Tom Hanks: Staten Island’s Hometown Hero?

Tom Hanks: Hometown Hero?

By Brian VanNostrand

Except for the few years I spent in Western New York while in college, I have always lived on islands. I started my life on Long Island, Nassau County to be precise, and returned there for a little while after I finished my undergraduate work. Once I got a job as a New York City School teacher, I moved to Brooklyn to be closer to work and, though many people might not realize it, Brooklyn is on the same land mass as Long Island, so I kept my status as an islander. Then, after getting married to a Staten Island girl, we relocated to be closer to her family, landing me on another island.

Now, there are many similarities between Long Island and Staten Island – both are suburban, both have beaches, both have similar demographics, and both have an inherent pride about anything that connects the island to popular culture. For instance, do you have any idea how many times I had someone tell me some piece of Billy Joel trivia while hanging out in a random bar in Farmingdale?

Staten Island is no different. Whether it’s Colin Jost, Pete Davidson, the Impractical Jokers, or the Wu Tang Clan, the residents of Shaolin love to trumpet their pride of hometown heroes. Well, I have a piece of trivia that connects our humble island with one of the biggest movie stars of all time: Tom Hanks.

In 1979, movie director Armand Mastroianni started filming a horror movie originally titled “Blood Wedding” that was funded by a diverse group of different producers. Since Mastroianni was a native, and knew our little borough better than most, it was decided to shoot the film entirely on location on Staten Island, and one of the characters was played by Tom Hanks in his film debut. The finished film, retitled “He Knows You’re Alone”, was released in 1980 and distributed by M.G.M. Pictures. According to all of the sources I could find, the movie was a financial success after riding the post-”Halloween” craze for slasher films.

“He Knows You’re Alone” is, despite its humble origins, a pretty good movie. Though it was regarded as part of the first wave of slasher films (along with “Friday the 13th” and “Black Christmas”), it actually has more in common with the Italian Giallo films of the ‘60s and ‘70s by focusing on a psychological explanation for the killer’s actions rather than just leaning into the gore and creative kills. Tom Hanks is in it for a short period of time, but this is still his first movie and therefore represents a special moment in the history of popular culture.

So, the next time someone asks you something about Staten Island, tell them that no less than Tom Hanks got his start here and buy them another drink.

Banner Image: He Knows You’re Alone movie poster. Image Credit – MGM Pictures