During the 1993-94 academic year at the University of Maine, a group of college students, members of the then-active Video Club on campus, got together with an ambitious goal— to write, edit and film a full-length movie
After weeks of production, the end result was a murder mystery movie clocking in at ninety minutes. The film “DORM” is sometimes suspenseful, sometimes humorous, but always an intriguing blast from the past. Being able to watch the movie three decades later and observe how our beloved campus has changed over the years was quite the interesting experience.
The student film was directed and produced by Kyle Rankin, John Dillenbeck and Scott Potelle, starring many Video Club students and various faculty. Despite the film’s minimal budget, the students involved stopped at nothing to craft a quirky yet entertaining nugget of a film. Many UMaine students watching “DORM” will revel while watching, observing many noteworthy buildings around campus used as set pieces to build up tension in the plot.
After the murder of an unsuspecting student takes place in the dorm showers, Undercover Cop Marshall Bennett, played by Rankin himself, is enrolled at the University in order to investigate various students and find out the cause of the murder.
Along the way, the lead protagonist comes across many peculiar characters, such as the overtly unusual roommate, Jacob Johnson, the hilariously stern resident assistant, Richard Leese and many other unorthodox individuals. As the incidents keep piling up, the case grows increasingly strange and out of control.
The most fascinating aspect of “DORM” is that it gives viewers a glimpse into how UMaine used to be in the past. While the inner appearances of the student living dorms and academic halls remain relatively unchanged, the atmosphere and tone have a distinctly different feel. When it came to filming the student dorm scenes, most of them were primarily shot in Hancock Hall and Chadbourne Hall, the latter no longer being a residence hall.
Being able to peer into what UMaine student life was like thirty years ago is quite an enjoyable endeavor. One scene in particular, where Marshall spots the killer at the scene of the crime, takes place in Williams Hall, known back then as Little Hall, with the indoor arches and tall windows being almost immediately recognizable. The scene itself perfectly encapsulates the charming homemade feel of creating an independent student film, especially for any current students or past alumni.
While “DORM” provides an eccentric throwback into how UMaine used to be in the early 1990s, the rest of the film is a rather standard murder mystery affair, with bits of offbeat humor thrown into the mix. It could be argued that most of the film’s humor is derived ironically from its kitschy acting, cliched mystery tropes and many character deaths that come off as corny in today’s era. Still, the ambition is evident and the effort is highly commendable, with some well-done shot composition, blocking and costume design sprinkled throughout the film’s running time.
The short documentary “DORM: Behind the Scenes” showcases the film’s team of students and staff, as well as the group of producers who fought over creative differences but nonetheless share the same loving passion for filmmaking. One of the film’s executive producers and lead actor Kyle Ranking went on to direct and produce many future projects, most notably the 2014 film “Night of the Living Deb” which not only was filmed in Portland, Maine, but also echoes some of the spirit of indie films similar to “DORM.”
Three decades later, this University of Maine student film remains a peculiar novelty that gives viewers a peek into the past and how our beloved UMaine campus has both changed and remained the same over the years.
The student film “DORM” and the short documentary “DORM: Behind the Scenes” can both be watched in full on YouTube.
