''The Legend of Lucy Keyes'' is a 2006

suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

film directed and written by John Stimpson, and starring

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...

Justin Theroux Justin Paul Theroux (; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film ''Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film ''Inland Empire'' (2006). He also ...

and Brooke Adams. The film premiered at the 2006

Santa Barbara Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...

Summary

After losing their youngest daughter Anna (Madeline O'Brian), Guy Cooley (

) moves to an old farm in Princeton with his wife Jeanne Cooley (

) and their two daughters, Molly and Lucy, to build eight windmills to generate clean power to the city. He was hired by a local named Samantha Porter ( Brooke Adams), who, with her relative Jonas Dodd (

Mark Boone Junior Mark Boone Junior (born Mark Heidrich; March 17, 1955) is an American character actor, best known for his TV roles as Bobby Munson in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–14) and Patrick "Pat" Brown in '' Last Man On Earth'', and film roles in Christopher ...

), owns the lands in the woods where the facility will be built. The Cooley family experiences a cold reception in town, and while voting for the approval of the project, an old woman named Gretchen Caswell (

Jamie Donnelly Jamie Donnelly is an American actress known for her portrayal of Jan in the musical, and later film, '' Grease,'' along with Magenta in ''The Rocky Horror Show'' during its run in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Biography Donnelly was born i ...

) votes against the construction (along with several other people) and mentions the historic importance of the spot and the name of Martha. Jeanne researches and discovers that two hundred and fifty years ago, a girl called Lucy Keyes got lost in the woods and in spite of the efforts of her mother Martha Keyes and the locals, she was never found. When the ghost of Martha comes to the fields around their property calling for Lucy, Jeanne realizes that the legend is true and that there are many hidden secrets in that location. The mom found out that Lucy died and her body was in the woods. Now that they're all dead, people say that they can still hear the mom calling for Lucy. Jeanne's Lucy snoops around the neighborhood because she sees Lucy Keyes and wants to help her. She almost ends up like Lucy Keyes when she helps Jeanne discover the true story of how Lucy Keyes disappeared.

Cast

as Jeanne Cooley *

as Guy Cooley * Brooke Adams as Samantha Porter *

Mark Boone Jr. Mark Boone Junior (born Mark Heidrich; March 17, 1955) is an American character actor, best known for his TV roles as Bobby Munson in ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–14) and Patrick "Pat" Brown in ''The Last Man on Earth (TV series), Last Man On Eart ...

as Jonas Dodd *

as Gretchen Caswell *

Michele Greene Michele Dominguez Greene (born February 3, 1962) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is known for her role as attorney Abby Perkins on the TV series ''L.A. Law'' from 1986 to 1991, for which she was nominated for a 1989 Primetime ...

as Sheila Travers *Cassidy Hinkle as Lucy Cooley *Kathleen Regan as Molly Cooley *Tom Kemp as Bill Kemper *

Ken Cheeseman Ken Cheeseman (born December 9, 1954) is an American film, television and stage actor best known for his appearances on the ''Law & Order'' television franchise. Sometimes he is credited as Ken Chesman. He was an acting professor at Emerson Col ...

as Bud Travers *Anna Friedman as Lucy Keyes *Rachel Harker as Martha Keyes *David Ian as Eli Farnum *Charlie Broderick as Bob Greenwood *

Jillian Wheeler Jillian (Je) Wheeler (born May 25, 1991, in New Hampshire), also known as "Je Wheeler", is an American singer-songwriter and former actress. She also works as a freelance international photographer, videographer, and travel writer. As an actre ...

as Anna Keyes *Madeline O'Brien as Anna Cooley *Sarah Newhouse as Mary Sawyer *Elizabeth Duff as Librarian *Frank T. Wells as Mechanic *Bates Wilder as Deputy Officer *Jim Spencer as Native American

Production

Writer/Director John Stimpson moved to

Princeton, Massachusetts Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by Ho ...

and learned about the legend of Lucy Keyes. Lucy Keyes disappeared from the Wachusett woods on April 14, 1755. To this day nobody knows what happened to her. The legend spurred Stimpson to write and direct a film based on the events.

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said of the film "Mild scares rustle the autumnal mood of 'The Legend of Lucy Keyes,' a modest New England psychological horror tale that could easily be dubbed 'Amityville Jr.'"

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legend Of Lucy Keyes, The 2006 horror films American psychological horror films 2000s ghost films Films based on urban legends Horror films based on actual events Mystery films based on actual events Films set in Massachusetts Princeton, Massachusetts 2006 films 2000s supernatural horror films American ghost films 2000s American films