Cry Wolf turns 20

Twenty years ago, the University of Richmond became a film set for the horror thriller Cry Wolf. Students were given the opportunity to appear as extras alongside stars Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, and Jon Bon Jovi. Today, three alumni share memories of movie magic on campus.

“I was involved in theater at Richmond, and the Cry Wolf team reached out to the theater department for extras,” says Shauna Havercamp Dugandzic, ’07. For Megan Cummings Hansen, ’07, the experience became a core memory with her roommate Heather Reineke Richmond, ’07 — “one of the first memories we made together.”

Filming turned familiar campus settings into the fictional Westlake Preparatory High School. Dugandzic found it “strange being in a computer lab that I had been in as a student that was refitted as a high school classroom.”

Hansen spent a day filming “many takes walking out of Keller Hall” before being moved to the green for scenes of students “playing Frisbee, talking, relaxing.” Dugandzic’s experience was closer to the stars — she was unexpectedly positioned next to lead actor Julian Morris during classroom scenes.

Emily Shea Beck, ’07, also had a brush with Morris: “I accidentally ran into Julian’s rucksack and knocked him down a few steps during one take. I was super embarrassed, obviously. Actually, this probably isn’t surprising to anyone who knows me.”

For sharp-eyed Spider viewers, these alumni and others can be spotted in the film. Dugandzic appears at 13:40, “the blonde wearing black rimmed glasses next to Julian (Owen) in the classroom” and again at 44:36. Hansen appears in the trailer walking down the steps of Keller Hall carrying a book as she crosses in front of the main characters. Beck couldn’t recall a timestamp but appears in a scene where students rush out of a school building. “You can recognize me because I’m looking at the camera and smiling, the only two things they repeatedly told us not to do.”

The production created some uniquely collegiate moments. Dugandzic remembers students blasting Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” from dorm windows whenever the rock star-turned-actor filmed outdoor scenes. “I felt bad for the folks trying to get the shot,” she says, “but I also remember chuckling to myself — that’s what you get for filming on a college campus!”

Two decades later, the film remains nostalgic for each alum. Hansen felt “a lot of pride that UR was chosen as the movie location,” while Dugandzic occasionally uses her time on set as an icebreaker: “Not very many folks can say they were in a movie with Jon Bon Jovi.”

As Dugandzic puts it: “I can’t believe it’s already been 20 years since the filming. We are not that old!”