‘Haunting Villisca’ 
screening set for Nov. 8 
at Wild Rose festival

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AriesWorks Entertainment’s award-winning feature film, “Haunting Villisca,” based on the unsolved 1912 Villisca Axe Murders and the current paranormal happenings in the house where the crime took place, will have its premiere Des Moines showing in a special screening at the 2009 Wild Rose Independent Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. at the State Historical Building, located at 600 E. Locust in Des Moines.

The story, co-written by Director James Serpento and Producer Kimberly Busbee, ties these horrible historic murders and the ensuing court proceedings to the present day haunting of the crime scene. The film was shot on location at the actual Villisca Axe Murder House, owned by Darwin and Martha Linn.

In addition to the narrative feature film, the hour long behind-the-scenes documentary, “A Ghost of a Chance: The Making of Haunting Villisca,” will follow. Both films will have question and answer sessions between the audience and attending filmmakers, actors and crew after the screenings. Several of the film’s actors are expected to attend.

On June 10, 1912, residents of Villisca found eight people murdered with an ax in their beds in a two-story home on the edge of town. Among the dead were a prominent Villisca businessman, Josiah B. Moore, and his wife, Sarah, along with their four children — 11-year-old Herman, 9-year-old Katherine, 7-year-old Boyd and 5-year-old Paul — and two overnight guests, 12-year-old Lena Stillinger and 8-year-old Ina Stillinger. Their skulls had been crushed while they slept, and although several suspects were identified in the months and years to come, the murderer has never been positively identified.

Tickets to this event are $10, and a pre-release Collector’s Edition of a two-disc DVD set will be available for sale for the first time at the Wild Rose and later through the “Haunting Villisca” Web site at www.hauntingvillisca.com.

The film’s L.A. distributor, Digital Shadow Films Distribution, plans to officially release the DVD internationally before Jan. 1.

To purchase tickets in advance, send a check marked “Haunting Villisca” screening to AriesWorks Entertainment, 1620 Pleasant Suite, 234, Des Moines, IA  50314.

For a full schedule of events at the international 2009 Wild Rose Independent Film Festival, visit www.ariesworks.com.

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