Movie Stardom
La Grange residents on silver screen
Louisvillian
McGill directs
movie about ghost hunting
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
(December 2010) – Hidden haunts and spooky spirits
don’t seem to bother La Grange residents Farley Wollert and Jamie
Best. Both have recently participated in a new movie that delves into
the history and ghost stories surrounding three Kentucky landmarks.
The movie, “The Spirits of Bourbon Country,” focuses on the
ghosts that reportedly haunt each location in Bardstown, Ky. Directed
by Louisvillian Chris McGill, the film was edited by eight-time Emmy
Award winner Drew Cook.
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Photo
provided From
left, Jamie Best with Chris |
The first location, The Chapeze House, was built circa
1789-1803 by Dr. Henri Chapeze, a French army officer and well-known
physician in Bardstown. The Talbott Inn was built in 1779 and is said
to be haunted by the ghost of Mrs. Talbot, wife of the owner. She can
be seen by some as she floats in a white dress with long, brown wavy
hair. The third location, The Jailer’s Inn, is haunted by Martin
Hill who was sentenced to hang from the gallows in the courtyard behind
the jail for shooting his wife.
Wollert, 37, got to know McGill through the annual Spirits of La Grange
Ghost Tours and paranormal investigations in the area. As a graphic
designer, Wollert’s talents were used to “design the packaging,
art and provide music and a soundtrack for the movie,” he said.
Adding that this is the first time he has worked on a project like this,
he said, “I take any challenge I can.” His goal is to write
musical scores for movies because it is “a better use of my capabilities,”
as a musician, he said.
“I grew up in a musical household,” said Wollert, who is originally
from Louisville but has lived in Oldham County since 2000. “I decided
it was more fun to write and record my own music.”
Wollert provided many spooky melodies for The Spirits of Bourbon Country.
He is fond of Halloween, so this kind of spirit-filled project was perfect
for him to undertake.
Best is a friend of his, and both are involved in design work. “This
is the first time I have worked on a project like this,” she said.
“It was a fantastic learning experience and so much fun.”
Best, a La Grange native said, “Chris McGill and I have known each
other for some time, as we’ve worked together on paranormal investigations
and Spirits of La Grange Ghost Tour Stake Outs in the past. The film
was an idea he had and contacted me about working with the team on it.”
When asked by Discover Downtown La Grange to participate in their annual
Ghost Tours, Best said she “jumped at the chance. I have had many
paranormal experiences around town and love to tell the history and
documented experiences, as well as my own personal experiences.”
Best, 33, currently works with two local paranormal research teams,
SPOOK and PROOV.
Wollert said he became involved with the Spirits of La Grange Ghost
Tours through his sister-in-law. “She mentioned it and I auditioned
to be a ghost tour guide,” he said. After giving a cold reading
he was selected as a guide and also gives historic tours for Discover
Downtown La Grange in the summer months.
“Chris McGill has been instrumental in the Sprits of La Grange
ghost tours as well,” said Linda Goin, executive director for Discover
Downtown La Grange. “Farley and Jamie both have been with the ghost
tours for a number of years. They’re “elders” who often
have managed the tours and the stake outs and have held the tours together
this year through some management changes.”
Wollert said that a previous DVD by McGill about Louisville’s haunted
Waverly Hills Sanitorium was “honest. He focuses on getting the
facts straight, not the sensationalism of the story.”
McGill has worked as a disc jockey, a news anchor for WAVE-TV, has hosted
a paranormal talk radio program, and runs his own production company,
McGill Media. On Nov. 26, he appeared with Wollert and Best at Karen’s
Book Barn & Java Stop in La Grange to promote the DVD.
The Spirits of Bourbon Country features world renowned paranormal investigator
Patti Starr. She founded Ghost Chasers International Inc. in 1996 in
Lexington, Ky., and has written a widely popular book, “Ghost Hunting
in Kentucky and Beyond.”
A Certified Ghost Hunter, Starr is a full-time ghost hunter, lecturer,
author, researcher, teacher and owner of Ghost Hunter Shop in Lexington.
She has taught ghost hunting courses at Bluegrass Community and Technical
College in Lexington since 2001. With more than 30 years of paranormal
research and ghost investigations under her belt, Starr is a tour guide
for the Bardstown Ghost Trek, which she began in 1997 in Bardstown,
Ky.
• The Spirits of Bourbon Country can be purchased for $19.99 plus tax at Karen’s Book Barn & Java Stop or online at www.SpiritsofBourbonCountry.com.