Otter Tail County horror film seeks volunteers for zombie extras role

Otter Tail County is getting a horror-movie turn, and the production wants local people in the frame. The indie film Darkness of the Dead is seeking volunteers to play zombie extras June 1-5, turning a summer casting call into a chance for residents to help populate scenes that will be shot in New York Mills, Wadena, Staples, Perham and the Otter Tail Lake Region.

JFT Film Productions held an open casting call April 9 in New York Mills for Darkness, which was expected to move into production in late May or early June. Writer-director Joel Trujillo said the project wanted lots of zombie extras and planned to notify selected participants within 24 hours. The casting call was limited to adults 18 and over, signaling a fast-moving, small-scale production that is leaning on local participation rather than a studio system.

That matters in a county where film work can spread beyond a single set. A production moving between several towns can send cast and crew through local businesses for meals, fuel and supplies, while also drawing attention to places residents know well. Otter Tail County, which sits in west-central Minnesota, says economic growth and community investment are part of its services, and the county is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners. On May 8, the county’s public agenda also included a Safety Action Plan review and a Phelps Mill Store historical restoration bid notice, a reminder that any filming would enter a real local government environment shaped by roads, public spaces and historic assets.

The region already has a track record for undead-themed community events. The Fergus Falls Zombie Crawl, created in 2009 by DomFreq Productions, ran for more than 10 years before the pandemic interrupted it, then returned after being knocked off the calendar. That history suggests there is an audience here for spooky, participatory projects that invite people to do more than just watch from the sidelines.

The setting helps, too. The Minnesota Film and TV Board describes the countryside around Fergus Falls as rolling agricultural fields, lakes and hardwood forests, the kind of landscape that can give a horror film a distinctly Otter Tail look. The board also offers weather information, location support and production assistance, which can be useful for a grassroots shoot moving across multiple communities. For Otter Tail County, Darkness of the Dead is both a casting call and a small but visible sign that local scenery, local volunteers and local civic life can still pull a production together.