "The Shining" while at the Marcus Theatres in Orland Park prior to the screening of his film "Tower Phi" in July. Greene's latest work, "After Dark," will be shown there Dec. 1. | File photo

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Kevin Greene’s feature film “Tower Phi” premieres at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Marcus Theatres, 16350 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the theater box office or by calling Greene at (708) 408-7542.

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Updated: October 31, 2011 10:42AM

Kevin Greene has had plenty of opportunities to practice filmmaking through his coursework at Columbia College.

It turns out, though, that Greene is more ambitious than his work requires. While his film classes have required work on short pieces, Greene, 21, of Mokena, prefers making full-length feature films.

“Features seem to be my forte right now,” he said.

Greene’s fifth and newest feature film, a horror movie titled “Tower Phi,” will premiere Wednesday at Marcus Theatres in Orland Park. The Lincoln-Way East High School graduate wrote and directed the film and stars in it as well.

The plot of “Tower Phi” revolves around a fraternity hazing ritual that goes awry when one of the frat brothers winds up dead. As the story unwinds, the bodies start to pile up.

Greene said the movie definitely is a horror film, but it also has comedic elements.

“Between the (characters’) minds and the dialogue, they are very funny and entertaining to listen to,” he said, adding the characters play off each other’s personalities.

But, he warned, the movie does have it’s fair share of gruesome scenes and isn’t for the faint of heart.

Shooting “Tower Phi” took about 24 days, and all of it was done locally. Greene does most of his film work in the area, sometimes using the homes of his friends and his friends’ parents as sets. Most of the actors are local, too, many of them friends of his dating back years.

“They started out as friends, then friends of friends who became my friends,” he said. “Most of the people I work with are from my area.”

For one, there’s Jonny Rigg, of Orland Park, who plays one of the lead roles in “Tower Phi.” It’s his third Greene movie but his biggest role so far.

“I had no idea making a movie took so much time,” he said of what sometimes were 14-hour days during the shoot. “But it was a lot of fun.”

Rigg said his experiences in Greene’s movies have driven him to look for work in the entertainment industry.

He took a summer course at Second City in Chicago and plans to continue studying improv with the famed comedy group after graduating from Eastern Illinois University in December.

For some of the local actors Greene uses, it’s a chance to dabble in a craft they otherwise are unfamiliar with. Mike Simek, 21, of New Lenox, has had small, nonspeaking parts in a few of Greene’s earlier films and has his first speaking role in “Tower Phi.”

“I’m not an actor by any means,” Simek said, adding he also does graphic design and set work for Greene’s movies.

Although he has enjoyed his acting experiences, Simek said he is more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy and hopes to be able to use his artistic skills in the entertainment industry. To that end, he is studying animation at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg.

Actor Tyler Burke has become a regular in Greene’s movies. His role in “Tower Phi” is his third in a Greene feature film, and he’s also appeared in Greene’s shorter works.

Although the movies are not his first acting experiences by any means — he’s been performing in plays since second grade — he values the experiences. For him, acting is a thrill.

“It kind of brings me a high because you feed off the audience’s reactions and energy,” said Burke, who just graduated from Lincoln-Way East and will study theater at Arizona State University. “It’s fun to be someone else, to create a character.”

He’s come to appreciate working with Greene because of how they work together on ideas for characters and story lines.

“With Kevin ... I can put in my own ideas,” he said, adding not all directors are as responsive. “He wants you to develop (your character) your way, not just his way.”

“Tower Phi” isn’t Green’s first horror film nor the first in which Burke has acted. Burke said it isn’t the easiest genre for an actor because in many cases scenes need to be reshot multiple times.

“It’s hard to be scared every single time,” he said. “It’s easy to say how you would react in a situation, but it’s hard to get an emotion going.”

Greene, too, said horrors can be harder to both film and act in. Although he also has done work in other genres, he said he feels drawn to horror movies, though he can’t put his finger on why.

“I guess I just like to be scared,” he said.