March 27, 2024
Provided Image/Dorian Vasquez
The first 'Porch Pirate' screening was held March 16 at the Studio Movie Grill in Upper Darby. Additional screenings will take place at The Velvet Whip and Zembo Temple.
For many people, package theft is an inconvenience. But in an independent film shot in Philadelphia, it's the source of true horror.
The opening scene of "Porch Pirate," filmed near Northern Liberties, follows a package thief who makes a disturbing discovery in one of his stolen parcels — just before an unknown assailant offs him.
The remainder of the movie focuses on a character named Bobby, a petty thief on parole who resumes his persistent habit of nabbing packages from doorsteps. But as the opening kill foreshadows, this old habit gets Bobby, his friend Ray and his sister Delia into deep and dangerous trouble.
The spark for "Porch Pirate" came to Dorian Vasquez – a filmmaker, comedian and founder of Baby Goblin Productions – in 2022.
"The main idea came from a news article about a guy in Denver, who stole a box of heads from a medical supply truck," said Vasquez. "I pitched an idea to Dru, our lead (who plays protagonist Bobby), about a comedy sketch, parodying 'glitter bomb' videos.
"But as a comedy, it felt weird and over the top. I decided to go the horror route, and wrote a short where a junkie steals a package, but he's not sure if he's being followed or if he's just paranoid. This ended up turning into a proof of concept as I wrote a feature-length script, and eventually became the opening scene for the movie."
This still from 'Porch Pirate' shows the characters of Ray (Geoff Colella) and Bobby (Dru Montana) looking at a mysterious package.
From that seed, and after some quick castings and crew recruitments from Vasquez's circles, production on "Porch Pirate" came together.
Though "Porch Pirate" had a small budget, Vasquez had plenty of film production experience to inform the making of the movie. Vasquez has worked on several films and shows made in Philly, including "Mare of Easttown" and "Servant," serving as a production assistant, grip, electrician and in other roles.
"Porch Pirate" also filmed scenes in South Philly, using it as a home for the character Delia, and at the Mile Hill Antique and Art Gallery in Collegeville, Montgomery County, which was used as a shop in the movie. Additionally, a house in Berlin, New Jersey was used as a suburban home.
But the filming of "Porch Pirate" presented itself with some unforeseen difficulties. Along with the knots that come with scheduling and logistics, weather presented challenges.
Actors Ellie Summerling, who portrays Delia and helped produce the film, and Dru Montana are featured in the above behind-the-scenes photo.
Production took a break last summer, partly due to the Writer's Guild of America strike, after shooting in the previous fall and winter. Vasquez found time to edit the movie. By February, production on "Porch Pirate" was complete.
"Porch Pirate" is finally getting some eyeballs. Its first screening was at Studio Movie Grill in Upper Darby, Delaware County on March 16.
"If I'm being honest, I was a complete mess that day," Vasquez said. "During the show, I sat in the back of the room, and I don't think I blinked for the entire movie, just looking for any frame I thought might look bad."
But the audience response to the movie was positive – to Vasquez's relief.
"Everybody who saw it seemed to be really happy with the finished product," Vasquez said. "A few other people told me they loved it, and it was definitely something they hadn't seen before, which to me that's a huge compliment. I've since been invited to play it at more locations, invited to do podcasts, etc. So, I think it went well."
Two additional screenings in Philly are on the calendar. "Porch Pirate" is playing at The Velvet Whip on Thursday, March 28 and at Zembo Temple on Saturday, April 13.
Vasquez intends to submit the movie to any festival that will take it, especially Philly festivals and horror movie fests. Outside of festivals, Vasquez said he hopes to keep the following going, with the ultimate goal of landing on a streaming platform.
The trailer for "Porch Pirate" can be seen below.
