By Kaitlin Lyle
With the full arrival of the fall season on campus, both the university buildings and attending students of Central Connecticut State University have been occupied with preparations for celebrating Halloween. As of this past Tuesday, a pumpkin carving competition was held in Semesters and the Elihu Burritt Library hosted its annual Trick-or-Treat e-resource fair.
In closing the week with the last Devil’s Den of October, the Society of Paranormal Research will be hosting a “Haunted Carnival” themed event in Semesters on Oct. 27. Yet even as the CCSU community makes arrangements for the popular fall holiday, many of its residents may be surprised in learning that, in the past, the campus has been used for the filming of two independent horror films, “The House of the Devil” in 2009 and “Laundry Night” in 2011.
According to Mark McLaughlin, the Associate Vice President of News and Media Relations at CCSU, the university is generally flexible in accommodating requests to utilize locations on campus for the purpose of filming. “It’s a good, prudent, and safe use of state property to help the entertainment industry and others recognize Connecticut as a rich resource for the arts,” said McLaughlin, who mentioned his involvement in accompanying both the film’s advance team and director in scoping out locations on campus.
Though the News and Media Relations does not require that the film company provide a certificate of insurance, precautions are established in order to notify university officials – such as the CCSU Police and Facilities Management – that campus facilities are being used for filming. As a result, Facilities Management ensures that the designated settings on campus are made available for those involved with the production, particularly in making sure that the campus buildings are accessible and that filming is scheduled when there are no events or classes taking place.
In addition, McLaughlin stated that, in the past, he has successfully lobbied for CCSU students to be a part of the filming process in order for them to attain professional exposure, whether they participate onscreen or behind the scenes. “Although the university does get a credit at the end of the movie, it’s almost always not identified as Central during the actual film,” said McLaughlin in closing.
Directed by Ti West, “The House of the Devil” is a 2009 homage to horror films of the 80’s as its protagonist, student Samantha Hughes, decides to accept a mysterious babysitting job that she finds posted outside of her dorm. Coinciding with a full lunar eclipse, the plot soon takes a terrifying turn as Samantha learns that the job’s elusive circumstances are meant to conceal her client’s ghastly secret. The horror film stars Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, and Greta Gerwig, and is rated “R” for bloody violence. Throughout the opening credits of the film, director West establishes the storys atmosphere by tracking Samantha’s movements as she walks around her college campus. In doing so, viewers are then able to briefly observe various sections of CCSU, including the outdoor walkway of Vance Academic Center, Davidson Hall, the path alongside Marcus White Annex and Marcus White Hall, which is depicted in the film as the protagonist’s residence hall.
Presented by Lumonox Films, the short film “Laundry Night” displays the story of how a college student’s routine laundry trip takes an eerie supernatural turn, going from average to alarming within a short span of time. The film was directed by Peter Bradley and written by Erik Bloomquist, who also starred in the film. In utilizing the basement and laundry room of Barrows Hall for the purpose of creating a six-minute thriller, “Laundry Night” casts a frightening outlook over an otherwise comfortable lounging area for students.
For those interested in observing the CCSU campus as portrayed in a horror film, both “The House of the Devil” and “Laundry Night” are available for viewing via YouTube.
