Thriller Filmed at Indiana’s West Baden Springs Hotel is Headed to the Big Screen this March

I have written before about famous people from Indiana or celebrities that were at least born in Indiana (see that gallery below). One of the names you will NOT find on that list is MICHAEL KORYTA (although I probably need to add him now). Michael is an accomplished author who was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana. One of his more popular novels has been turned into a movie and will soon hit the big screen.

First, the Novel...

Back in 2010, Koryta released a supernatural thriller entitled So Cold the River, which was inspired by and set at the West Baden Springs Hotel, a place he remembers visiting as a child. The hotel, described as "a glorious domed hotel where movie stars, presidents, athletes, and mobsters once mingled, and hot springs whose miraculous mineral water cured everything from insomnia to malaria," plays a major part in the story. It only makes sense that it had to be included in the movie - and not some replica or designed set piece - it had to be THE actual hotel, and that meant filming in West Baden Springs and French Lick, IN.

Now, the Movie...

Koryta says that there was interest in turning So Cold the River into a movie before the book was even released. If that's the case, why has it taken more than a decade to finally get the film made? One big hurdle to get over was the location for filming. I guess the Hoosier state just isn't that appealing to many filmmakers - but when you're dealing with a building as unique as the West Baden Springs Hotel, no other location will due. Luckily for Michael and the rest of us, those Indiana fellas and filmmakers from Pigasus Pictures were able to step up and help get the job done. And now, 12 years after its release, So Cold the River has been filmed and is ready to hit theatres.

So Cold the River is scheduled to hit theatres on March 25, 2022, and will be available on-demand starting March 29. The film stars Bethany Joy Lenz, Katie Sarife, Andrew J. West, and Tony award-winner Deanna Dunagan.

By the way, this isn't the first book from Michael Koryta to be made into a feature film. Do you remember the movie Those Who Wish Me Dead which came out in 2021 - it starred Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, and Tyler Perry? Yeah, that's another one of Michael's stories.