'Fresh Meat' set to wrap up filming in Chatham-Kent soon

Filming of a horror movie inside the former Kent County Jail in Chatham-Kent is set to wrap up later this month.

“Fresh Meat” director Daniel Turres of Pageman Productions said the slasher movie has already received international attention, with worldwide sales being acquired earlier this week.

“There’s something special about this area,” Turres said on Friday. “Everybody on this team has grown to be a tight knit family and just supporting each other all the way through from our designers, camera teams, the performers, everyone's just working so hard together and the results are incredible.”

Turres praised the region as an ideal location to produce a movie, noting affordability and local talent as some of the key considerations.

“I felt very welcomed here in this town,” Turres explained. “And so supportive that I was able to put all my creative energy. [I was like,] ‘This is fantastic. I'm going to work with these people and we're going to get this off the ground and make something incredible.’”

Turres moved to Chatham-Kent from London, Ont. after learning the municipality was creating an agency to lure movie-makers to the region. He said he anticipates “Fresh Meat” to be in theatres in 2024 or early 2025, and is already considering future film projects for Chatham-Kent.

“Fresh Meat” director Daniel Turres of Pageman Productions at the former Kent County Jail in Chatham-Kent on Nov. 3, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“Areas like southwestern Ontario recognizing the growth of film productions because usually that’s a GTA, Vancouver thing, but with technology becoming more accessible, quality getting higher up and you know, resources, education like Western and Fanshawe and Windsor doing film programs, it just makes sense that areas like Chatham, London going on should have those opportunities for filming.”

Turres said, “Chatham has been completely enthusiastic and supportive towards this cause.”

He added, “I don't want to slow down, even though it takes a lot to make one production. I already have two or three in the back of my head and some other people I have some great pitches and I'm thinking when this was done, who knows, maybe we'll do another one right away.”

He added, “I'm trying to utilize areas like Chatham, southwestern Ontario, London again, because there's untapped potential and resources in this part of town.”

Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff said several productions have been in the works since the new Filming Locally in Chatham-Kent (FLICK) office opened inside the Civic Centre earlier this year.

“We’ve got more coming,” Canniff exclaimed. “We expect it to be a vibrant industry here in Chatham-Kent in the next few years.”

Canniff said there’s sincere hope the municipality can harbour a local film industry, with municipal officials recently attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to network the industry.

“People want to have it happen,” Canniff explained. “When I talk to businesses, ‘Yeah, bring it on. I want this!’”

Canniff continued, “When you get in the other markets, they've had enough of it. It happens a lot. But it's getting a lot costlier, so here, we want to broaden our economy. I want arts and culture, and filming is a big one. I want to expand that so people can live here and have a career doing filming right here in Chatham-Kent.”