Mike SciaccaImagine being kidnapped and then held...

Mike Sciacca

Imagine being kidnapped and then held hostage for nearly three weeks

in a dungeon, a terror-filled experience that ultimately would lead

to trauma and deep, dark secrets.

Well, Brian Barsuglia and Kevin Brent turned that thought into

word and then transferred it onto celluloid, the end product being

the feature film, “Dementia: An Experiment in Terror.”

The 80-minute film, which cost less than $20,000 to make, will

make its screen debut Saturday at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach.

For the 33-year-old Barsuglia, a Huntington Beach resident, and

Brent, 34, of Seal Beach, this labor of love first began to take

shape in the summer of 2003.

Although its content might conjure up the stuff of someone’s worst

nightmare, the film itself was a “dream come true” for Brent.

“It’s just so great,” Brent said after watching several clips of

the finished film on Sunday. “It’s the classic horror film that you

can laugh at. It hearkens back to the great horror films of the 1970s

and ‘80s. It’s scary, but it has that campy factor, at the same

time.”

Barsuglia, a writer and director, said he wanted to write a script

that would be “scary and creepy and based [somewhat] in reality.”

The former newspaper editor wrote the screenplay with Brent, a

film critic, and through their collaboration, “Dementia” was born.

The screenplay was written in the summer of 2003 and a

preproduction trailer was made in December of that year in order to

raise interest in the project.

Preproduction began last March with casting taking place last

June. Principal photography began last July and finished in August.

Barsuglia has worked out of his home office throughout the entire

process.

“We shot pickup scenes, recorded dialogue and have been doing

post-production since August,” said Barsuglia, who has previously

done short films and worked on movies and television, but has never

done a feature film. “We’re still not quite done.”

The film tells the story of two men who are kidnapped for

“reeducation,” Barsuglia said, adding that the film is “graphic and

brutish” at the same time in its effort to capture the terror of

being held captive by two real-world sociopaths.

An “underground chamber” or “basement dungeon,” complete with 28

cameras on the premises, which are recording the unfolding events, is

the centerpiece of the film. The story is told through the eyes of

the cameras.

Interior scenes were shot in Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Orange

and Santa Ana, exterior scenery was shot in Visalia, and dungeon

scenes were shot in Long Beach.

The low-budget feature’s cast and crew donated their talents to

the cause.

“The majority of the cast consists of working, professional

actors, most of whom, however, are still looking for that role that

will help propel them to the next level,” Barsuglia said. “Sure,

there’s plenty of gore, but there’s quite a bit of dialogue and

characterization, which is what attracted the actors.”

Barsuglia and Brent first met in 1999. Both are fans of the

Oakland Raiders and low-budget horror movies.

“We shared an instant creative connection,” said Barsuglia, noting

that the two even played in a band together.

In fact, the band, Con Job, a five-member group that includes

Brent, laid down two tracks for the movie. The band will play

following Saturday’s free movie premiere, during an after party that

will include a DJ and comedian.

Barsuglia is hoping that his first feature film will be a

springboard into his next project, “Home Grown,” an Orange

County-based comedy.

He and his wife are expecting their first child in July, and he

has gone as so far as to “predict” making a children’s movie in the

future.

But for now, “Dementia: An Experiment in Terror,” is his baby.

“I wanted to make a movie that could get home video distribution,

but also be ready to screen locally around Orange County and Los

Angeles and in festivals,” he added. “Our primary goals have always

been festival screenings and home video/DVD distribution. Anything

beyond that would be considered an enormous surprise and success. But

most importantly, I wanted to make a movie that an audience would

enjoy.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca @latimes.com.