Film crew shoots supernatural suspense thriller at iconic Lawrence mansion | News, Sports, Jobs

photo by: Mike Yoder

Actress Kushi Beauchamp, of Kansas City, films a scene from the movie “One Eye Open” Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, outside the home of Terry and Elaine Riordan at 1613 Tennessee St. The film’s director, Michael D. Coffey, spends three weeks shooting the suspense thriller in Lawrence.

Michael Coffey has wanted to shoot a thriller in Lawrence for the past seven years — ever since he conceived the script for “One Eye Open.”

He immediately found the perfect setting: The Ludington-Thacher House—that mid-19th-century brick mansion that turns everyone’s head as they drive down the 1600 block of Tennessee Street. And he even cast some of the roles. But he just couldn’t raise the funds then.

Now, however, he’s found the means and cameras are rolling at the historic mansion, which Coffey likens to “a co-star” in the movie.

The mansion, which is currently owned by the Riordan family, is an architectural masterpiece with Tiffany glass windows, embossed leather paneling and solid bronze fittings. And it’s perfect for a scary thriller.

“It’s like a maze with multiple levels and a wide variety of 17 rooms, so it was conducive to haunting scenes, chases, hideouts, etc.,” said Coffey, whose most recent film was 2021’s Triumph , starring RJ Mitte. of “Breaking Bad” fame.

Mitte will also appear in “One Eye Open,” alongside Chris Bylsma (2020’s “News of the World”), Kushi Beauchamp, Kevin Willmott and others in a cast of 13. Coffey is both producing and directing.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Michael D. Coffey watches the film with the video camera Thursday, September 26, 2024, outside the house at 1613 Tennessee St. Coffey is the writer and director of a suspense thriller shot in and around Lawrence.

The film is about Samantha, played by Beauchamp, a recent college graduate from Lawrence who stays house for her ailing grandfather and engages in a “deadly game of cat and mouse with thieves who become haunted,” as Coffey describes it .

The title, “One Eye Open,” is meant to evoke a sense of human vulnerability, such as when we sleep and have our eyes and consciousness closed to the world. In the film, Samantha is creepily advised to sleep with one eye open.

Coffey has loved scary movies and suspenseful stories since he was a child.

“When I was around 5 or 6 years old I loved watching a TV show called ‘Creature Feature’ hosted by John Jones as Dr. San Guinary. That was my first introduction to horror movies,” he said. “Then in seventh or eighth grade I wrote my first short story, which is a scary thriller called ‘As the Clock Ticked On.'”

Later, he enjoyed watching suspenseful thrillers such as Alfred Hitchcock films and Stephen King’s The Shining. What he doesn’t like, however, are typical horror films whose main focus is gore.

He prefers an engaging story “with compelling characters that keep you on the edge of your seat with mystery and twists,” he said.

Coffey’s cinematographer for “One Eye Open” is Hanuman Brown-Eagle.

“His cinematography is captivating,” Coffey said. “One of my goals is to make my movie look like a million dollar production, and I’m very happy with what I’ve seen on set while we’re shooting.”

Coffey hopes to wrap filming around October 14th. After that, the film will be professionally edited. He then hopes to organize a theatrical release, including a local showing at Liberty Hall, and then find a streaming platform for the film.

Like most screenwriters, Coffey has several script ideas percolating at any one time. Right now, he expects his next production to be a romantic comedy he created called “The Funny Guy,” about a comedian with mild cerebral palsy who goes out of his way to find the love of his life. He’s already lined up comedian Josh Blue for the role — who, like Coffey and Mitte, lives with cerebral palsy.

photo by: Mike Yoder

The set for “One Eye Open” is ready to begin a new scene at 1613 Tennessee St. Thursday, September 26, 2024.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Erika Kjorlie-Geery, production designer, art director and prop master, arranges props for a gardening scene on the set of ‘One Eye Open’ on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Actress Kushi Beauchamp and director, producer and screenwriter Michael D. Coffey visit the set of ‘One Eye Open’ on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

photo by: Mike Yoder

University of Kansas students run down Tennessee Street on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, past actress Kushi Beauchamp as Beauchamp prepares to film a scene from the suspense thriller ‘One Eye Open’.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Actress Kushi Beauchamp, of Kansas City, and crew members take a break on the set of “One Eye Open” Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at 1613 Tennessee St.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Director, producer and screenwriter Michael D. Coffey, Lawrence, is currently filming the suspense thriller One Eye Open in Lawrence. Coffey wrote the screenplay for “Triumph,” the 2021 film based on Coffey’s teenage years living with cerebral palsy. Coffey is pictured next to a sculpture in Terry and Elaine Riordan’s home, 1613 Tennessee St., where the movie is mostly shot.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Crew members on the set of “One Eye Open” prepare for a shoot Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, at 1613 Tennessee St.

photo by: Mike Yoder

The Ludington-Thacher House at 1613 Tennessee St., owned by Terry and Elaine Riordan, who have spent countless hours and resources restoring the 1800s home, is used in the filming of a suspense thriller written and directed by Michael D. Coffey, to Lawrence.