John Campopiano’s documentary Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made premieres on Made Here this Halloween. Snapper was an unfinished early 1990s horror movie starring a man-eating turtle that wreaks havoc on a lakeside community in New England. Campopiano’s film provides a window into the local Boston special FX makeup and horror communities of the 1980s and ’90s.
Filmmaker John Campopiano answered questions about the film via email with Vermont Public's Eric Ford. This interview has been lightly copy edited.
Eric Ford: How did you first hear about the Snapper film project?
John Campopiano: I was talking with friend, Mark Veau, about the cult classic short film that he and friend, Mike Savino, made back in the 1980s called Attack of the Killer Refrigerator. Sort of casually he said to me, “Oh, we tried to make a killer snapping turtle movie years ago.” I thought it sounded interesting but didn’t think much of it, until Mark began texting me photos from the production. I was amazed! They had really gone for it and attempted to make this movie. They had production stills, VHS behind-the-scenes footage, and even transfers from the original trailer they filmed on 16mm. Given the amount of amazing archival materials that survived that project I knew I had to do something with it. Thus, the Snapper doc was born.
Eric Ford: You've been making horror-film-related documentaries for a while now. What got you started down this path as a filmmaker?
John Campopiano: What initially got me started was a love of visiting filming locations from my favorite films. My friend and colleague Justin White and I decided to make a visit to Maine to see locations from where Stephen King’s 1989 cult classic Pet Semetary was filmed. That trip turned into many more and eventually turned into our debut documentary about the film and its impact on local Mainers. That lit the spark for me in terms of making documentaries and telling quirky stories. That was around 2011 and I haven’t looked back.
Eric Ford: What's your favorite thing about horror movies? Any childhood memories related to horror?
John Campopiano: It’s impossible for me to name a single favorite thing. Like many others, I love the rush and thrill you get from being scared by horror movies. I have great memories of growing up and discovering horror movies with the kids in my neighborhood. We’d play that classic game, Man Hunt, but instead of calling it Man Hunt we’d call it Jason and whomever was the hunter sported a Jason Voorhees mask from Friday the 13th. Looking back on it now it seems like horror movies and horror characters were really omnipresent throughout my adolescence.
Eric Ford: If you were going to make a horror movie, what would it be about?
John Campopiano: I’ve been developing a [young adult] horror film with friend and colleague, Ryan Grulich. We’re really hoping to make it one day. That’s been my primary focus these days: YA horror and unusual horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films made for YA and their families. It’s a sub-genre that I feel often goes forgotten and overlooked.
Eric Ford: Any special plans for Halloween this year?
John Campopiano: Trick or treating with our 3-year-old daughter and just soaking up the fun of Halloween night. I’ll probably throw on some spooky movies as well. Our neighborhood has an annual Halloween parade and people come from all over Rhode Island to partake in it. So, I’m looking forward to that as well!
Eric Ford: What film projects are you working on currently?
John Campopiano: Right now our team is currently in post-production on a new documentary feature film called Sasqua: The Lost Bigfoot Film of Massachusetts. That doc will be out next year. In the meantime, we’re currently in production on another doc feature on the forgotten/semi-lost film, The Black Pearl, and I’ve got a big announcement coming in early 2025 about another venture that has been developing since earlier this year. Stay tuned for that!
Snapper: The Man-Eating Turtle Movie That Never Got Made premieres on Vermont Public's main TV channel 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31 and is available now on demand.
