'Haunting Villisca' movie to receive Iowa premiere

The first Iowa screening of the much-anticipated, recently completed feature film, "Haunting Villisca," which was shot on location at the Villisca Axe Murder House and in the Montgomery County Courthouse where the trials were held, will take place March 29 and 30 at the historic Rialto Theatre in Villisca, Iowa.

"Haunting Villisca" is inspired by the tragic, unsolved 1912 Villisca Axe Murders of 8 people and the present day paranormal investigations of the J. B. Moore Home where the crime took place.

In one of the worst crimes of the century, J.B. Moore, his wife Sarah and their four children; Herman, Boyd, Katherine and Paul were slain in their beds by an unknown assailant. Two unfortunate child houseguests, Lena and Ina Stillinger, friends of the Moore children who were just staying the night, were also bludgeoned to death. The case intrigue included a love triangle, a business rivalry and a rumored "killing for hire" plot linked to Villisca millionaire F.F. Jones. Despite the two trials and a grand jury investigation which involved a deranged pervert preacher, the Reverend L.G. Jacklin Kelly, the Villisca axe murders remain unsolved.

"Haunting Villisca," co-written by Kimberly Busbee and James Serpento, features well-known Hollywood character actor, Greg Alan Williams ("Remember the Titans," "Be Cool," "The Sopranos," "The West Wing," "Boston Public"), actor Michael Cornelison ("The Final Season, Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life," "Lost in America") and co-writer/ director/actor James Serpento ("White Boyz," "The Final Season," "Duck Farm No. 13").

Also showing March 29 & 30, is the behind-the-scenes documentary, "A Ghost of a Chance: The Making of Haunting Villisca" by JEK Films (Jill Jones, Elizabeth Hixenbaugh, Kaitlyn Busbee) which follows an overnight stay in the haunted house and features interviews with the cast and crew, with Darwin and Martha Linn (owners of the Villisca Axe Murder House, which is now a restored museum), with Roy Marshall (historian and author of the acclaimed book, "Villisca") and with the paranormal team P.R.I.S.M. who investigated the crime scene and captured eerie EVPS and video evidence of the haunting.

The screenings will be hosted by producer Kimberly Busbee and director James Serpento with Darwin and Martha Linn, who also appear in the movie.

Songwriter/singer/actor Jeffrey Brown, of Bowman and Brown, who wrote and sang "The Ballad of J.B. Moore" in the movie, will be at the screenings to perform his music. Other actors will join the event.

Screening times are as follows:

March 29 screenings:

Haunting Villisca 7:00pm

A Ghost of a Chance 10:00pm

March 30 screenings:

Haunting Villisca 2:00pm

A Ghost of a Chance 5:00pm

For more information on the event, for tickets to the screenings and dinner reception, call (712) 621-4291.

For information on the movies, call (515) 707-1533 or visit www.hauntingvillisca.com.

Source: dmregister.com

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