Humboldt County has an infamously long missing persons list. Vast uninhabited swaths of forest, unpredictable frigid oceans and swift rivers are oft-cited sources for the backlog. Less frequently noted are beams of light that make people vanish. But it’ll soon be a factor for a few unlucky people in Ferndale — or, at least, for a few characters in the film Dark Light, set to start filming there next week. 

Details are scant, but if IMDb is to be believed, the basic premise is as outlined above: a mysterious beam of light starts making small-town locals disappear, and “a defiant teen must lead the frantic survivors through a collapsing world where the slightest misstep could mean disappearing forever.”

Scenes will be shot outdoors on the 300 block of Main Street in front of the Valley Grocery store from Oct. 14-17 and again on Oct. 20, and inside of it from Oct. 21-Nov. 7. Another day of shooting will happen at the Charpentier House. Most of the outdoor scenes will be shot late at night and into the morning.

On Sept. 23, the Ferndale City Council approved an application from Tabooma, the independent film studio behind the production, granting them permission to close a block on Main Street to traffic and parking for the sequences set outdoors. Pedestrians will be allowed access in between takes. 

This is Tabooma’s second film. The first, another sci-fi film called Xeno, about a girl who befriends an alien, premiered three weeks ago and has an 86% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Both Dark Light and Xeno were directed and written by Matthew Loren Oates. 

Reactions to the news have been mixed. Some residents and business owners are concerned about the noise the production will make while shooting at night and what economic damages frequent closures of an entire city might wreak on local businesses. 

Owner of the Ferndale Enterprise and the Humboldt’s Hometown Store Melissa Sanderson wrote in a letter to the production team and the city council that she thinks the altered traffic patterns and potentially limited access to her store would impact profits and employee hours. Sanderson thinks businesses should be compensated for any impact. 

“We are proud to be part of a community that attracts attention for its charm and character,” Sanderson wrote, “but that community must be respected and protected first.”

The planned shooting schedule and Humboldt’s Hometown’s business hours overlap for four and a half hours on Oct. 14.

Humboldt County Film Commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine was more optimistic, focusing in a letter to the city council on the money the eight cast and 45 crew members will spend in Ferndale (the film has a $180,000 lodging budget, $30,000 for locally-based catering, and another $100,000 for location and labor fees).

“Humboldt is facing financial challenges, and productions like Dark Light bring outside dollars to our communities,” Hesseltine said. “With thoughtful planning, the city can minimize disruption while benefiting economically. If the film succeeds, it could also bring long-term value through film tourism, as we’ve seen with other productions in the region.”

As of publication, Dark Light producers Matthew Hsu and Ken Farrington have not responded to requests for comment; production coordinator Kev Magee is responding to an email from the Outpost. We’ll update this article when it’s received.