Malevolent hands dragging swimmers into the depths, disappearance, ghostly sightings, according to a group of filmmakers, they all have one thing in common, Georgia’s Lake Lanier.
The Lake:
In 1956, Lake Lanier was created by a dam on the Chattahoochee River, flooding the town of Oscarviller which now lays under the 59 square mile lake. People flock to the lake for swimming, boating, and parting, but many don’t know that the lake is also known for the deaths that occur in the cool water, over 500 since its creation. Swimmers report that while in the water they feel the eerie sensation of a hand grasping their legs and trying to pull them under. Many people believe that it is the spirits of those who died there. But the lake has had a long history of death before it was even created.
Once home to around 1,200 African Americans, the town of Oscarville saw three men accused of the rape and murder of 18-year-old Mae Crow, a white woman. The murder spurred the rise of a group known as the “Night Riders,” a white mob that torched black-owned businesses and churches, sprayed homes with gunfire, butchered livestock, and lynched the three men accused of killing Crow. Now the homes, businesses, and graveyards of Oscarville lay at the bottom of the lake.
Lanier: The Movie
Combining history and horror, the director, co-writer, and producer of the film simply titled Lanier, William Bush-Anderson, aims to do the memory of Oscarville justice while giving viewers a scare.
There’s nothing more fearful than a real-life intruder coming inside your home. You think they’re on the outside, but they may already be inside. Just that idea of that real-life horror — that’s what really drove me, aside from anything paranormal, because the best horror movies are the movies that could actually happen to you.”
Co-writer and producer Cindy Kunz-Anderson wants to tackle the dark history lurking beneath the water by exploring the long-reported paranormal activity associated with Lake Lanier, as well as the many injuries, disappearances, and other incidents involving the spirits that may be seeking retribution for the crimes committed in Oscarville.
There’s a lot of ‘accidents’ and drownings that happen here, and there’s a lot of people that take that very lightly,” she said. “[Lake Lanier] isn’t all fun and games like people think it is; it can be very dangerous.”
That’s what makes Lake Lanier so mysterious, we know about Oscarville, but we don’t know … other things that have happened there that are just evil,” he said. “I think that’s why we still hear about drownings happening today. We hear about deaths happening, we hear about disappearances — the whole nine, in my opinion, is because of the past.” William Bush-Anderson states.
William and Cindy Bush-Anderson co-wrote the script along with Meliek Gaynor and Ali Ashtigo who also stars as Detective James Stevenson.
Filming is set to begin in 2022 on Lanier. We’ll keep you updated as more details surface.
