In the excitement of the roaring 20s, a new kind of movie palace was constructed by the Bay. More than 90 years later, Tampa Theatre has become known as one of the most haunted buildings in the city, filled with the spirits of former employees, patrons and guests. Explore the unique and historic Tampa Theatre like never before, and discover the entities whom ghost hunters believe "choose to remain at the Tampa Theatre," in this ultimate haunted backstage tour. Ghosts Behind the Screen features Tampa Theatre staff, paranormal investigators, Theatre patrons, historians and dramatic recreations telling the stories that give the historic movie palace its ghostly reputation. And the cameras were rolling when spectral projectionist Fink Finley decided to make his presence known to a group in the projection booth.—Jill Witecki
The ghosts of the famous Tampa Theatre are revealed in this documentary film that explores the 100 years of this movie palace's colorful history. A historian, restoration artist, cast and crew from the past 70 years, a Mom and Son ghost hunting team along with a Paranormal group explore and investigate this one of a kind theatre.
Ghosts Behind the Screen is a documentary film about the history and mythology of a famously haunted movie theatre in Tampa, Florida. Sparked by the Movie Palace craze of the 1920s, famed architect John Eberson created an ornate movie theatre in the heart of downtown Tampa that became a cool getaway for residents and visitors alike. The construction and grand opening are explored with Reconstruction Artist Jack Casey along with vintage detailed images and film of the nearly 100 year history of one of America's most well known movie palaces. The Tampa Theatre has also been the site of several tragedies and deaths that have been associated with unexplained events throughout the years. The management of the theatre invites a unique group of paranormal investigators to perform the most compete and detailed investigation of several of the 'ghost stories' that have been passed on through several generations.
The film's narrative unfolds with the paranormal group that consists of Genesis Paranormal founder Jeremy Rettig and members of his team along with a Mom and Son ghost hunting team investigating several areas of the theatre. The basement dressing rooms are explored due to the fact that "Night Court" star Harry Anderson had an ghostly experience in one of them. The decorative theatre itself is investigated by this team and the "Man in the Fedora" legend is explained. "The Woman in White" myth, "The Haunted Projection Room" and other areas are visited and several encounters occur including lights turning off and unknown voices heard.
The history of the theatre is also explored with a former usher from the 1950's (John Bohannon) and staff and theatre goers from the 1940's to the present.
