Thanks,   Joe Anderson   

The Dwarf Road investigation is finished and the investigation log (with photos!) is on our site at www.showmeghostswest.com under the Albino Farm Investigation, listed along the left side of the page (or Non-Historical Investigations). We are also on Facebook and Youtube under showmeghostswest. The video episode is currently in the final stages of edits and will be available in a few days. Enjoy! We had a blast and we came back with WAY more than we bargained for!!!

Sean McEwan emailed me in 2007 to tell me about a horror movie he was working on inspired by a legend that he heard when he went to college in Springfield, MO.   He asked if I would like to appear in the film and I immediately said yes because I’m a huge horror fan and the movie sounded really cool.   When he told me that the movie was titled “Albino Farm” I couldn’t believe it!   I lived in Springfield, Missouri for three years and my buddies and I used to visit the actual Albino Farm on late weekend nights around Halloween!   Not only was I going to get to appear in a horror movie, but it’s a horror movie about a creepy place that I’ve been to!   My scenes were also filmed not far from Springfield so it was great to go back to Missouri to film these scenes and also visit some of my friends back in Springfield.

The whole cast and crew was super cool and I could tell that they were extremely passionate about this movie and it was a real labor of love for everybody.   I was very excited to meet Chris Jericho as well because I know he’s a lifelong Metalhead like myself!   Chris was an awesome dude and I ended up spending most of the days hanging in his trailer listening to Megadeth and other killer metal!   We’re both big Stryper fans too so we bonded over that right away!   It was also awesome meeting Kevin Spirtas because I’m a huge fan of the “Subspecies” movies and the “Friday the 13th” film that he’s in!

Needless to say, I’m very excited for everyone to see this movie – I’m so proud to be a part of it!    It is super scary, the special effects are amazing, the soundtrack rules (I’m a huge Queensryche and Scott Rockenfield fan!   As a drummer I used to practice every day along to Operation Mindcrime when I was 14 years old!).  “Albino Farm is an all around badass movie!   I’d like to thank Sean, Joe, Jason and everyone that helped me be a part of such an amazing film!

Richard Christy (Caleb)

[You can find Richard on The Howard Stern Show and at WWW.RICHARDCHRISTY.COM]

Without giving away too much, one of the final action sequences involves two of our heroes, on-the-run, aided by a lit flare to offer them light and lead the way.  The lighting of the flare and its purpose was actually integral to the story and not something we could do without.  Problem was, every time we lit the flare, the entire cave filled up with this hardcore, thick as pea-soup, smoke and mist.  If felt like ghost lepers were gonna come out of the fog and methodically kill all of us one by one.  (Ha!  2 bonus points for Sean for the not-so-subtle reference to a John Carpenter film!)  Now let me say, this was a BIG cave – humungous!  But with little to no ventilation, the smoke literally just hung there!  (SIDE NOTE – for all we know, that damn smoke is STILL there!)  So, two problems here…  one, we now have to contend with the fact that the atmosphere is already smoky if we are to do multiple takes – which would look strange if the characters were just lighting the flare for the first time.  Problem-o number 2, the cave was about to open for morning business soon and needless to say, murky, smoke-filled air that makes it hard to see ain’t too good for the cave showin’ business.  As I mentioned, the staff at the Caverns were amazing.  They brought in some super-duper fans to try and accommodate our needs and dissipate the smoke.  We did a test run, lit the flare, smoke filled up the entire place in seconds, we hit the fans and…  nothing.  That damn smoke didn’t budge!  Uh-oh, problem “kemo-sabe”, we still don’t have our shot and now, the fine cave folks have said there’s no way we can light another flare.  Not to mention, the bit we needed to accomplish definitely needed multiple takes.  Yikes…  what to do?  Well, fortunately, we talked them in to letting us have one take – and one take only – to get what we needed.  If all went well, we would nail it, yell “cut”, douse the lit flare, fire up the fans and pray the place would clear up.  But to successfully execute this, everyone, and I mean everyone, would have to be on point.  We had one shot at it.  Again, not to give away too much of the story point, but we would need to have two cameras running and shooting a very specific succession of action so that the scene would even have a snow-balls-chance-in-hell of cutting together correctly.  We’d also need to do – and you won’t believe this – a wardrobe change, a special effects gag, the action and the lines all in this one take – once lit, we couldn’t put that damn flare out no matter what!  No screw ups!  Talk about nerve-racking!  Needless to say, methinks Michael Bay never had to block, map and execute an entire scene around one tiny, fast burning, smoke-creating flare!  Ugh!  So we rallied the troops…  1.)  Told the actors – “don’t fuck up” (SIDE NOTE 2 – come to think of it, that was pretty much the consistent direction we always gave them before each scene J)  2.) Got wardrobe set up just off camera, poised and ready – think of it like attacking a quick change, just off-stage, during a live theatrical production)  3.)  Got the special f/x guy standing by with his gallon of blood-colored corn syrup  4.) Got both cameras locked, loaded and ready – and away we went…  And you know what?  It worked.  I still can’t believe it to this day but somehow, the gods-of-film were looking down from high-atop their mountain on our little Albino Farm movie, because it actually worked!  Everyone nailed everything they were supposed to in a perfectly synchronized and coordinated one-take shot and the damn thing worked!  Whew!  And, with the fans blaring full-force as soon as the take was done, the cave cleared of smoke just in time for Ma and Pa Ozarkian Vacationer and their kids to see the wonders of Fantastic Caverns in all its full and uninhibited glory!  Ha!  They should have been there half an hour earlier and they really would have gotten a show!

All in all, just chalk that one up to another “interesting” night in the fun-filled world of independent filmmaking.  You gotta love it!  Oh, and did I mention that the entire cave experienced it’s “once-every-75-years-flood” only 24 hours after we left?  Well, that’s another story for another time…

1). MTJ asked:  “What is Chris Jericho’s favorite horror film?

Chris sent his “top ten” list for MTJ:
1.   Dawn of the dead original
2. Dawn of the dead remake
3. sleepaway camp 2
4. blood sucking freaks
5. basket case
6.   zombie
7.   amityville 2 the posession
8.   the thing (carpenter version)
9.   Halloween
10. omen 2

2). Carol C asked:   “Have you ever seen the Canadian horror movie Hemoglobine (English title is “Bleeders”)…I can’t remember when it came out but it stars Roy Dupuis.”

Jericho:  No I haven’t Carol C.  But Ginger snaps, scanners and the original my bloody valentine are all good Canadian films too

3). Pearl asked:   “Has Chris seen any of the SAW movies? If so, what does he think of them?”

Jericho:  I’ve seen them all but I think the series jumped the shark after the third one.

4). Luanne asked:   “What does Chris think of English remakes of Japanese films such as The Grudge/Ring, etc. Does he think they’re as good as the originals?”

Jericho:  No I don’t luanne.  The ring retained the same creepy feel but that was it. Japan is a strange unique culture and the j horror films reflect that.  They can’t be done justice by American film makers…

5). Sarah asked:   “What is the worst/most cheesiest horror film you have ever seen?”

Jericho:   There have been so many but Things about extraterrestial killer worms has to rank up there.

My crazy schedule with recording and touring with my band of 30 years Queensryche, was something I had work around…After Joe and team had started production, I was sent rough edit reels so that I could start to compile sections of the score. I was able to put together a nice traveling recording setup based around a Mac laptop and all the desired extra gear. In late 2007 I spent the entire 6 week tour we (QR) did with Heaven and Hell composing music in my hotel rooms and dressing rooms for Albino Farm. It caused me to really be focused and centered.

I then had Joe and Sean visit me at my recording studio to discuss exact music scene placement and emotion…This is what I live for—The interaction of people working together to musically define a given scene for a film.

After everything was said and done, we flew to LA and got together to do the final music mix layback…Everything worked fantastic…!!

My experience on composing for this film has been amazing…! I am thankful for being offered the opportunity and for Joe to have believed in my talents to help them achieve their goals for this incredible film…

I look forward to the future…!

Scott Rockenfield/Composer

[Moderator note: Scott is currently touring with QR in Europe and then headed back to the U.S. for a bunch of dates. You can check the following website for touring information: www.queensryche.com

—start text:
mr. anderson, my apologies. i know it has taken some time for me to respond. unfortunately i am only able to email from the local library in town. again, thank you for your patience. i want to be as frank with you as possible as to the dynamic of my situation. please know that i understand that my call to release whatever i were to write in future emails was too great of a request. in no way was i trying to bully your entity in to giving me a voice. i wouldn’t do that. it was simply a method, albeit a miscalculated one, to ensure that my story would be told and that those who cared would listen. my fear, and all of this will become clear when i reveal my secret, was that no one would believe me. to be honest, i wouldn’t blame them. were i in anyone else’s position, i too would have a hard time believing this as well. but i must personally come to terms with the fact that some things are beyond my control. i can no longer worry about how the world will perceive these truths. my only wish is that you will absorb what it is i am about to tell and will please, please consider releasing it on your site.

the following, as god is my witness, is true… my real name is michael. i am named after the fallen angel of the same name in the new testament of our lord. my parents gave me this name as a representation or symbol of who we are and where we came from. i was to wear my name with pride, to never forget. you see, we were all “fallen angels”. made in the presence of god but all cast out of his kingdom to prove ourselves worthy. unfortunately, some of us were born unto this world with more challenges than others. some of us were used as a conduit for misinterpretation. myself and my family were such people. the reality is this, i know the albino farm intimately. i know its true secrets. for I am one of its children, birthed out of ignorance and intolerance. the farm is real. its history is real. i, and others like me, are real. i will tell you this, we want nothing from anyone. only for people to understand our plight and learn from it. it is truly our hope that nothing of this nature will ever occur again. to be cast away, to be forgotten. i will not linger on what it was like to live there. what it was like to be treated as misunderstood animals, discarded from the rest of society. to be honest, it wasn’t as bad as some might think. the transition back in to the mainstream has done nothing but show me that in a way, we were protected from those who would persecute and harm us. ignorance, plain and simple. in the farm, nothing fantastical occurred. i lived peacefully in harmony amongst others who were as misperceived as i was. eventually, we could come and go as we pleased. many refused to leave. who could blame them? what did the outside world really hold for those with “unique qualities” but prejudice and misunderstanding? fortunately, my experiences were different. for the most part, i have encountered wonderful people in my life. i have had amazing experiences that the farm could not fulfill for me. travel, food, love. all the beautiful things the world has in store for all of its children. i even had the opportunity to briefly work on a motion picture film and meet amazing people. i am a blessed person. and while this particular film tells its own version of the story and the truth of our tale is told through the prism of hollywood executives, i am okay with that. i hold no grudges. i have no regrets in life. and i can now sleep that much more sound knowing that there is even the slightest possibility that my story might now be heard.

mr. anderson, please share what I have communicated to you today. if not, i do understand. it’s much to take in. but as the history of this incident is written upon our backs, the backs of all of the “fallen angels”, perhaps you can do your part to set the record straight.

as always, i thank you for your time. please let me know if there are any necessary next steps. i look forward to your reply.

AH

lastly, i would like you to know the significance of the veiled moniker I use, AH. please turn to the book of revelation. chapter 1 = A, the first letter of the alphabet. verse 8 = H, the eighth letter of the alphabet. we are all one and the same, mr anderson. the beginning and the end. i hope everyone finds as much comfort in that as I do.

may the good lord walk boldly with you all.

—-end text

So I obviously had an incredible time with the incredible folks on Albino Farm. It was my first time being in the middle of the country, and I absolutely loved it. Missouri is incredible, and Kansas City did me right. Did I mention the incredible-ness?

SO many great memories from our weeks filming the movie. Here are some random ones:

I remember getting in the car with Nick Richey’s drug-dealer friends… and not realizing they were drug dealers until they got a call…. and had to do a little business parked outside a Kansas City riverboat casino. I was just praying to not be arrested as an accessory and ruin the rest of the shoot. I feel like we all did EXTRAORDINARILY well at the casino that night. I think I came out up a grand? I could be wrong. We were all stupendously shitfaced.

Alicia Lagano respects no one’s personal space. Her hotel room was next to mine… and it didn’t matter if I had been up all night shooting (or partying) the night before… if she was awake, everyone had to be. She’d bang on my door and callbomb my hotel room’s phone repeatedly until I had no choice but to open the door. Diabolical.

On a night off, a bunch of us stole a transportation van and went to the REAL Albino Farm. That was one of the most genuinely creepy places I’ve ever been to. If anyone’s in the area, and wants to genuinely upset themselves, take a flashlight and go down to Springlawn Farms. Some of the crew thought it’d be funny to pretend to be “The Assgrabbing Ghost” in the dark down there. There’s nothing quite as humiliating as getting your ass grabbed in the dark while you’re busy freaking out about ghosts, deadly albinos, and ticks. Side note… it turns out ticks LOVE Indian blood.

More little tidbits as they come to me. Stay tuned for Albino Farm!

Now, there was one really wild night in Kansas City. Reza (our amazing sound master) and I were sitting in the theater watching “Pirates of the Caribbean 2″ (HORRIBLE!) when we got a phone call from the crew telling us that we were heading to KC for some hardcore partying. I definitely took it upon myself to make sure that came true. Needless to say, we bolted from the theater, hijacked a passenger van from the transportation crew and we were on our way. Alicia Lagano had already been up for 24 hours and was going on 48. We started the festivities at some sort of Irish Festival that we stumbled upon and drank more beer than was necessary. We then jumped back in the passenger van and were on a mission to score some authentic Kansas City BBQ. At that point I couldn’t even remember what place we were at, I just wanted my mouth to burn from spicy BBQ sauce and my stomach was happy to have some substantial company with the alcohol sitting in it.

Being in the state I was in, I wandered back into the bar and came across two self-professed drug dealers. They got excited at the fact that we were shooting a movie and asked me if I wanted to take a ride. I said, “what the hell.” Before I knew it, the 1st AD (assistant director) Tim Fitzgerald, and I were riding in the back of a 1968 Buick Convertible….brown leather interior, listening to Tupac on their stereo with the summer wind blowing in our hair. We were on a mission to get to the river boat casinos. The rest of the crew were in the other vans and we were finally reunited at the casino. After losing a couple hundred dollars and our “drug-dealer friends” disappearing with some women, we decided to call it a night…arguably one of the most memorable nights I’ll ever have.