DVD capture

Contributed photo

Travel Directions:
Follow Hwy 9 (also known as Township Road 282) 6.5 km east of Beiseker to Range Road 252 (watch for the brown “Grande Ole West Villa Ranch” sign). Turn right (south) onto Range Road 252, go 1.6 km. The ranch is behind the overgrown thicket on the east (left) side of the road.

Remarks:
The owner of the Twist Ranch vividly recalls the commencement of shooting activity at this otherwise desolate and inherently lonely place.

“It was July 20, 2004, when the circus arrived (circus is the industry term for the caravan of production vehicles and crew). Twenty or so tractor trailers, barbeques, power generators, cranes, everything you can imagine. More than 100 people, easy. Security was tight; they had to block the highway,” he said, referring to a nearby two lane road.

Before shooting, crews spent months restoring the house which had literally fallen down on itself. Extensive roof and carpentry work was required, the exterior façade and the rooms used in the film were plastered and painted. The green grasses and trees were treated with a desiccant in order to give them a brown / yellow hue. A small cemetery (which can be seen in some promotional footage, but not in the film) was erected to the left (south) side of the house.

“They must have driven that truck up to the house 20 times to get the shot they wanted,” he recalls.

Important:
Always obtain appropriate permission before entering private property. Do not attempt to enter the buildings. They are structurally unsafe. The buildings have been the subject of pilferage and vandalism. Please leave all that you find intact out of respect for the history, both real and fictional, of this powerful place.