Blawenburg Cemetery
It was a fall evening in 1999, just 20 years ago, and the Blawenburg Cemetery was a buzz with activity. Not ghouls and goblins or apparitions of former Dutch residents. No, it was a buzz with lights, cameras, and action. The cemetery was one of several local locations where a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie called Cry Baby Lane was filmed.
Movie title shot
In the movie, a local undertaker tells two mesmerized boys the story of farmer Muller’s children. The Mullers had conjoined twin boys, one of whom was thought to be good and the other one evil. The twins died, and the farmer separated them, burying the good twin in the local cemetery and the evil one beside a desolate dirt road called Cry Baby Lane. Anyone who traveled down Cry Baby Lane at night could hear the cries of the evil brother. This caused chaos in the town. I won’t say more lest I ruin this poignant tale for you!
Several scenes were shot in the Blawenburg Cemetery. Eric Perkins remembers that he spent a couple nights in the cemetery observing the filming. He was there to assure that the production company did not film engravings on the monuments.
The film was shown once on the Nickelodeon channel on October 28, 2000 and was not shown again until 2011. Despite being made as a children’s horror/comedy movie, it was deemed too disturbing for young people to see. Over time, it made its way to YouTube, where it has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. It has now become a cult classic.
If you think your heart can take it, you can see the movie at:
While Cry Baby Lane may not have won any awards, it seems to have caught the attention of those who like scary movies. For better or worse, the filming of Cry Baby Lane is part of the history of Blawenburg.
Sources
Mental Floss, The Legend of Cry Baby Lane, http://mentalfloss.com/article/559167/cry-baby-lane-nickelodeon-movie-too-scary-for-tv
Eric Perkins email
Wikipedia, Cry Baby Lane
Picture Credits
Cemetery pictures, D. Cochran
Movie title card, Cry Baby Lane movie