"Vampire Diaries" director Christopher Gregory filmed his movie at the
university-owned Kitselman Center, a short walk from Ball State's campus, after
pitching the project as a horror movie. It was released on DVD on Jan. 26.
Gregory, a Muncie resident, said he didn't tell Ball State officials about the
film's adult content because turning it into a pornographic movie was a
last-minute decision.
"From a director's point of view, I don't believe a filmmaker should be reined
in creatively," he said.
Center director Joe Trimmer, however, has a starkly different view of Gregory's
film.
"We would have never signed a location release had we known this would be the
content," said Trimmer, who was unaware of the film's release until last week.
"That was not the film that was depicted to us."
The mansion is home to the university's Virginia Ball Center for Creative
Inquiry. School officials gave Gregory permission to shoot scenes for a horror
movie tentatively titled "Night Scream," according to the location agreement
signed by both Gregory and Trimmer.
Gregory said he recruited about five Ball State students for the cast. The
film's plot follows Dracula's daughter as she makes an appearance in the 21st
century as a 23-year-old college student exploring her sexuality.
Trimmer said the Kitselman Center is reserved almost exclusively for students
participating in Virginia Ball Center seminars. In the past, occasional
requests have been granted to Ball State students, faculty and local residents
wanting to book an event at the facility.
Ball State Provost Terry King said Trimmer was acting in good faith with
Gregory, but agreements to use university property are supposed to pass through
the school's business affairs office. That didn't happen, he said.
"We clearly didn't do our homework here," said King, who also is vice president
for academic affairs. "He was pretty slick about the whole thing in
retrospect."
King said the university will review the agreement and try to determine whether
the film damages Ball State's reputation before deciding on legal action.
Gregory said nothing in the film identifies Ball State.
Associated Press
