Our short silent film, 13 Curves, uses a local ghost story [14] to illuminate the omnipresent power of love and connection.
Legend has it, about 60 years ago, a newly married couple died in a car crash in Marcellus, while driving along the section of Cedarvale Road that has 13 sharp curves. Local residents believe the bride’s ghost haunts this treacherous, winding part of the road, known as 13 Curves. Those who know about the story tend to look for the woman in white as she lingers, unrequited, in pale, searching for tragedy along the winding roadside.
Though inspired by the legend of 13 Curves, our film has its own twist. While the film is a ghost story, we crafted it to be deeper than that. The film addresses several complex themes: the resilience of love, closure and the modern media’s misguided portrayal of ghosts as horrific. The film opens with a newly-wed couple, arguing as they drive along 13 Curves. In the heat of the moment, the bride lunges at the steering wheel. Both bride and groom look up, horrified, as they crash. They then transition to ghosts.
In the next scene, set in the present, a couple travels along the same road. They’re also fighting. Suddenly, they see the ghosts of the bride and groom, holding hands, in front of their car. The man immediately stops the car. The ghost couple gives a revelation to the living couple, reminding them that love is paramount. At the end, the present-day couple is also holding hands.
In this way, our film hints at the potential for spirit retribution and closure. The ghost couple died fighting, but they came together in the afterlife. This illustrates the power of love.
By saving the living couple from the same fatal destiny, the ghosts are acting as guides, sentries. The modern media portrayal of spirits over the last several decades has been predominantly pure horror in nature. Our retelling of 13 Curves reveals the interaction between the spirit dimension and living world, as well as the latent potential for each side in those interactions.
The film is not only a retelling of an intriguing local ghost story, but also, a sensitive, thought-provoking piece on the potential for interface between the ghost and human world. We hope our film inspires reflection and appreciation in our viewers.
Produced by: Brittany Wait, Svitlana Lymar and Laura Mortelliti