October 5 , 2007

Local References in Horror Films
Now a Driving Tour

Bowling Green, Ky. - October is a month for ghoulish delights and surprises around every corner, and a time to curl up with some scary movies. John Carpenter, the ‘man behind Michael Myers,’ known for directing and/or writing such horror classics as Halloween, Halloween II, The Fog, Christine, and The Thing, spent his formative years in Bowling Green and the area seems to have left a lasting impression on the filmmaker.

The Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau salutes the ‘master of horror’ by introducing “Reel Sites, Real Scary: A John Carpenter Driving Tour.” While no movie scenes were filmed in Bowling Green, Carpenter did make numerous area references in a few of his flicks, using local street and community names like the fictitious Warren County- Smiths Grove Sanitarium from where Michael Myers escapes in Halloween.

Visitors and residents can follow the “Reel Sites, Real Scary” brochure map to 17 different locations around town including the log cabin where Carpenter lived as a boy on Western Kentucky University’s campus. Now used by the WKU Folk Studies Department, it is open to the public Mon.-Fri. 8-5 p.m. when classes are in session.

Other sites on the tour include Russellville Road, Chestnut Street, and the Capitol Arts Center, where Carpenter watched movies as a child. If the driving tour inspires a Carpenter movie marathon, each reference notes the exact time the quote is made. The brochure also includes a brief Carpenter biography and filmography.

“We wanted to appeal to a younger generation of travelers, those who may be more interested in the pop culture of a place than the heritage,” said Katie Frassinelli, marketing director for the BGACVB. “We offer Civil War Discovery Trail and Duncan Hines Scenic Byway maps, but this brochure is something to promote more modern history.”

Brochures will be available beginning October 22 at the Visitor Information Centers at I-65 exit 22 on Three Springs Road and I-65 exit 28 inside the National Corvette Museum lobby. They will also be available at Carpenter’s former home across from Hilltop Shops.

Pick up a brochure at the Three Springs Road location and register to win passes for four to the Nightmare at Cambridge Square Haunted House presented by Imagination Stations, Party One Superstore and Godfather’s Pizza. The winner will be chosen and notified on Friday, October 26. More information about the brochure or drawing is available at www.visitbgky.com/johncarpenter or by calling 270-782-0800.

###