Lights, Camera, Action in 'Haunted' Home

Peter Choate remembers the one and only time he lit a cigar in the nearly 300-year-old Penrose-Strawbridge house.

"Within a minute of lighting it up I felt two taps on my shoulder," said Choate, the caretaker of the Horsham home, which sits adjacent to Graeme Park. "I didn't know what to make of it."

The former lady of the house, Mrs. Strawbridge, was said to have not liked people smoking in the house. Choate said that may have been her way of letting him know.

In the few weeks since Choate and his wife Margaret took leave of the house to enable the the 30-member cast and crew did not turn up any signs of life on the other side.

Which is a bit ironic considering producer Melissa Panzer described the film as a "psychological horror movie." The spirit of one of the film's characters "haunts" the Horsham house where 90 percent of the scenes are filmed, she said.

Panzer said the circa 1721 home–which paranormal investigators have said is haunted–"was a perfect house for this movie." And anyone who's even vaguely familiar with the home is sure to recognize it in the movie.

"Everything's a hot set, meaning it's all used," Panzer said. "Very little is changed."

The independent film, which is being produced with a budget "under half a million dollars," is expected to finish shooting on Sunday, Panzer said. She expects it to be cut by summer's end.

"There's no studio attached at the moment," Panzer said. "We should be able to sell it. It'll play locally no matter what." 

Panzer said she's already discussed the possibility of holding a screening in Doylestown. Choate said he'd like to see it open at the Regal Cinemas in Warrington.

"Remorse" stars South Jersey native Katrina Law of the recent "Spartacus" TV series, Lili Bordán of "Battle Star Gallactica: Blood and Chrome" and Jody Quigley, of Fountainville, a Central Bucks West graduate.

Besides the Penrose-Strawbridge house, filming was also done in Hatboro, Doylestown and Chalfont. 

Quigley, who plays "Doug" in his first leading role, said he's still adjusting to the "demanding schedule" of 12-hour days during the 18 days of filming.

"Half of my wardrobe's here," Quigley said. "I change like 15 times a day."

Quigley said he could relate to his character–who goes off the deep end following the death of his fiance–"in some ways."

"It's fun to play when he's happy," Quigley said.

The spirits, he said, are harder to tap into.

When asked if he's seen or heard anything out of the ordinary while filming at the Penrose-Strawbridge house, Quigley said that he hasn't.

"Thank God," he said. "Knock on wood."

Would he freak if the spirit of the character haunting the house wasn't the only one to make an appearance?

"Totally."