Joseph Pepitone The Devil comes to New Jersey in an award-winning comedy film directed by a Manalapan resident that is now available for purchase.
“The Jersey Devil” was filmed in New Brunswick and is available to download on Amazon and to purchase in stores. The plot has the Devil relocating from Hell to Jersey City.
Shami Media Group Inc. recently acquired the film and released it on Oct. 27, according to a press release.
Joseph Pepitone, 43, of Manalapan, the film’s director and cowriter, said the movie premiered in 2014 at the Loews Landmark Theater in Jersey City. He said the showing of the comedy attracted a crowd of more than 700 people.
“I wanted to do something funny and different so I took the title ‘Jersey Devil’ and formed the story around the Devil coming to New Jersey,” Pepitone said. “It took off from there and I had a great team behind me to make it all possible.”
Pepitone said he has been writing for television for nearly 20 years and has written for several cable networks. He said “The Jersey Devil” won three awards at the 2014 Atlantic City Downbeach Film Festival.
Penelope Lagos, 35, the lead actress in the film, said this is the second time she has worked with Pepitone. She said she thought the film was hilarious when he sent the script to her.
“It is a film that can take your mind off things for 90 minutes and let you just relax and laugh,” Lagos said. “Joe is the type of director who wants you to do well and that is really important. You want someone who is on your side and believes in you.”
Pepitone said the plot of his first film, “Stuck In The Middle,” took place in Purgatory. He wanted to continue with that comedic theme and do something funny relating to Hell and the Devil.
“A lot of actors for ‘The Jersey Devil’ came from my first film,” he said. “I wanted to continue with that theme and I thought it would be a perfect twist to bring the Devil to New Jersey.”
Lagos said she did not begin acting until she minored in theater arts at Rutgers University. She said she is very thankful that Pepitone has helped her to advance her acting career.
“Acting was just sort of a hobby until I decided the corporate working world was not me,” Lagos said. “I started late, but it is what I do full-time now and it is my main focus.”
Pepitone said Lagos is a fine actress and fun to work with. He said that “The Jersey Devil” is the second of three movies he has envisioned.
“It is not exactly a trilogy because the stories are not particularly connected, but the plan was to do a movie about Purgatory, a movie about Hell and a movie about Heaven,” Pepitone said.
He said the third film is a few years away, but he is excited to get started with the process of planning the production.
“It will involve a lot of the same cast members and we will definitely be pushing the envelope like we did in the first two films,” Pepitone said.