The three owners of BadFritter Films have had ups and downs since they first started creating movies.

They seem to have some upward momentum now as they are working to recreate their first movie and launch into other new projects.

Adam Pitman, Adam Stilwell and David Blair make up BadFritter Films, a film company that focuses on horror movies. What started as three guys with an idea for a film has turned into something even bigger.

“We’ve known each other for years,” Pitman said. “We’ve been through thick and thin together.”

As the members of the movie team have learned, BadFritter Films has matured.

Their next project, still a closely guarded secret, is expected to begin filming this summer. Then in winter they plan to remake “Roulette,” their first film that drew much praise.

Pitman has returned home to Whitefish for a short stint as he looks for investors to help BadFritter during its next projects.

One such investor has come in the form of Alicia Blake, who met Pitman when they both worked on a local play.

Blake said she believes in BadFritter and their ideas.

“They are extremely talented,” Blake said. “What I love about these guys is their ability to create a tasteful film. They create an intelligent movie. They leave a lot to your imagination, which is different than other horror movies that have become popular with the use of blood and gore.”

The team cut its teeth with “Roulette” in 2005. The film is a psychological thriller about five friends who engage in a fatal game of Russian roulette. It debuted in Whitefish with positive feedback.

“We did it all in a week,” Pitman recalled. “It was pure passion on the screen.”

The film was shot on a hand held camera and limited equipment. The trio would take an idea and then run with it.

“We knew if we set our goals high then our product would be high,” Pitman said. “No one was going to stop us.”

They followed with the award-winning “Paper Dolls” about two high school friends on a road trip who are attacked by mysterious and vicious creatures. Last year they released “Cliff Lake,” a horror shot entirely at Cliff Lake near Tally Lake and based loosely on a zombie-apocalypse TV series BadFritter has been working on.

“Paper Dolls” was shot with a large budget and professional crew. It continues to be played at film festivals and has won numerous awards.

In the time following “Paper Dolls” the film company had gone their separate ways. It was “Cliff Lake” that took them back to their roots by taking a camera into the woods and working off a shoestring budget.

“We wanted to see if we could get back together and if we could still make a movie,” Pitman said.

“Cliff Lake” debuted on the Internet and earned a positive response.

Now, the trio is reconnected and diving into a remake of their first film. BadFritter is writing a new script and is set to film this winter in Missoula.

Pitman said they have a fondness for “Roulette.”

“It was our film school,” he said. “But we look at the film and we say how much more successful it could be if we’d had better equipment. We’ve learned so much since then. I know it has the potential to be huge.”

BadFritter has invested in new equipment and plans to assemble a talented crew and actors to bring “Roulette” back with the goal of making it a “major blockbuster.”

“Paper Dolls” has seen another resurgence recently after being screened recently in New York City. It’s expected to appear in a few film festivals this year also.

Pitman is set to meet with potential investors this week even as he continues to seek out others who might be willing to support BadFritter Films. He’s looking for those who are willing to contribute in return for a percentage of the gross of their films.

He feels the new surge is proof that BadFritter has what it takes to get their ideas to the big screen.

“There’s an artistry in horror,” Pitman said. “We bring that to our films.”

To contact Pitman email badfritters@gmail.com or visit www.badfritterfilms.com.