Films beginning production this week :...

Films beginning production this week : THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (Amsco Studios). Shooting in Akron, Ohio. Billions and billions of zombies walk the earth after a deadly virus, developed by a certain Dr. Bow, escapes into the air. Those few who were spared exposure must hastily rummage through Bow’s records and learn how to eliminate the danger. Executive producer The Master Cylinder. Producers J. R. Bookwalter and Jolie Jackunas. Director/screenwriter Bookwalter. Stars Pete Ferry, Robert Kokai, Bogdan Pecic, Jackunas and Maria Markovic. Distributor undetermined. Early ’87 release.

THE HOUSE ON SULLIVAN STREET (Sullivan Street Production Co.). Shooting in New York. A romantic thriller taking place in 1950s Greenwich Village has a young woman under federal investigation stumbling upon a scandal involving fugitive Nazis and a compromised senator. Executive producers Robert Benton and Arlene Donovan. Producers Peter Yates and Robert Colesberry. Director Yates. Screenwriter Walter Bernstein. Stars Kelly McGillis, Jeff Daniels and Mandy Patinkin. Distributor Orion. Release date undetermined.

SPELLCASTER (Empire Entertainment Productions). Shooting in Rome. A group of teen-agers are thrilled to discover that they have won a rock video show’s million-dollar treasure hunt. Thrills turn to chills when it’s discovered that the site of the hunt is a haunted castle. Producer Albert Band. Director Rafal Zielinsky. Screenwriter Ed Naha. Stars Bunty Bailey, Richard Blade, Harold P. Pruett, Gail O’Grady and a special appearance by Adam Ant. Early ’87 release.