Cry Baby Lane
Encyclopedia
Cry Baby Lane is a low-budget made for TV movie which premiered on Nickelodeon
on the night of October 28, 2000. The film was never re-aired or released on VHS
or any software media until 2011. It was believed to be because of complaints from parents who found the film to be too scary and inappropriate for children, but a Nickelodeon representative stated that the film had been merely forgotten. In 2011, TeenNick
re-aired the film as part of The '90s Are All That
on Halloween.
), tells them. One night Bennett tells the tale of a local farmer whose wife gave birth to conjoined twins
, one being good-natured while the other was clearly evil. The farmer, ashamed of them, kept the twins locked in their room. Eventually the twins got sick and died together, so the farmer sawed them in half and buried the good twin in a cemetery
and the bad twin in a shallow grave near the house. Later, Andrew and his friends decide to hold a seance
in the cemetery where the good twin is buried, but they unintentionally awaken the bad twin who was accidentally buried in the cemetery instead of the good son. Gradually, the bad twin possesses nearly everyone in town, and it is up to young Andrew to stop him.
in a little over twenty days with an extra day of shooting in Ohio for shots of the town. The director originally wanted Tom Waits
for the role of the caretaker, but Nickelodeon insisted on Frank Langella
in hopes that it would garner extra publicity.
recovered a VHS
copy recorded from the film's original broadcast and made it available online. Director Peter Lauer was interviewed soon after and said that he was surprised and flattered by the attention his film had gotten 11 years after its release, being unaware of its supposed banning by Nickelodeon: "I just assumed they didn’t show it again because they didn’t like it! I did it, I thought it failed, and I moved on.” A Nickelodeon representative later claimed that that the film was never banned, it was just forgotten.
In October 2011, TeenNick
re-aired Cry Baby Lane on Halloween as part of its '90s Are All That
block.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
on the night of October 28, 2000. The film was never re-aired or released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
or any software media until 2011. It was believed to be because of complaints from parents who found the film to be too scary and inappropriate for children, but a Nickelodeon representative stated that the film had been merely forgotten. In 2011, TeenNick
TeenNick
TeenNick, formerly The N, is an American television network aimed at the teenage market. TeenNick is owned by the MTV Networks subsidiary, Viacom. The channel was originally known as The N from its April 1, 2002 launch until September 28, 2009....
re-aired the film as part of The '90s Are All That
The '90s Are All That
The '90s Are All That is a programming block that airs on TeenNick. The block shows requested Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s, airing in a two-hour block running every night from midnight to 2 a.m., with an encore from 2 to 4 a.m...
on Halloween.
Plot
Andrew (Jase Blankfort) and his older brother Carl (Trey Rogers) enjoy listening to ghost stories that the local undertaker, Mr. Bennett (Frank LangellaFrank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
), tells them. One night Bennett tells the tale of a local farmer whose wife gave birth to conjoined twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
, one being good-natured while the other was clearly evil. The farmer, ashamed of them, kept the twins locked in their room. Eventually the twins got sick and died together, so the farmer sawed them in half and buried the good twin in a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and the bad twin in a shallow grave near the house. Later, Andrew and his friends decide to hold a seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
in the cemetery where the good twin is buried, but they unintentionally awaken the bad twin who was accidentally buried in the cemetery instead of the good son. Gradually, the bad twin possesses nearly everyone in town, and it is up to young Andrew to stop him.
Cast and crew
Cry Baby Lane was filmed in Tontogany, Ohio. It was produced by Albie Hecht and Jerry Kupfer. The editor was Doug Able, and John Inwood served as the director of photography. The supporting cast included:- Jase Blankfort as Andrew
- Trey Rogers as Carl
- Larc SpiesLarc SpiesLarc Spies is an American actor who is best known for playing Derrick Blank, half-brother to main character Jerri Blank on the comedy TV series Strangers with Candy...
as Kenneth - Frank LangellaFrank Langella-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
as Bennett - Anne Lange as Ann Weber
- Marc John JefferiesMarc John JefferiesMarc John Jefferies is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Derrick Mitchell on the NBC sitcom The Tracy Morgan Show, and as Darius on Treme, the HBO drama series set in post-Katrina New Orleans.-Career:Jefferies debuted as the title character "Isaiah",...
as Hall - Allison Siko as Louise
- Jessica Brooks Grant as Megan
- Sheri Drach as Kathy
- Gary Perez as Gary
- Steve Mellor as Dick Weber
- Bernadette Quigley as Mrs. Hunt
- Carl Burrows as Evil Sheriff
- Jim GaffiganJim GaffiganJames Christopher "Jim" Gaffigan is an American stand-up comedian and actor.-Early life:Gaffigan was born in Chesterton, Indiana and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He is the youngest of six children and often jokes about growing up in a large family. He attended one year at...
as Bob - Rob Newton as Evil Twin
- Andie K. Taylor as Becky
Production
The film was originally envisioned as $10 million dollar theatrical release for Nickelodeon, but it was instead ordered to be a made-for-television movie with a budget of $800,000. The film was shot in a condemned neighborhood in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in a little over twenty days with an extra day of shooting in Ohio for shots of the town. The director originally wanted Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
for the role of the caretaker, but Nickelodeon insisted on Frank Langella
Frank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
in hopes that it would garner extra publicity.
Availability
Because Nickelodeon had never released it to the public, Cry Baby Lane was thought to be lost for over a decade. In August 2011 a user from the website RedditReddit
reddit is a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of either a link or a text "self" post. Other users then vote the submission "up" or "down," which is used to rank the post and determine its position on the site's pages and front page.Reddit was originally...
recovered a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
copy recorded from the film's original broadcast and made it available online. Director Peter Lauer was interviewed soon after and said that he was surprised and flattered by the attention his film had gotten 11 years after its release, being unaware of its supposed banning by Nickelodeon: "I just assumed they didn’t show it again because they didn’t like it! I did it, I thought it failed, and I moved on.” A Nickelodeon representative later claimed that that the film was never banned, it was just forgotten.
In October 2011, TeenNick
TeenNick
TeenNick, formerly The N, is an American television network aimed at the teenage market. TeenNick is owned by the MTV Networks subsidiary, Viacom. The channel was originally known as The N from its April 1, 2002 launch until September 28, 2009....
re-aired Cry Baby Lane on Halloween as part of its '90s Are All That
The '90s Are All That
The '90s Are All That is a programming block that airs on TeenNick. The block shows requested Nickelodeon shows from the 1990s, airing in a two-hour block running every night from midnight to 2 a.m., with an encore from 2 to 4 a.m...
block.