Setting the scene: Psychological horror film shoots in Blair, Bedford counties
In a still from the film, producer and actor Andrew Hunsicker, as Jacob White, looks for a body in the snow. Courtesy photo
Intruder Films presents the psychological thriller “A Cold Season,” following a man’s descent into madness during the holiday season. The movie will be available Nov. 10 on Tubi. Courtesy photo
“A Cold Season” producer Andrew Hunsicker (from left) stands beside writer and director Christian Jude Grillo and actress Daijah Lilly. Courtesy photo
Jacob White (Andrew Hunsicker) holds a package in front of a delivery driver (Daijah Lilly) in one scene of “A Cold Season.” Courtesy photo
Andrew Hunsicker plays Jacob White, a man who grapples with reality during the holiday season, and his dangerous double. Courtesy photo
In a still from the film, producer and actor Andrew Hunsicker, as Jacob White, looks for a body in the snow. Courtesy photo
Intruder Films presents the psychological thriller “A Cold Season,” following a man’s descent into madness during the holiday season. The movie will be available Nov. 10 on Tubi. Courtesy photo
“A Cold Season” producer Andrew Hunsicker (from left) stands beside writer and director Christian Jude Grillo and actress Daijah Lilly. Courtesy photo
Jacob White (Andrew Hunsicker) holds a package in front of a delivery driver (Daijah Lilly) in one scene of “A Cold Season.” Courtesy photo
Andrew Hunsicker plays Jacob White, a man who grapples with reality during the holiday season, and his dangerous double. Courtesy photo
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Pennsylvania-based company Intruder Films used real snowfall, terrain and high winds in both Blair and Bedford counties while filming their upcoming psychological horror movie, "A Cold Season."
"The location is one of the main characters of the film," writer and director Christian Jude Grillo said. "It plays well in its beauty, and it plays well in its isolation."
Set to release Nov. 10 on Tubi and other streaming platforms, "A Cold Season" follows Jacob White, a lonely man who loses his grip on reality during the holiday season. Hiding a string of killings in Pennsylvania's mountains, White fights his tempting double who urges him toward violence.
"A Cold Season" marks three movies in two years for the independent Pennsylvania production company, as they released "Intruder" in October 2025 and "Neighbor" in May 2026.
Grillo, who moved to Claysburg a year ago, said they captured the Pennsylvania countryside in this movie, using its beautiful aesthetic to tell a compelling story.
"I couldn't have shot this movie anywhere else but here," he said.
Authentic characters
Grillo is no stranger to filmmaking. With 20 years in the business, he is best known for titles such as "Deer Crossing" (2012), "Apocalypse Kiss" (2014) and "Sugar Skull Girls" (2016).
After shooting "Neighbor" in South New Jersey, Grillo moved to Claysburg last September. When his business partner, Andrew Hunsicker of Douglasville, visited Grillo's new home, they considered filming a movie in the area during the winter.
"Wherever I go, I shoot movies," Grillo said with a laugh.
"A Cold Season" was largely inspired by Grillo's personal feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection. Even five years after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, he said the world still doesn't feel as tightly woven as it once did.
"I think a lot of people have become loners since then, and if you don't have a strong family network, you have to build a network," he said. "It's hard to build a network today when people are guarded. It's all internet-based."
To accommodate Hunsicker's other filmmaking endeavors, Grillo pitched him an isolated movie starring Hunsicker and a minimal cast that could be shot a weekend at a time. The microcast consisted of eight people.
While producer Hunsicker takes up most of the movie's screen time, Grillo said half the remaining characters are local people, a tactic he's used in previous films as well.
"I just asked people who live here, work here, 'Would you play this role? I think you'd be good at it,'" he said.
Grillo cast Clubhouse Bar and Grill employee Daijah Lilly as the delivery driver.
"It was kind of a shock," she said. "I never had any acting experience, so my thought process was like, 'I'll do it for fun.' I can tell my kids I was in a movie one day."
As her first time working on a film set, she said she had fun with the cast and crew. Recording a few takes, she enjoyed staying in character and talking to Hunsicker as White.
"It was fun," she said. "They were super welcoming; it was a vibe."
Local charm
Grillo and Hunsicker, along with cast and crew, shot the film over five months, starting in December 2025 and wrapping up in May.
The characters live in a small town known as "Roaring Springs," Grillo said. They intentionally added an "s" at the end of Springs to avoid a liability issue.
"But anyone from the area knows what we're talking about," he said with a laugh.
Some local spots featured in the film include Blue Knob All Seasons Resort, Duncansville, Roaring Spring, Bedford and Hollidaysburg.
Grillo said he included as many area spots as he could for their beauty and isolation.
"I have fallen in love with the area itself and all the little towns that surround where I live," he said.
While they filmed various driving shots on the ski access road at Blue Knob Ski Resort, he said they went to Bedford at midnight for one particular driving scene that captured holiday lights gleaming off area houses and businesses.
To create an establishing shot, they included Chimney Rocks Park's vantage point of Hollidaysburg and even a few moments in downtown. They recorded White exiting a storefront after purchasing a Santa Claus costume.
"We shot it in a way you don't recognize the storefront, but you see a long angle down the avenue," he said. "It's very strategic."
Portage's wind turbines also received some dedicated screen time.
"That's really unique to here," he said. "It really establishes this general area. Anybody from here is going to recognize those turbines."
Hunsicker also mentioned working with the turbines, noting the cold yet spectacular experience.
"The turbines are so fascinating, the size and how ominous they are," he said.
Portage's turbines were only one example of the production team's efforts to leverage the surrounding environment into a haunting landscape, translating to White's mental decline on screen, he said.
"We used it (the environment) as a horror character," he said.
For the townies
Sticking with the local theme, Intruder Films will host a public premiere of "A Cold Season" on Dec. 5 in the conference center of the Clubhouse Bar and Grill.
"I want the local people to see their town and say, 'I know that place,'" he said.
As Intruder Films anticipates the release date for "A Cold Season," Grillo hopes that viewers realize that Southcentral Pennsylvania is a great place to film a Hollywood movie.
"I think there needs to be a stronger network for the arts and filmmaking around here because a lot of businesses and locations need to be used more," he said. "It's very affordable to shoot out here."
Lilly said both Blair and Bedford landscapes brought a unique perspective to the film, noting peacefulness and vastness as strong positives.
"It's cool to know there was a movie filmed in central PA," she said.
Distributed by MVD Entertainment Group, "A Cold Season" will be available on streaming platforms such as Tubi, Roku, Fandango, Vudu and Amazon.
If you go
What: "A Cold Season" premiere
When: Dec. 5. Doors open at 6 p.m., movie starts at 7 p.m.
Where: The conference center at the Clubhouse Bar and Grill
Tickets: $10, soon to be available on the Blue Knob All Seasons Resort website or at the door