Ghosts, murder and history bring “Clara Boone” to Nevada City as part of its journey to the big screen

There is one instance in the history of criminal law in the United States where the testimony of a ghost has led to a murder conviction. That story is the inspiration behind Jenna Cirrali and Cat Dale’s Western ghost story “Clara Boone.” 

“‘Clara Boone’ is about this woman, Zona Shue, who was from West Virginia and who was killed by her husband in 1897,” explains Cirreli who not only helped write, but is starring in the film as the title character.  “He said she died due to women's troubles, which I think was a common excuse for spousal abuse at the time. I’ve learned that a lot of women were sent to asylum, even for arguing with their husbands in those days.” 

Ciralli and Dale have adapted their story from the real life West Virginia murder conviction of Erasmus Shue, whose wife's death was pronounced caused by heart disease before a later exhumation and complete autopsy revealed that her neck had been broken and her windpipe crushed, according to recounts of the famous West Virginia trail. 

The story of Shue’s murder opened the door to tell a story that highlighted the values of Ciralli and Dale have dedicated their work to. 

“We are very interested in revisiting the classic Western genre to amplify underrepresented voices in Film and TV,” reads the website promoting the film. “‘Clara Boone’ is the present Zeitgeist, and it also comes from our team’s personal fight to feature stories of women and women of color in an entertaining, complex, and compelling way.” Ciralli continued the story. 

“Erasmus Shue had a history of domestic violence, including another wife who had passed away, and another one who said she was beaten up. Zona Shue’s mother went on trial saying that her daughter came to her in a dream, clutching her throat, and she said, the body has not had an autopsy. The mother asked ‘please exhume my daughter's body and do an autopsy. I know something is a foul.”’ 

“They exhumed the body, and her windpipe was crushed and she was strangled to death, and it was proven in the court of law that she was murdered, and to this day, it's the only case in U.S. history where a ghost testimony was used to convict a killer,” Ciralli concluded. 

Zona Shue is played by Virginia City local and Alder resident Amber Rose Mason in the screenplay that takes place in Montana instead of West Virginia. Her character is a friend to Clara Boone, who is battling withdrawals from prescription barbiturates and being haunted by a variety of  souls in her mind. Shue agrees to help Boone with her troubles before she is found dead. 

The Montana based cast and crew of the film spent two days filming in Nevada City and one in Paradise Valley in early May.

“We got three days of footage on the film, which is going to be kind of a proof of concept slash sizzle reel to show off the world building of ‘Clara Boone,’” said Ciralli. “We're looking to finish the full shoot with kind of this lightning in a bottle that we captured in terms of this Montana cast and crew just on their A game.”

The film has raised $200,000 and Ciralli estimates it needs to double that amount to be able to finish the entire production. Executive producer Stephen Nemeth  whose work includes Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “Radio Free Albemuth” and “Spaceman” is signed onto the project through his studio Rhino Films. 

“Jeri Rafter who is our Line Producer on ‘Clara Boone’ introduced me to Stephen after they worked on "Baby Love" together,” explained Ciralli about how Nemeth got involved with the project. “Stephen loved the ‘Clara Boone’ script and really believed in us. His partner, a strong working actress and Yale Graduate, Blake Lindsley is also attached to the film in a supporting role.”

Ciralli’s script showcases elements of the true crime and supernatural genres, but is unmistakably a Western. 

“Westerns are where we go to examine our big feelings, values, and morals in spaces large enough to hold them. Here, we can progress the narrative in order to explore Western Medicine vs. the Earth’s Natural remedies, Feminine Intuition vs. Masculine Construct, Private Knowing vs. Public Showing, and deepen the study of alienation, healing, addiction, sisterhood, self-actualization, community, loss and survival through our own lens,” reads the film’s website. 

“In 1890, we were on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution: slavery had ended, interracial marriage was legal, abortion was considered a public health issue and featured in pamphlets, and herbalists and midwifery still reigned supreme. But a frightening lack of Women’s Rights, as well as Racism and Indigenous Genocide, must be faced in the late 19th Century as well. Things we are still trying to face and reconcile today. We must know our history in order to know our progress. Back and forth, back and forth. Progress is not linear and hard-won,” the website concludes. 

More information about the project and how you can support it is available at https://mintfilmfestival.org/fiscal-sponsorship/clara-boone-feature-film/.