by Sophia Laperie
It is not everyday a Stephen King series is filmed at your school. This past summer, the Hulu series, Castle Rock found their way on campus while filming season two of the horror series. To simulate an underwater lake scene for one of the episodes the film crew used multiple techniques to transform the pool at the Athletics and Recreation Center. The new  American psychological honor series was inspired by famous author Stephen King, which takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. 
Former Fitchburg State film student Gabe Mangrum who played a small part on the show stated, “It was really cool when I learned Castle Rock would be choosing to film a couple scenes at Fitchburg, it’s such a small world sometimes.” Although Mangrum was not involved in the swimming pool scene, there were numerous alumni from Fitchburg State that were active onset in the Recreation Center. 
   “For multiple alumni to be involved in the production of Castle Rock sets a great example of students pursuing a career in that path, as it just shows how strong of a film program our school provides,” said Mangrum. 1984 graduate Mark Casey was one of the few alums who was involved with this particular scene. Casey recently spoke about the filming at the recreation center in an article on the Fitchburg State website, saying“Stephen King series films on campus” Casey stated, “Castle Rock” has been filming around the state its entire run, with production offices in Devens. “Fitchburg State has greater representation on most film crews in this state than Emerson or Boston University,” Casey said, noting there were several other alumni just on the “Castle Rock” crew. The release date for season two of Castle Rock has not yet been posted, and the crew will continue to film more scenes in Massachusetts.