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 By DAVID GRIMES
for The Hawk Eye
Groans and screams pierced the night air Wednesday just of Iowa 99 in the woods west of Tama Road.
But it wasn't emanating from werewolves and zombies howling at the full moon. Or was it?
Naw.
One of the final scenes of "Beneath the Mississippi," a psychological thriller being filmed in and around Burlington by a crew whose members hail from Colorado, California and Chicago, was being shot.
Thursday was scheduled as the final day of shooting, but reserved for pickups, closeups and reshoots, with a cast wrap party scheduled for later in the evening.
The story line is a blend of personal experience, local history and fiction. The premise is an investigation of a Mississippi River island's entire population mysteriously disappearing during a flood with the bodies never being discovered.
But some inquisitive souls can't leave well enough alone and an investigation ensues.
Let the nail biting begin.
Mother Nature has slipped as easily into her role in the production as the cast and crew.
With river levels rising on a continual basis in recent days, cast and crew haven't had to imagine stormy weather and flooding.
"One night there was a lightning strike 100 yards from the boat," said Burlington's Jon Hazell, whose character Jack Charbonneau leads the way to the island in "Beneath the Mississippi."
Filming days — 22 of them — ran long, anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending on weather conditions and whether daylight or night scenes were needed.
Cast and crew have spent nights — when there are no nighttime shoots — at Hazell's family cabin north of Burlington.
The friendships and bonding resulting from living together reminds Sonja Soriano, who is cast in the principal female role as Eva Hernandez, of communal living.
"We have become the first ever independent film commune," she joked.
The experience has helped the group bond — they have shared meals, household duties and sleeping quarters for the past month — and without any major disagreements.
Producer Tim Anderson, Los Angeles, and director Lonnie Schuyler, Burlington, have demonstrated a willingness to get down and dirty with the actors, according to Soriano.
"Lonnie is an amazing director. He's never asked us to do anything he hasn't been willing to do himself," Soriano said.
Schuyler, she said, always was sloshing through the rising waters of the Mississippi, wallowing in the mud and doing whatever was necessary to bring out the best in his cast.
"He's given us an artisitc freedom that's encouraged us to be creative in our own way," she said.
The film is being produced by Burlington's Mississippi Films in partnership with Ronick Productions, Woodland Hills, Calif., which is handling consulting, marketing and distribution duties.
Local residents have been at the ready — whether working as movie extras or lending a hand with whatever the crew's needs were.
Schuyler's wife, Cynthia, is working as publicist for the project. While a mid-winter release date is being targeted for "beneath the Mississippi" in order to be shown on the film festival circuit in January and February, she said everyone connected with the film is committed to ensuring a premier showing in Burlington.
"Burlington has been wonderful to work with. From all the people who offered to volunteer as extras to the businesses that opened their doors to us — Whitey's the Paddlewheel, Diggers Rest Coffeehouse are just a few — everybody involved has been eager to help with whatever we needed."
"Beneath the Mississippi" is the second effort in a feature film format for Ronick; the first for the fledgling Mississippi Films.
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