The Owen House

Finding the House 7:00pm
Well it sure is a damn good thing I created this blog, because once again a ridiculous night was upon myself and the Unlocked crew last night! Because Horwitz needed me, I went on a Sat night shoot with Kyle McVey, Kyle Thoms, Joey, and Anthony. The shoot was scheduled for 8pm so we got there around 7ish to get setup. Things started with a bang, as the directions Horwitz emailed us told us to turn right onto 43, and there was no right. So we got in the right hand lane which ended for no reason and a big pickup truck behind us almost rammed us right across the street from this ghetto conveniant mart that was offering Texas Hold'em. So we go into the state park where we believe this place is (according to the pic online which we later realize is actually they hotel theyre all staying at). We turn around and go left on 43 instead because it seems right. We drive until we find a giant house that fits the description Horwitz left us. We pull up, no lights on and scary as hell. So we walk around in the -10 degree weather and ring the door bell. Fortunately, no one answered and we had already scared the piss out of ourselves so we get back in the car and turn around. Kyle M asks for directions at an old folks home and the lady tells us to go where we were, even though the mailbox was labelled Dood Productions. So we go back to the forrest and find the building that we saw on the internet. Kyle once again goes inside and asks the lady that is working at this convention center, and she has no idea what we are talking about. So we go decide to go back to the scary-ass looking red brick house. This time, there is a car with it's headlights on...

Getting into the House 7:45 pm
So now that we finally think we are at the correct location, we walk up to the car with it's headlights on. This time there are lights also on in the house. Kyle and I walk around the car but there is no one in it, go figure. So this lady at the very back of the house yells for us to enter where she is or at the front door. So being the idiots that we are, we walk up to the front foor where we are welcomed by quite possibly one of the scariest old guys I have ever seen. Take the old creepy guy from "Family Guy", give him a beard, shave his eyebrows off, then clothe him in full army fatigues 3 sized too big with an orange hunting stocking cap. Take all of this in while listening to multiple sirens and alarms going off in the house alongside busted down doors with shit thrown around everywhere; as if it were racksacked by hobos. After the creepy groundskeeper welcomes us, he invites us down the scary, dimly lit hallway, to the back of the house. It is at this point that I look at Kyle and truly believe we are about to get cut up and left in some sort of hole dug into the ground. Fortunately... I was wrong.

And the Ghost Trackers Arrive (finally) 8:15pm
After waiting in the non-heated house for about a half an hour, the IGT teams finally arrive. Prior to this, we were asked where the rest of our clothes and jackets were. The creepy old guy also offered to run out back and grab an sweater he had that we could wear. We all declined, immediatly. We beging by getting everyone to fill out release forms. They bring their children (as usual) which they don't want on camera. We attempt to get some b-roll and interviews that contain some history of the house. Of course, the one who begins talking is Lisa, who of course is holding her child in one hand. Now, there is plenty of Lisa to film at all times, but it is a pain in the ass to even attempt to frame a shot while she has a kid in one hand. So now the president of the IGT Indiana Chapter (and also must pretend to be Indiana Jones, according to his attire) splits the group into 3 teams. As if it were some middle school field trip, none of the ghost trackers would leave the members they came with. So as if her were pulling teeth, the pres assigns people to switch teams. Now for the "fun" to begin.

The Upstairs 8:30
We decided to follow around the president's team for the night. We started upstairs with his crew, and of course the infamous Lisa Bradley had to join. As we begin going through the mental patient's rooms, the pres pulls out some sort of device that measures temperature, or electromagnetic fields, or something not even relevant to anything. Likewise, his assitant (and probably girlfriend/wife) is whipping out her dousing rods. Sine none of this equipment seems to be making much sense to any of us non-IGT folk, we ask them to explain the equipment on camera. Now here comes the fun part... he starts off by describing his little device that basically measures electromagnitivty, which is apparently given off by all living things and ghostly spirits; and the vibrating floorboards. Second device to explain are the dousing rods. To sum it up, basically these are two metal rods that have been used by humans for thousands of years that "find things". He never really explained how, but the just kind of do. Whether youre looking for ghosts, water, or even buried treasure, these special rods have little beads on the handles so you are never really touching the metal, therefore you have no way of choosing where they point. Oh ya, he also said, on camera, that these devices have absolutely no scientific backing. After all this, Lisa gets excited and shows the pres one her "amazing" pictures she captured, and the pres just kinda looks and laughs and says, good work. We have now been in this house for over an hour in the estimated 20-30 degree weather. We are all pretty cold and bored, but now we must move on to the next part.

The Jail Cells 9:15
We all head back down the stairs and are about to go explore the jail cells. Little did we know, but these were mostly outside. As we walk outside the house, we realize the temperature has dropped a good 3o degrees. I took a shot of an outside thermometer reading -10 degrees, but god knows if that thing was even in farenheit. So now we are all just a little bit more miserable than before. We follow the pres around, in and out of cells as he talks to the air with his tape recorder. Nothing moved or made any noise in response to his questions (obviously). After a good 30 mins of freezing our asses off, we all go back inside. By now, I want to get the fuck out of here and go drink heavily. Someone mentions that there is a small building out back, so of course we go out and listen to the pres babble to the air in and old, broken down outhouse. Finally, we go back inside, where we are about to embark on our third and final journey.

The Basement 10:00
So by this point, we are all inside the house attempting to warm up as much ass possible. Our hands are pink and purple, we cant feel our toes, it just sucks. We finish the shoot off by going down to the tiny, dirt covered basement. We follow Shannon this time, as she asks the air questions, but gets pissed because people are yodeling upstairs. The pres comes down to enforce and asks more questions. Somehow, I dont know how, but my camera goes from battery power of 158 mins to empty. I turn it off, ask for the batteries back and voila. Three minutes later, it does it again. I switch out my battery with Anthony's and have no further problems. This is of course after the toolbox from the Bloomington chapter says "see we're not that crazy"; I was silent. Then the pres finds out theres a sellar door out back so we of course go through it, only to find it leading right back to the very same part of the basement we were just in. We then enter the meat locker, where the pres seemed to know way too much about putting non-dead people in. Finally, we get back upstairs, pack the gear and warm up the car. We all say our good byes (and good riddence) to the trackers, the house, and the creepy old guy.

The Drive Back 10:30
So now that we have been warming the car up for a good 15 mins in -10 degree weather, the windows have all fogged up. In fact, even the defroster wouldnt get rid of it. We finally notice that the frost has begun to form inside the car. The whole way home, all I want to eat is a double cheeseburger from Burger King. Kyle says their not open but I do not believe him. Anthony wants Dennys and alls I want is a frickin drink. We get back as soon as possible and drop the equipment off. I get into my car, which I can see my breathe in, and drive to Burger King. I then bought 2 double cheeseburgers and ate them before I could make it home. They were so hot, I burnt my mouth. During the drive back, I read a bank sign that says its -12 degrees at 11:05pm...fan-fucking-tastic. As soon as I get home, I crank up the heat and crack open a beer. I then jump in the shower to warm up with my open beer and another backup. I finish one beer in the shower and move on to #2. I get changed, grab another beer and venture to Nick's to meet Los. As I am walking there, I feel somewhat groggy, not buzzed even thought I have just consumed 3 beers in a matter of about 20 mins. I get to Nick's, stand outside in the unbearable weather and get cold again. Finally I get into Nick's, play sink the biz, and get a ride back to my comfy house. And that ends my evening. Sorry for this lengthy article, but I hope to get some great feedback!!!