A movie shot locally and featuring several local actors is set to be released in just a few months.

“We have some really great footage,” the film’s director, Julie M. Hale, said. “Everything is coming together so well. It’s fantastic.” 

The movie is “Trapped in Schizophrenia,” a crime drama that focuses on three police officers investigating the case of a sadistic serial killer in a small town who has schizophrenia. 

From St. Louis based company Arch Films, the movie was filmed in locations including Red Bud,  Smithton, Belleville and St. Louis. 

The majority of shooting took place in Smithton. In fact, former Smithton Mayor Raymond Klein stars as the sheriff in the film. 

Hale and the picture’s producer, Carlos Michael Hagene, knew Klein and wanted him to play that role. 

When Klein agreed, it made more sense to film in Smithton because it was easier and more affordable. 

“We had everything at our disposal,” Hale, who lives in St. Louis, said. “We had the mayor’s office, the entire town, the police station, all the little stores, the pharmacy, basically everything that we wanted. We didn’t even know it was going to work out like that when we hired him.”

The filming that took place in other locations was for specific scenes, like one shot at the IGA in Red Bud. 

Hale said people in every town were welcoming to them when they were shooting earlier this year. 

“It’s been so great,” she said. “Everyone has opened their doors to us on both sides of the river.” 

In addition to Klein, the film features several local people in smaller roles. 

That includes Bridget McKnight, Alyssa Cowell, Darla Cowell, Jane Johnson, Jacob Johnson, Warren Frank and Breanna Mills of Red Bud, Ethan Has of Waterloo and Emilee Mosbacher of Fults. 

Hale said it was important to her to cast locals in these roles. 

“I wanted the story to be real because it’s kind of loosely based on a true story,” Hale explained. “So I wanted it to be real people playing these characters, not paid actors and actresses. I wanted it to feel real, and what better way than to have locals play locals.” 

For those non-professional actors, the experience was enjoyable.

“It was a lot of fun,” Mosbacher, who plays a victim in the film, recalled. “It was my first role in any movie and a completely new experience for me. Mind you, my role was a few seconds, but it was still fun.”  

Audiences will get to see Mosbacher and the rest of the cast relatively soon, as the film is slated for a January release. 

Hale said she plans to have a premiere screening in Missouri and Illinois before entering the movie in festivals. 

She is also working to make it available on a streaming service like Netflix.