Ghost Haunts Movie Set?

By Si Dunn

Was it the smell of Thanksgiving turkey that briefly brought out a ghost? Or was it just the opportunity to haunt the actors, extras and crew of the movie The Significant Other?

Shot in Gainesville, Dallas and Plano, Texas, in 2007, the romantic comedy feature gained national attention after a ghostly image briefly appeared in a mirror and was captured on video during the shooting of a Thanksgiving dinner scene. The incident occurred at the movie’s main location, an 1896 Victorian-style mansion in Gainesville and has been recounted in The Hollywood Reporter and on CBS News, as well as other in media outlets.

“Maybe it was the aroma of the turkey that brought out the ghost,” said the movie’s director, Shalene Portman. “It freaked a lot of us out, but it never bothered us again” after the dinner scene incident.

A brief video clip of the ghostly appearance can be seen on the movie’s website, http://www.thesignificantothermovie.com/. (Disclosure: I am one of the movie's associate producers, but I was away from the set at the time and did not witness the ghost incident.) Watch the mirror closely as the image appears and disappears.

The house had no known history of being haunted until the movie's producer and director, Shalene Portman, brought in the scene's mantle and mirror and had them installed while the house was being refurbished.

The Significant Other is now in post-production and planned for release during the 2008 holiday season. For more information, contact SamiLu Production at SamiLuProduction@gmail.com. (There is no “s” after “Production.”)

#