The trope is a familiar one. Movies have been made about it. Songs have been written about it. “It” being making it in the film industry. A long time Walterboro resident has made it a reality and is living his dream.
Dustin Vitale was born on the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota then he and his family moved to Walterboro in 1998. He went to elementary school at Forest Hills Elementary, attended Walterboro Middle School Campus A & B, and his freshman and sophomore year at Walterboro High School. For his senior year he moved back to North Dakota and finished high school there, but he ended up back in Colleton County and now resides between Walterboro and Charleston. He originally wanted to move to Los Angeles, but his friends who lived in Atlanta told him there was really no point in going to LA anymore because everything film was in the Atlanta area now, which was absolutely true.
Vitale’s start in the industry began as an actor in 2019. He took a couple of acting roles and did some background extra work. He worked on a film called the Righteous Gemstones with John Goodman. He decided he did not care for the acting, but what he really liked was what was going on behind the camera. Dustin started directing shorts and then stepped into producing. His current finished product is “The Forest Hills” (not the local subdivision) starring Shelley Duvall. Ms. Duvall’s presence in the film was an added bonus for Vitale since he is a huge Duvall fan. He names Annie Hall and Olive Oyl as some of his favorite films of hers. Perhaps her most well-known role is Wendy Torrance, beleaguered wife of Johnny Torrance played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining; a film adaption of the novel written by Stephen King.
The Forest Hills was Ms. Duvall’s final film before her death in July of this year. This current film is not a remake rather a reincarnation. This version will move from drama to horror. Vitale saw the original version and contacted the director. It turns out the director was looking for a producer and Dustin was brought into the project.
IMDb.com gives a brief synopsis of the film of “haunted by nightmares, Rico, [played by Chiko Mendez], descends into madness in the Catskill Mountains.” In addition to Shelley Duvall, the film also features Dee Wallace, a horror film alum, and Edward Furlong of Terminator fame. The film will be coming to Ivanhoe Theater on October 4, 2024. Mr. Vitale will be at the opening and will conduct a Q & A session either before or after the viewing. Come show support for a local guy who “made it” on October 4 at Ivanhoe Family Cinema. Then we can all say when knew him when.
