Was the horror short Posies filmed in a haunted New Orleans house?

I was not on my game the day I interviewed Katherine Fisher and R. H. Stavis, the directors of Posies. Which is why it didn’t occur to me at the time to ask if Posies was filmed in a haunted place.

Like I explained when I shared their interview, I was fangirling big time and couldn’t seem to get myself under control. The more I tried to pull it together, the more I concentrated on that, instead of asking good questions.

Why was I so freaking excited about talking with them? Because Posies is one of the most beautifully haunting horror movies I’ve ever seen, short or long. (It happens to be a short horror film.)

But did I ever find out if Posies was filmed in a haunted place? Yes. Let’s check it out.

Nerves Explained

But first, indulge me while I attempt to explain the fangirling.

Put it this way: think of one of your favorite directors before they hit the “big time.” They’re not a Hitchcock, Romero, Carpenter, Craven, Spielberg, Murphy/Falchuk, etc.

I mean, of course, they are who they are. It’s not like they just suddenly got some famous name. They’ve always been them. But they haven’t become that household, instantly recognizable name that conjures up awe at all of their incredible work. Yet, you got a chance to screen one of their early projects.

As you watched, your soul tingled with excitement as it recognized, “This person is a genius creator. They’ve got the stuff to do amazing things.”

That’s how I felt after watching Posies.

Posies Filming Location

After I reflected on our conversation, especially how Posies was filmed in New Orleans, which is arguably one of the most haunted cities in America, I felt like I blew it. How could I have failed to ask if where they had filmed had any paranormal activity?

Good grief. That’s a Haunt Jaunts 101 interviewing question!

Well, when I admitted my blunder in the interview recap, I also said I was going to Tweet at Fisher and Stavis and ask. Luckily, Fisher not only saw the post but read it! She also took the initiative and answered right away.

Here’s what she Tweeted:

Thank you so much for this lovely article & for having us on! And YES! We shot at Maison Vitry in Treme,which was built for Louise Arsene Vitry,a free woman of color in 1855 (if you look closely you can see her photo on the vanity in the opening scene).And oh yes,it’s got some ?

— Katherine Fisher (@speed_of_joy) August 19, 2021

Well, of course, I had to check that out!

Maison Vitry, an “Elegantly Decayed Creole Mansion”

Louise Arsene Vitry’s consort, Achille Barthelmy Courcelle, a white New Orleanian,  built the house in the Tremé neighborhood for the free woman of color. Due to miscegenation laws, they never married but they did have five children in the 20 years they were together.

However, Vitry only lived in the house for about nine or 10 years. Sometime around 1864, during the Civil War (or maybe a little after it ended), she left New Orleans and went to New York. She died in Brooklyn in 1868.

As it explains on the Media section of the house’s website, “The setting found in this elegant, 19th century mansion has been preserved in its current state, versus being restored to a pristine condition.”

You get to see that in Posies, but as pointed out on The Geographical Cure, it was also one of the filming locations for American Horror Story: Coven. It served as the setting for Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau’s Cornrow City Salon. (You may also recognize the house from HBO’s Treme.)

Besides being open to visits from film crews and photographers, it’s also available to stay in via Airbnb.

Except I’m a little confused because the Airbnb listing says it’s rented by Will and Mao, but that’s not the same contact name on the Visit portion of the Maison Vitry website. That’s another mystery to solve. That, and what kind of haunted activity takes place there?

I found it listed among the spookiest Airbnbs to stay in for Halloween on Insider, but it didn’t share any ghost stories.

Will the contact on the house’s website email me back? I sent an email explaining how I came to know of the house and my interest in confirming if it (a) had any ghost stories, and (b) what sort of paranormal activity they might have.

However, I haven’t heard back yet and my gut tells me I might not. I’m sure they get enough lookie-loos and thrill-seekers as it is from people searching out one of the Coven filming locations. Do they want to add to that by admitting they have ghosts and dealing with all that?

Not to mention, who haunts Maison Vitry? If Louise Arsene Vitry’s soul returned there, she has ancestors who are still alive and very much respect her. I’m sure they want to preserve her memory with dignity, which I can totally appreciate.

Because I don’t mean to be down on ghost hunters. For the most part, the majority are respectful. However, enough aren’t that they give the rest a bad name.

So, yeah. I can see why my inquiry might go ignored. And that’s fine.

However, if I do hear back I’ll be sure to ask about the discrepancy between the Airbnb listing too. And of course I’ll share an update.

For More Info

Visit https://maisonvitry.com.

Check-In

Have you ever booked a haunted or historic room at an Airbnb for Halloween?