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Dark trip: Rick Margeson's 'Journey into Cassadaga'
The way movie-goers have been throwing money at Paranormal Activity, you'd never know there was a recession. According to the most recent numbers from Box Office Mojo, the $15,000 little-horror-movie-that-could has raked in over $99 million since opening on Oct. 9th. Even with last week's 49% drop-off in attendance over the previous week, it's a safe bet Paramount's dark horse indie thriller will hit the magic $100 million mark this weekend.
Much ink has been spilled over the astonishing critical and commercial success of first-time director Oren Peli's micro-budget home video thriller, however nobody seemed more surprised than Paramount, who took the unprecedented step of allowing Paranormal's fans to register their names for inclusion in the film's DVD credits as a gesture of thanks to the legion of movie-goers who shelled out $10-$15 they probably couldn't afford for a chance to see the movie in a theater. (It was also a brilliant way to pre-sell the DVDs!)
If Paranormal Activity proved that a potential blockbuster needn't cost millions, first-time Orlando filmmaker Rick Margeson's Journey into Cassadaga shows that it is entirely possible to shoot a surprisingly watchable little movie for little more than the cost of a tank of gas. That and the price of a couple of videotapes is all that it cost Margeson to put together this surprisingly creepy impromptu documentary about a pre-Halloween visit to one of the most charmingly spooky places on earth: the little Spiritualist community of Cassadaga, Florida.
Unlike Paranormal Activity, the eerie phenomena captured by Margeson's cameras weren't staged. 'Everything in this video is real,' says Margeson. 'No special effects were used.'
A former film student at Valencia Community College, Margeson was inspired to do the documentary after watching a ghost-themed reality show that reminded him of a visit he had once made to Cassadaga with his girlfriend, Erin. 'I remember that trip,' he says. 'The feeling I had there, and what I saw...I was so amazed by the energy...'
After doing some online research, Margeson decided to try and capture the spirit of Cassadaga on camera. He called up a few friends to see if they would be interested in tagging along. 'I thought, wow, this would be the perfect ghost adventure documentary!', he laughs.
As it turned out, one of those friends, Jamie, happened to be intimately acquainted with Cassadaga: her family had once owned a bookstore there. 'She knew where to go,' says Margeson. 'She knew where everything was at.'
And, according to Margeson, the timing was serendipitous. 'The full moon was coming up on October 6th,' he says. ''What better time to do this film?'
Since its founding in 1894 by Spiritualist George Colby, Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, as it is officially known, has been an enclave for psychics and mediums, and a popular destination for the curious and the spiritually-inclined. Some are drawn to the shady hamlet of frame houses and moss-draped oaks in search of spiritual guidance or past-life regressions; others arrive hoping to glimpse one of the ghosts said to haunt the old downtown hotel, or to take snapshots of the Cassadaga 'orbs'--mysterious points of light that allegedly show up on camera while remaining invisible to the naked eye.
The unscripted movie opens with evocative music and graphics, and a couple of nice shots of sunset over Orlando. The members of Margeson's group are introduced during the untidy business of corralling everybody--Cory, Sarah, Robert, Heather, Jamie, Carrie, and George--with an abundance of fussing around at gas stations and convenience stores while people make goofy faces. After a temporary setback--namely, the lead car getting lost--our heroes are finally on their way to Cassadaga.
At first I thought, oh boy, this thing could go either way. But I liked the opening, and the moody music and imagery, so I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad that I did.
The camera work in Margeson's film is a tad more ambulatory than I'd have liked--there are a couple of striking images that I wish he had lingered on for a moment or two longer--however the film is nicely paced and edited, and is a respectable first effort. Once our intrepid band of navigationally-challenged investigators arrive in Cassadaga proper, the film finds its footing and Margeson's modest, no-budget documentary becomes unexpectedly engrossing, with loads of atmosphere and several genuinely creepy moments. Not bad, considering Margeson shot, edited and scored the whole thing himelf.
Having visited Cassadaga myself, I was surprised by how well Margeson's video captures a little of the scruffy eccentricity of the place, especially at night. There is a subtle, enchanting oddness about Cassadaga that's difficult to describe, yet Margeson manages to communicate something of that as he follows his little troupe around on their candlelight stroll. One particluarly striking image is that of the silvery harp-girl statue in the little park where several of the girls report feeling a sudden sensation of heat. Later, as the group heads toward Colby lake, there's a kind of peaceful beauty in a fleeting shot of the full, clear moon through the pines. It is here that Margeson sees strange torchlights burning across the lake.
'There was a large gathering on the other side of Colby Lake,' says Margeson. 'Fire torches! Very strange.'
Interspersed with scenes of the nocturnal explorations are commentaries by the Rev. Ben Cox, a former teacher and music director, now a licensed medium and ordained Spiritualist minister who regularly conducts nighttime tours of Cassadaga. Margeson recorded the interview with Cox in the offices of the Spiritualist Church across the street from the old Cassadaga Hotel.
Margeson concedes the experience as a whole was a little unnerving. 'I didn't feel the hot flashes like some of the girls felt, but I did have an eerie feeling at times...The cell phone message, that was beyond my expectation. We think the phone thing happened when we were in the woods, on the trail.'
By the 'phone thing,' Margeson is referring to a harsh, croaking message that was somehow left on one of the girls' cell phones while they were hiking a wooded trail near Spirit pond. (Very creepy.)
Most chilling of all was the realization that they were not alone, even in the dead of night. 'I experienced a feeling of someone passing by my back when we were about to leave Colby Lake,' says Margeson. 'Somebody was following us the whole time.'
Margeson describes his experiences that night as 'a little intense,' adding, 'this is a great place to go for Halloween!'
Or at any other time, says the Rev. Ben Cox., who at the end of the film extends a warm invitation to orb-hunters and spiritual seekers alike: 'Come to Cassadaga.Test the spirits. Open your mind. Open yourself to spirit.'
Dare you enter the velvet cloak of night and spirit? If so, The pleasantly spooky Journey into Cassadaga might be right up your shaded alley.
Rick Margeson's Journey into Cassadaga is approximately 42 minutes long and is available for viewing at Crackle. (Viewer login is required due to some language). Margeson also has a Youtube channel featuring trailers and short films.
Map to Cassadaga:
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