Firecracker (2005)

Interesting facts

Firecracker is a 2005 thriller film directed by Steve Balderson, starring Karen Black and Mike Patton, who each play two major roles. Patton and Jak Kendall play brothers David and Jimmy, who live in a small Kansas town in the 1950s and have an abusive relationship. Both brothers become involved with Sandra (Black), a singer with the traveling carnival that visits the town each summer. Sandra is also trapped in an abusive relationship with the carnival owner Frank. When the carnival leaves town, David also disappears, leading to an investigation of his apparent murder.

Production

Writer, director and co-producer Steve Balderson based Firecracker on a real-life murder that occurred in Wamego in the 1950s, three blocks from the house where Balderson grew up. According to Balderson, a traveling carnival visited the town each year on July 4. The murder victim disappeared on the morning of July 5, as the carnival was leaving town, and was later found to have been killed by his brother.

Dennis Hopper was originally cast as Frank but dropped out before the film was made. Balderson said this was because Hopper's involvement in the film did not result in financing, so he reverted to his "original vision" of having the same actor play the parts of both Frank and David, and Hopper was "forty years too old" to play David.

The film was shot in Wamego and the surrounding area over two months in 2003, on a budget of just under $500,000. The Ottaway carnival, a real carnival that visited Wamego regularly, was used for the carnival scenes, with local residents as extras.

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