Horror Feature 'Scivias' to Film in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in Fall 2026 From Writer-Director Gerard Frunzi

A supernatural horror feature with a striking high-concept premise is gearing up for production in the New York metro area, and crew working the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets will want to take note sooner rather than later. 'Scivias,' a genre film written, directed, produced, and cast by Gerard Frunzi through his company Rocking Horse Star Entertainment LLC, is currently in casting and pre-production with principal photography scheduled to run from September 14 through October 6, 2026. That is a lean, focused 23-day shoot across multiple locations, which tells you immediately that this production will move fast and need a tight, efficient crew in place well before cameras roll.

The project takes its title from the 12th-century visionary text by Hildegard of Bingen, and the premise leans into that medieval religious iconography in a genuinely unsettling way. The story centers on an African American teenager living in a group home who begins experiencing haunting visions of a medieval nun. Those visions lead her to a dark prophecy and a growing, terrifying suspicion: that a mysteriously pregnant fellow resident may be carrying the Antichrist. It is a concept that sits at the intersection of coming-of-age drama and theological horror, and the specificity of its central relationship gives it the kind of emotional grounding that distinguishes genre films with real ambition from simple shock fare. The premise has clear visual potential, from medieval apparitions to contemporary group home settings, which means the production's art and costume departments will have interesting, layered work ahead of them.

Frunzi is functioning as a one-man creative core here, taking on the roles of writer, director, producer, and casting director simultaneously. That kind of multi-hyphenate control is common in independent filmmaking and signals that this is a passion project driven by a singular vision rather than a studio development process. His collaborator behind the camera is cinematographer Peter Garajszki, whose involvement brings a key creative voice to the visual language of the film. Co-producer Robert Torrance rounds out the producing team. For crew assessing the working dynamic on set, the concentration of creative authority in Frunzi suggests a director-driven shoot where efficiency and adaptability will be valued qualities in collaborators.

Rocking Horse Star Entertainment LLC is the producing entity behind the film, operating as an independent production company. The project does not appear to have a major studio or streamer attached at this stage, placing it squarely in the independent feature space. That context matters for crew in practical terms: this will almost certainly be a non-studio, location-based shoot operating on a focused independent budget, which typically means smaller department sizes and crew members who are comfortable wearing multiple hats. The upside of that environment is creative proximity to the filmmakers and the kind of ownership over your department that larger productions rarely afford.

The filming locations are spread across a compact geographic corridor that will be very recognizable to metro area locals. Phillipsburg and Sayreville in New Jersey, Elizabeth in Union County, and Easton in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley all fall within a reasonable driving radius of one another and of the greater New York and Newark crew base. This is genuinely good news for local New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania crew: the production appears designed to shoot in and around communities that offer a mix of urban texture (Elizabeth's dense residential and commercial streetscapes), small-city character (Phillipsburg and Easton share a bridge across the Delaware River and have a distinctive working-class post-industrial feel), and suburban variety (Sayreville). That range of environments serves the story well, providing visual contrast between the protagonist's present-day world and whatever locations the production uses to evoke its medieval and institutional elements. New Jersey has continued to develop its production infrastructure over the past decade, and while it does not have the deep crew bench of New York City proper, there is a solid and growing local talent pool supplemented by proximity to the city's experienced freelance community.

With a shoot window of just over three weeks and a fall 2026 start, the production has time on its side at this stage, but pre-production on an independent feature moves quickly once it gets going. The fact that casting is already underway suggests the production is actively making decisions, and department heads should not assume there is unlimited runway. Crew in the locations, art, costume, and camera departments especially are encouraged to make contact early. The multi-location nature of the shoot across two states will also keep the locations department busy coordinating permits and logistics across New Jersey and Pennsylvania jurisdictions.

For the complete production listing including contact information, production office details, and the full crew list as it develops, head to ProductionList.com and search for 'Scivias.' As this production moves deeper into pre-production through the coming months, the listing will be updated with new crew attachments and scheduling information. If you are a New Jersey or eastern Pennsylvania based crew member looking to lock in your fall 2026 slate, this is a listing worth bookmarking now.

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