So Cold the River, Filmed at the West Baden Springs Hotel, to Air at Select Theaters, to Premiere On-Demand Tuesday

By Kris Norton

West Baden – Filmed exclusively within Orange County, Indie thriller So Cold the River is set to hit the big screen.

The suspenseful adaptation of a “New York Times Bestseller” of the same name by Michael Koryta, an Indiana native, follows acclaimed documentary filmmaker Erica Shaw, played by Bethany Joy Lenz of Dexter and One Tree Hill. Lenz is hired by Alyssa Bradford-Cohen, played by Alysia Reiner, of Orange is the New Black, to profile her dying father-in-law, the enigmatic millionaire Campbell Bradford.

Actress Bethany Joy Lenz sits on a bathtub used in production of the film.

Though Lenz portrays the leading role, the hotel becomes a character in and of itself, says Pigasus Pictures CEO Zachary Spicer.

“With its rich history and eye-catching architecture, the West Baden Springs Hotel inherently became a character of its own in the film,” Spicer says. “From the inspiration for the storyline to the film’s release, this is a true full-circle moment.”

So Cold the River held a premiere at West Baden Springs Hotel on Saturday, the set-up shown here.

The inspiration – Author Michael Koryta’s childhood trip to the hotel, he says.

“The first time I was down here, I was like eight years old and my parents brought me down to, I think, see the train,” Koryta said. “But there were tours and it was a ruin back then… but you walked in and it was this decaying ruin. Even when you’re eight years old, or maybe particularly when you’re eight years, that a uniquely intriguing thing.”

“I think any great story begins with a question, and I had those questions for about 15 years,” Koryta said.

Author Michael Koryta explains his interest in the hotel.

During his time as a private investigator in Bloomington, Koryta was able to keep tabs on the Cook Family’s West Baden Springs Hotel restoration effort.

“To watch it come along and see the progress from ruin back to the grandeur, it bridged past and present,” Koryta said. “To me it just screamed ghost story because this place, the past is always breathing down your neck.”

For some of the cast, the West Baden Springs Hotel came as a surprise. For lead actress Bethany Joy Lenz, while sitting on a bathtub near the basement pool, the venue seemed larger than life, almost too fantastic to be real.

"I didn't even know it existed, I had never heard of it, and I was blown away that it was real," Lenz said. "Then when we got here it was even more incredulous, I couldn't believe I was looking at this - I don't even know how it stands, it’s so mammoth."

Though the building itself, and its curved walls presented unique challenges for the group, Director Paul Shoulberg says the biggest challenge was trimming down a 500-page novel into a realistic Indie movie.

“Finding a way to fit the scope of this novel into the realities of independent film was by far the biggest challenge,” Shoulberg said.

A staged bottle and telephone in the Movie Room.

Though Pigasus Pictures CEO Zachary Spicer, based in Bloomington, was well aware of Hoosier Hospitality, there were real concerns in filling 500 extra roles – plus matching formal attire.

“My favorite thing about that is that someone wrote on our Facebook page that not only would we not get 500 people but there’s no way you’re going to find 500 tuxes and white dresses that south in Indiana,” Spicer said. “We had over 1,400 people sign up to be in the movie, we had to tell a majority of them that we couldn’t fit them in the final scene.”

Lenz says that she also saw Southern Indiana’s accommodating nature firsthand.

“The people were all so wonderful and easy to work with around here,” Lenz said. “So friendly and accommodating and we were just kind of blessed.”

The "Movie Room", room 4626, has been commemorated with a plaque on the entry door.

With a runtime of one hour and 35 minutes, So Cold the River premieres On-Demand on Tuesday.