By Drew Roberts
A ghost town in the middle of an island, Spanish moss clinging to the branches of trees, a hive of shoes hanging on a wire and herds of goats roaming where they please; if this sounds like a scene from a Tim Burton movie, that’s because it is one.
Jackson Lake Island lies sequestered in Millbrook, AL just a few minutes from Exit 179 on Interstate 65. It’s operated by former Mayor of Montgomery Bobby Bright and his wife Lynn, who served as district court judge. Though the two have been operating the island since 2014, it has belonged to their family for years.
The main draw is, without a doubt, the Town of Spectre, featured in the 2003 Tim Burton film “Big Fish.” In the film, Edward Bloom, played by Ewan McGregor, emerges from a dark forest, of which only two trees remain, and stumbles upon the idyllic town known as Spectre. A far cry from its current state, the buildings were pristine and the town was full of life. Later on in the film, Bloom returns to find it dilapidated. Tim Burton and his crew left the set as is after wrapping filming, giving it its signature spooky vibe.
Lynn Bright recalled taking pictures of the progress of the town’s construction and dubbed its current state as a “ghost town,” and a faint glimmer of how it looked during filming. She also noted that her family’s main goal is to preserve rather than repair.
“You cannot repair these buildings to code,” Bright said. “You would have to completely start over because they’re eaten up by termites. Fireplaces are fake. Roofs are fake. We’ve just done the best we could to try to keep it in decent shape.”
Photo on right couresty of timburton.fandom.com
A question then arises. Why preserve the buildings? For the first few years after filming, there wasn’t a clear answer. The Brights simply liked the look of the place and figured they could tear it down at any point. Over the next few years, people involved in the film occasionally dropped in, but the town remained largely unnoticed.
“Nobody seemed interested, and it affected our feelings about it” Bright said. “We felt like it was just no big deal…we’ll keep it, if we keep it. If we won’t, we won’t.”
The arrival of social media changed everything.
Suddenly, word spread of the mysterious Town of Spectre still alive in the middle of Alabama. The “Big Fish” fans followed soon afterward. When asked if the island received a lot of “Big Fish” super-fans, Bright replied with an emphatic “Gosh, yes!”
Spectre has become a place of pilgrimage for Tim Burton fans far and wide. Many hang their shoes on the original wire used in the film. These visitors aren’t just Americans, either. Bright pointed out France, England, and Australia as several countries visitors have come from. She joked that “[they] have so many people [they] can’t speak to.”
One of the more notable fans was a man who had the titular fish tattooed on his back. Regarding the influx in tourism from “Big Fish” fans, Bright said,”If they love Tim Burton, or they love this movie and they learn about it, they’ll put it on their itinerary and show up.”
Bright has many fond memories of the film shoot itself. Burton and crew invited the Brights to watch as they filmed a dance scene in the middle of town. She recalled being “blown away” by the level of production.
On a more humorous note, Lynn’s husband Bobby didn’t recognize Tim Burton on set. The story goes that he saw Burton emerge from behind the mayor’s house. Bobby Bright then pulled over his car, unsure of what Burton was doing on the guarded property and asked if he could help him.
Undoubtedly confused by the question, Burton replied that he was with the film crew.
It was then that actress Helena Bonham Carter emerged to join Burton. Bright realized his mistake and later relayed his thought process to his wife. Lynn Bright recalled her husband’s tale, saying, “He said, ‘I didn’t know who he was still, but I knew he had to be somebody to be with her!'”
Bobby Bright and Burton later shared a laugh over this after Bright, then the Mayor of Montgomery, gave Burton a key to the city.
The film set isn’t the only draw, however. The real attraction for many are the herds of goats who call the island home. The goats had always been apart of the island, brought in well before anything was filmed with the hope that they’d clear out some of the island’s overgrowth. A few coyote attacks put an end to their residency. When Lynn and Bobby took over the island in 2014, they decided to bring the goats back, thinking it would be a “nice addition.” They certainly didn’t expect them to steal the show.
The island now has another alias: “Goat Heaven.” The Brights started with only 10 or 15 goats, but the number has grown rapidly due to many people donating goats they can’t keep.
“If we got rid of the goats we’d have to shut down,” Lynn Bright said. “That’s how much people love them.”
Love seems to be the secret ingredient to keeping the Town of Spectre up and running. Lynn Bright recalled a story of a man she will never forget. The man met Bright at the gate after having driven from South Florida. After Bright greeted him, he kept saying that he had to get there. When Bright asked him why, he said that his 21-year-old son had died of cancer just four weeks prior to his arrival. The film “Big Fish,” with its focus on the difficulties of father-son relationships, had brought them together and healed their relationship.
Though they tore down much of the initial dark forest Burton and his crew had built, the Brights have preserved all they could for fans just like that man. Lynn is thankful to be a steward of Spectre, saying, “I’m so proud that we didn’t just let it all go during that time because it has meant so much to so many people.”
To experience the story of Spectre for yourself, visit Jackson Lake Island’s Facebook page.
Vallo Vision News 