Movie director wants to film ‘occult thriller’ in St Lucia

THE former St Lucia military barracks in Omagh could soon be the main location for a new ‘occult thriller’, the local council has heard.

At the September meeting of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, a delegation of six Omagh town councillors was assigned to meet Infrastructure Minister, John O’Dowd, regarding the proposed sale of the historic site.

During the discussion, Cllr Barry McElduff revealed that he had been in touch with an American director who wishes to use the St Lucia site as a primary film location for a planned ‘occult thriller’.

Cllr McElduff said, “Myself and FODC Director of Community and Wellbeing John Boyle have been involved at various stages and we are hoping to facilitate them and gain access to the St Lucia site itself.

“The director for this film is Geoff Marslet and I think it’s an occult film, this one. I can’t give very much else away for commercial reasons – I do know what’s going on, but I can’t tell you.”

Geoff Marslet is an American director, writer, producer, animator and actor, who began his career in animation before moving to live-action filmmaking. He has become known for his films, Quantum Cowboy (2022), The Phantom 52 (2019) and Mars (2010).

Cllr McElduff continued, “(The film team) need a little bit of help, they’ve already been in touch with various council officers, but it’s just to pull it all together. There are other sites in the Omagh area that will be used for this film as well.

“They need permission, which might mean a little conversation with the likes of the Department for Communities, historical environment divisions, and the Department for Infrastructure. But if I could get the willingness from either Head of Service or a Director to have a meeting with the film director.”

The proposal calling for the council to consult with the director and his team was seconded by Cllr Debbie Coyle.

Boost

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr McElduff highlighted the potential boost for the Omagh area in attracting more film crews.

He said, “I think that there are many locations around Tyrone that would be suitable for film production, just like St Lucia or the Gortin Glens forest park.”

“This could very quickly become a new economy within tourism as it seems that more companies are looking to use our scenery and settings for their productions.”

Cllr McElduff added, “I am very pleased that the FODC have agreed to take the film on board and help assisting the crew in getting the licences and permissions they need.”