Latreille Benoît

Article by Adam Brazeau
Seaway News Cornwall
April 10, 2014

CORNWALL, Ontario - The cinematic legend of a hockey-masked slasher is being resurrected through the lens of a Bainsville photographer. Benoit Latreille is the man behind the mask and director of Jason vs. V, a fan film being shot around South Glengarry, mostly in Glen Nevis and Bainsville.

The short film is slated to screen at North Lancaster's Abbey for the Arts this summer. Audiences can expect a frightening PG-13 rated experience as V, the lead character from major motion picture V for Vendetta, comes to the aid of a damsel in distress that's being stalked by Jason Voorhees.

Latreille's second stab at shooting an online feature centered on modern horror's most recognizable monster and mask IS solely for entertainment purposes and not profit. "It's my way to introduce myself and my crew to showcase what we can do using characters the public knows," said Latreille. "I don't want to charge anything because the characters do not belong to me. I don't want to make money of someone else's hard work."

He described the project as an homage to the two lead characters, but considers it mostly a parody. The 45-year-old film fanatic is also the Abbey's official photographer. He started filming last July and aims to wrap up the project in mid-May, in order to release it online by early June.

Movie lovers who cringe easy and are quick to cover their eyes during scary scenes can rest easy knowing Jason vs. V relies more on tension and suspense than shocking violence. "There will be gore, but at a specific moment in the film," he said. "I'm from the old school- what you don't see is scarier than what you do see."

Besides being at the helm of the project, Latreille is the film's writer, editor, and stars as Jason. Since he's not a trained actor, Latreille preferred a non-speaking role. "He's a fun character to play as morbid as it may sound," he said. Sharon Lea, an aspiring actress and model from Rivière-Beaudette, plays Alice, the film's protagonist. For most of the flick, her debut, she is running, screaming, and pleading for mercy.

"It's my first time working on something like this and I'm really enjoying every moment of it," she said. "It's a lot of work because there's a lot of running to do in a horror film."

Latreille described the "scream queen in the making's" performance in one scene as being so real he forgot to yell cut. "That's why in my next project I really want to put the spotlight directly on her and it will be a much bigger movie," he said.

Latreille's wife, Annie, is helping him shoot the fan film. V is being played by co-producer "Davolution" and is voiced by Dr. Bruce Wheatcroft. The rest of the crew is from St-Zotique, Québec. Since the short film is a labour of his love for the horror genre, Latreille hasn't been able to pay any of the actors or production team.

"1 feed them, that's how I pay them back for being there," he said. Latreille welcomes the support of any corporate sponsors who are interested in helping out with production costs. His next project will feature all original material.

For more information on Jason vs. V or to contact Latreille about working on upcoming projects.