Jasper, Florida, is a small town in the state’s rural north. Once a vibrant town, it was left bone-dry when life and a brand-new highway passed it by. At the center of this story sits an old, two-story house with peeling paint and a hand-painted skull staring out of an upstairs window. It’s haunted but not in the usual sense. It’s haunted by a bunch of musicians who won’t stop showing up.
Dean owns the 1894 house and likes to play pranks on his guests, while also recognizing the Jasper House’s inspirational potential. It soon becomes a hub for making music and entertaining the spirits. Brian Santana—a self-proclaimed “lacrosse champion-accordion player”—Mauricio, and Dee, who fronts a band called Alien Witch, are three of the regulars who treat the house like a clubhouse. Josh and Parker play with The San Francisco Renaissance.
The guests and neighbors of the Jasper House swear it is haunted, but rather than being scared, the resident specters provide spiritual inspiration for the Orlando-based psych-rock band The San Francisco Renaissance and the hard-rock outfit Alien Witch, both of whom record their albums at the Jasper House. For the most part, the recording goes off without a hitch… that is, until an uninvited guest makes their presence known.
“For the most part, the recording goes off without a hitch… that is, until an uninvited guest makes their presence known.”
“Fun” is the word that keeps coming back to me with Jesse McMinn’s Jasper, Florida. The premise is simple: some guy buys a haunted house, which inspires a rotating band of musicians to move in, record, and perform within its halls. There’s something cool about buying into this haunted energy to make art. There’s something even cooler about buying a haunted house and just having fun with it. I love a documentary that has a whole personality of its own.
Of course, this is about the music, and I’ll admit up front that bands like Alien Witch and The San Francisco Renaissance aren’t exactly my style of music (shout out to Amy Grant and her new album). Dreamy, a little goth, a little out there—the perfect combination for this film. But it was fun to listen to anyway, and that’s really the point. Jasper, Florida capitalizes on a unique opportunity and sells it to a bunch of eccentric musicians who found inspiration in that lore. Watching a documentary about people like that is its own kind of entertainment.
Here’s the thing—I don’t need to believe the house is actually haunted to enjoy this. What I need is for the filmmakers to commit, and Jasper, Florida commits 100%. That’s the difference between a gimmick and a good time, and this one lands on the right side of that line.
For more information, visit the Jasper, Florida official Instagram page.
"…a hand-painted skull staring out of an upstairs window."
