Martinsville 39 Ghosts Premiere

Well over a hundred people attended tonight's Martinsville, VA, premiere of local moviemaker Myron Smith's funny new chiller, 39 Ghosts, at the Spencer-Penn Center. Many of those present were among the movie's cast and crew — including me, as I play the ghost of Dr. Abroz, based on the character Doctor Zorba from William Castle's original 13 Ghosts (1960). Three years in the making this movie was, due to various complications in Myron's personal and professional schedules. I had shot my scenes as Dr. Abroz back in March of 2019, before the script was even complete (see 39 Ghosts, March 10, 2019). Only a portion of the work I did appears in the finished movie, but what's there is pretty slick.

Typical of Myron's movies, humor abounds, with the cast hamming it up from start to finish. The movie opens as a relatively straight parody of Castle's 13 Ghosts, with several gags that fans of the film will easily recognize. However, the next thing you know, Myron's version of the Scooby-Doo gang makes an appearance. Then, on its heels, here come the Ghostbusters! The ghosts and special effects work are fun, and the dialogue, which ranges from subtle and witty to deliciously outrageous, provides plenty of good laughs.

Moviemaker Myron Smith addresses the
audience prior to the showing

Most of the cast is from Martinsville and surrounding areas, and fans of Myron's movies will see many familiar faces. The protagonist family is played by a real family — Mal Rorrer as David Kretzner; his wife, Melanie, as Martha Kretzner; daughter, Katherine, as Darla Kretzner; and son, Mason, as Sonny Kretzner. A longtime veteran of Myron's movies, Aleta Whitten gives Margaret Hamilton a run for her money as the housekeeper of the haunted mansion the Kretzner family inherits. Wes Frank Norman composed the movie's impressive score.

I hope that Myron will get 39 Ghosts out to a larger audience in the coming days. Many of his previous efforts, such as Young Blood: Evil Intentions, Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, and his numerous "Sweded" movies, have been released on DVD but, unfortunately, have not been made widely available. In Young Blood, I played a concerned citizen (VERY concerned, I'll have you know), and I also wrote the novelization based on the screenplay. In Invasion of the Killer Cicadas, I played the mad scientist, Klaus von Tottenreich, and Brugger even has a small but memorable part as Klaus's randy girlfriend.

39 Ghosts is Myron's most ambitious project to date, and I do hope we'll see much more from him and his talented associates. You can visit Myron's YouTube channel here.

The beleaguered-by-ghosts Kretzer family — David (Mal Rorrer), Martha (Melanie Rorrer), Sonny (Mason Rorrer),
and Darla (Katherine Rorrer) — and the spooky housekeeper (Aleta Whitten)