By: Craig S. Semon | Worcester Telegram & Gazette | March 7, 2025
LEOMINSTER ― Not only is the Max original film “The Parenting” expected to scare up a lot of viewers when it premieres Thursday on the paid streaming service, it might make the Plastic City (aka Leominster) the new go-to place for Hollywood to film in Massachusetts.
Watch: “The Parenting” trailer (Warning: Strong Language)
Billed as a “hilariously terrifying comedy,” “The Parenting” centers around Rohan and Josh (played by Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn, respectively) a young, wisecracking gay couple ready to take the next step in their budding relationship – introducing each other to their respective parents.
For the occasion, the young couple rent the perfect getaway, McKinley Fields, featuring a 29-room stucco mansion with columns and massive bay windows, as well as sprawling grounds that includes majestic trees, a quaint pond and an extensive system of walking paths.
Standing in for McKinley Fields is Leominster’s own Doyle Community Park and Center estate garden, located at 245 Lindell Ave.
Beautiful and picturesque, it appears to be the perfect locale for Rohan and Josh to meet their prospective in-laws. Brian Cox and Edie Falco play Frank and Sharon (Rohan’s parents), while Dean Norris and Lisa Kudrow play Cliff and Liddy, (Josh’s parents).
There’s only one small problem: the house is haunted by the presence of a 400-year-old poltergeist, who has possessed the body and the will of one of the parents.
Think “Evil Dead” meets “Meet the Parents”; or “Succession” meets “The Exorcist.”
The film crew came to Leominster in mid-March 2022 to prep the set before filming for three weeks, Monday through Friday, from March 28 to April 18, and wrapping up and breaking down the set four days after that.
Former indie-film it-girl Parker Posey, who plays eccentric local Brenda, and Vivian Bang, who plays Rohan’s best friend Sara, round out the main cast, which also includes four dogs.
Craig Johnson, the film’s director, confirms that the estate at 345 Lindell Ave. was used for all exterior shots, of which there are plenty, as well as the wooded grounds.
In addition to the Leominster shoot, Johnson and the crew filmed a wedding reception scene in the grand ballroom of Union Station in Worcester. Unfortunately, the finished scene didn’t make the final cut, Johnson said.
However, one brief scene that was filmed in Worcester appears to be still intact.
On April 7, an exterior shot at the Vendome apartment building at 17-23 Chandler St. was filmed. This locale serves as Sara’s apartment.