Where the REAL Haunted Houses Are

In preparing for the film, cast and crew alike have understandably taken a greater interest in paranormal investigation. And as we've learned, it's one thing to watch the ghost hunting shows on TV, and quite another to participate. Spending the wee hours in darkened places that are believed to be legitimately haunted can be a little unnerving at times, even for skeptics.

Donnie and I recently tagged along with DCMAG for their investigation of the Howard County Historical Society—which just so happens to be housed in a former church. It's a wonderfully interesting place, but seriously—you try feeling completely comfortable sitting in an old church with the lights out, surrounded by historical artifacts, paintings, and yes—antique dolls.

So with that in mind, it was important that we made sure of one thing—that the houses and other locations where we're filming Ghosts Don't Exist are most certainly not haunted. In fact, they're quite cozy in real life. Whew.

We decided at the very outset to forgo the purist approach of filming in an authentic haunted house, because frankly, nobody really wanted to push our luck. (Especially not those of us who'll be using said houses for base camp and accommodations throughout the shoot.) Instead, we wanted a legitimate ghost-free zone to unwind after the rigorous schedule—and thankfully, that's what we've got. Most of us on the team are indeed superstitious, and/or believers in the paranormal to some degree. And while we're fascinated by haunted houses, we definitely had no desire to spend 15 days filming in them. ;)

But for those of you who do crave that kind of action, here's a handy checklist of reportedly haunted locations. You can plan your next vacation around 'em, if that's your thing.

Do you have any particularly interesting tales of haunted places you've experienced? If so, we'd love to hear about them! On a related note, stay tuned for some very cool upcoming features on ghostsdontexist.com. More to come soon...

The Garner House: a Sneak Peek

Today was move-in day for key members of our production team, as they begin setting up shop at the "Travis Garner House" location, which plays a central part in the film. Here's your exclusive sneak peek at the 18th-century home in Leesburg, VA, which will also serve as base camp for the duration of the shoot. Much of our blogging will take place right here on the site.














We've toured the location numerous times in the past several weeks, and are thoroughly impressed with how well it complements the script. The exterior... the layout of the rooms... it's all very much what Eric had in mind when he wrote the story—and it's going to translate wonderfully to film.

It's worth mentioning that there were actually several viable options for the Travis Garner House, but this was our top choice from the moment we saw it.

There was another home that stood out to us—not so much for its physical characteristics or location, but for what was waiting for us inside. Only one item remained in the vacant, foreboding old manor—this antique wheelchair, resting in a kitchen corner. Is that the stuff of nightmares, or what?