Uniontown, PA - Several locations in Brownsville Borough are set to be featured in "The Abomination of Frankenstein," a film set in 1976 that tells the story of a descendant of the original Dr. Frankenstein bent on reviving and improving upon the doctor’s experiments.
“She’s trying to perfect her ancestor’s work,” Shane Ronzio said. “She comes to the Rust Belt area to do that.”
Shane portrays Maxwell, who becomes the newest creature made by young Isabella Frankenstein. A Brownsville Borough Councilman, Shane helped the film crew scout some prime shooting locations around town.
"We filmed in Patsy Hillman Park, in the borough building – in the old jail, but also upstairs, as well," Shane said. "(We shot in) Fiddle's Diner and back by the old mine on the edge of town. There's some old, decrepit buildings back there that really fit the look of Dr. Frankenstein's building."
Shane’s brother, Shawn Ronzio, a special effects fabricator and instructor at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen who has worked alongside famed film director and makeup artist Tom Savini, also is filling several roles on the film crew.
Eric Yoder, the film’s writer and director, said Shawn was one of his instructors when he was at the Douglas Education Center.
“We used to do little short films over here,” Yoder said, noting that Shane introduced him to Brownsville. “Once I was out in L.A. and wanting to do film stuff, I just always kept this place in mind. You can’t get places like that out in L.A.”
Assistant director Michael Ochoa said Yoder brought up the idea for the film to him at dinner in California.
“He told me he wanted to create a Frankenstein film with a very authentic 1970s feel to it,” Ochoa said.
They also discussed western Pennsylvania as the “perfect setting” because of the natural beauty that would be hard to replicate on a set.
Yoder said the goal is to have The Abomination of Frankenstein completed by February 2025, in time for festivals.
"I hope that, like Frankenstein, we bring industry back to the region somehow," Shane said.
To learn more about Brownsville, visit www.brownsvilleborough.com. To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.fayettecountypa.org.
Editor's Note: Photos attached, courtesy of Shane Ronzio (Ronzio Brothers; Brownsville Borough Building; Brownsville Borough Building2; Fiddle's Diner; Patsy Hillman Park)
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For more information, contact Kristi Kassimer Harper, Public Relations Specialist, at 724-437-4571, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Jamie Rankin, Journalist, at 724-437 4571, jamierankin13@gmail.com.
