Two longtime friends from Syracuse are sharing their new craft with the world, but you'll have to take on a zombie apocalypse to watch it.

Nick Ghezzi co-wrote a new movie called "Deadlocked" alongside director Josh Bailey. The idea for the movie came from a story by Ed Tommasi, Ghezzi's friend of 25 years. The movie follows a group of five strangers stuck in an elevator as a virus spreads outside. Together, they must fight off zombies and an infected rider among them.

Tommasi recently spoke with Syracuse.com and said that Ghezzi is a "crazy talented writer." "Deadlocked" is a product of Tommasi's idea and Ghezzi's wit.

"I swear I’m a very normal human but I’ve just always been intrigued with the post-apocalyptic genre as a whole, so I had this initial idea of a zombie apocalypse happening and a group stuck in an elevator, and Nick developed the whole narrative and characters," Tommasi told Syracuse.com.

Tommasi said he's always been fascinated by the zombie world, and even worked on promos for "The Walking Dead" when the AMC series launched in 2010.

Ghezzi told Syracuse.com that they filmed "Deadlocked" in Portland, Oregon, where Bailey--and most of the movie's cast--is originally from. However, there is one more face in this zombie-packed thriller that may be familiar to Central New Yorkers. Syracuse native Nick Champa is one of the lead actors in "Deadlocked," and he graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School.

The film was shot back in 2015, but Ghezzi told Syracuse.com that its release during a year like 2020 may cause viewers to draw similarities between the movie and the current coronavirus pandemic.

Despite working on a horror film that's now debuting on Amazon Prime Video, Tommasi and Ghezzi still called Central and Western New York home throughout the coronavirus pandemic. According to Syracuse.com, Tommasi has been living in Rochester for most of the year, although he normally splits time between Los Angeles and New York City, working in marketing for Disney's ESPN, Marvel and Freeform. Ghezzi has continued living in Canastota and working for a financial institution in East Syracuse.

"Deadlocked" currently has 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon Prime, and Tommasi hopes the movie's success can show aspiring creators that anyone can be a filmmaker, no matter what their day job is.

"All it really takes is a great idea and then the gumption," Tommasi told Syracuse.com. "If you want something, you just have to make it happen. Your hustle has to be stronger than 10,000 others with the same dream. If you’re willing to hustle and make the grind, you can make it happen."

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