MIDDLEBURG – Getting everything into place was supposed to be a lot more difficult than it turned out. That’s why Dr. Shaun Powell booked the studio and locations for 17 days for her first feature film, “The Honey Dripper Lady.”

But she got everything she needed in 12 days, including nearly half of the scenes in a house and cul de sac in Middleburg’s Orange Park South neighborhood.

She quickly learned that the hard part was paring the footage into manageable features. That meant discarding what once seemed like a good idea and banishing it to a computer’s trash file.

“This is my first film, so it’s my baby,” she said.

Powell is careful not to give away too much about the twists and turns of her suspenseful thriller. It focuses on a Southern staple called honey dripper. They are frozen Styrofoam or Solo cups of excessively sweet Kool-Aid, fruit syrup or fruit punch. They are popular among neighborhood children on hot summer days, and neighborhoods often have a woman who makes them known as honey dripper ladies.

Ms. Patricia, played by Davenia McFadden, is the local Honey Dripper Lady. When a child goes missing, the residents suspect she may be responsible, luring them with her frozen, sweet, icy treats.

To make it work, she needed the perfect setting. She relied on Vicki Lowe to scout locations. She came back with the perfect spot near Swimming Pen Elementary.

“Look at that area,” Powell said. “It’s a filmmaker’s dream and some places in Duval County. But Clay County can give you that same thing as well. I just wanted to film here, and with Vicki’s help, we found the perfect location.”

At least two scenes were filmed at the playground and park near the Silo Shoppes of Middleburg, Powell said.

“It kind of worked out because sometimes you can search and search and search,” she said. “Vicki looked at the house, and it had everything we needed written in the script. This was it. We loved what Clay County had to offer.”

A young reporter, Janae, returns with her family to save her home and investigate the missing girl when her daughter, Mia, goes missing. Powell insists it’s not a horror movie but a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing – and on the edge of your seat.

“I think that’s what’s so compelling about it. Is there a lot of ins and outs?” she said. “It leaves the watcher wondering and guessing what’s going next. And I think they always guess wrong, right?”

Janae eventually uncovers the truth that links Alice and Mia’s disappearances and threatens to turn the community upside-down.

The movie’s trailer will be released on Aug. 7. Then, “The Honey Dripper Lady” will appear on the big screen in selected AMC theaters in Jacksonville by late August. Powell said she’s talking about limited engagements with AMC theaters in Orange Park and on Fleming Island.

After that, she expects her movie will appear on various streaming networks and services.

For her first project, each step has been overly thorough yet filled with meticulous anticipation. She wants “The Honey Dripper Lady” to make her niche in the movie-making industry. The work is done while the anticipation and angst continue. There is no time for do-overs or second-guessing. The first impression is usually best anyway.

All that’s left for everyone else is to pop the popcorn, open a box of Junior Mints, turn down the lights and enjoy.