Midlands native to make film about local urban legend ‘Lizard Man’

A local independent movie producer plans to use the backdrop of Poinsett State Park to film a movie about the legendary Lizard Man.

Mayesville High School graduate Reginald K. Fullwood, class of 1990, said he plans to film a movie at the park that may lend a "Bigfoot" folklore interest to the creature first reported in The Sumter Item in 1988, when Fullwood was in high school.

In that initial report, a young man from Bishopville swore to have had an encounter with Lizard Man. Since that time, numerous sightings have encouraged the production of Lizard Man paraphernalia. The first sightings were reportedly near Scape Ore Swamp.

Now, Fullwood wants to capitalize on the creature, reported to stand seven feet tall, be green in color and hairy. He said about 85 percent of the movie, "Creature of Scape Ore," will be shot in Poinsett State Park in July. Because of the heat and humidity during that summer month, he said he may have to add Computer-Generated Imagery to complete some scenes.

Fullwood, who said he got his start as an assistant to a Warner Brothers producer, also said he helped produce “Norbit” and the second installment of the “Transformers” movie.

He's now opened his own production company called K.V.E. Productions in Los Angeles. He said his company will be hiring more than 50 makeup artists, photographers, extras and security personnel for the shoot.

"I want to show my compadres in L.A. that you can find talent in cities the size of Sumter," Fullwood said. "You don't have to film in Charleston or Columbia."

The plot of Creature of Scape Ore includes college students spending spring break at Scape Ore, where one of them gets killed and the others blame the Lizard Man.

If you're interested in finding out more about K.V.E. Productions or applying for one of the positions, which will pay $50 to $75 a day for extras, go to www.kveproductions.com, and click on the COSO button to take you to the application process. Fullwood said he plans to return to interview candidates by sometime in June.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Midlands native to make film about local urban legend ‘Lizard Man’."