By Katie Curley Katzman
MERRIMAC — This little town on the river is a far cry from Hollywood, but it's playing a starring role in movie theaters across the country.
"Edge of Darkness," featuring Mel Gibson, opened in theaters yesterday. In October 2008, Warner Brothers film crews set up shop on River Road in Merrimac, where bystanders watched the filming from both sides of the river.
Merrimac Selectman Rick Pinciaro said his daughter, Christina, and her boyfriend, Dan, went to see the film yesterday, and he was heading to the theater last night to see it.
"There has certainly been buzz around town with people anxious to see it," Pinciaro said. "The fact there are two or three scenes of River Road in the promo has really got everyone talking. "
One of the highlights was a car that was sent flying into the Merrimack River, for which local police and harbormasters were called in to supervise.
Prior to the accident sequence, the production company had to ensure the town that the environment would not be harmed during the accident scenes. New vegetation was added along the embankment, and the car was stripped down and void of any fluids that could leak into the river.
The local filming is a result of tax breaks offered to movie productions that take place in the Bay State. The hope is that the benefits are passed on to local communities that serve as filming locations.
In Merrimac and West Newbury, some residents were paid to have their homes used for filming, and area businesses had contacts with the cast and crew.
One of the owners of Rhythm Cafe on School Street, Cathy Chouinard, said the "Edge of Darkness" crew ate at her restaurant.
"We didn't see too much on this end of town. It was mainly down near the river, but there is buzz locally," Chouinard said. "The crew ate here while they were in town and were very nice."
West Newbury Harbormaster James Riley spent the majority of the film's taping on the river and can't wait to see how Hollywood makes its magic.
"I want to see how seamlessly they blend the tides," Riley said, noting he was planning to see the movie this weekend. "They filmed it over two weeks and then came back for a week, and there were a lot of changes in the tide's direction during that time."
Riley said crews filmed during dead low, outgoing tides and also at times when the tides were at their peak incoming.
"It will be pretty interesting to see. The assured me they would magically blend the tides."
Riley says the filming of the movie was a positive thing for West Newbury.
"Anytime crews come here and spend money, it's a good thing," Riley said.
While Riley never got to speak to Gibson, he was in the same tent as Gibson during lunch, and Riley's dog even got to play with Gibson's stunt double.
"The owner of the dock which the movie used got to eat lunch with Mr. Gibson as part of the deal," Riley said.
Pinciaro said in the days leading up to the movie's release he has heard stories of other run-ins with Gibson.
"A real estate agent somehow got through and around lunch time, took Mel to a local pizza joint," Pinciaro said. "Everyone says he's a nice, laid back guy."
Pinciaro said he hopes the movie will get people excited about Merrimac and make them fall in love with the town he has called home for 25 years.
"It's such a quintessential New England town, and we benefit from the river frontage we have," Pinciaro said. "It would be nice if we started to see the tourist business pick up."
