Dixie Caverns is a fabulous cave in Salem, Virginia. It is a site with overnight or longer camping facilities. Dixie Caverns was opened to the public in 1923 and is a wonderful place for long or short vacations with your family. In addition to the camping sites in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of South Central Virginia, the Dixie Caverns facility has a very unique antique and gift shop. Some really interesting antiques and museum pieces are for sale there on a regular basis. Some African Art that might be very old was even found in their shop recently.
Dixie Caverns Used As Film Set
Also Dixie Caverns became a major location site for the filming of Talos, the recently released independent film that was produced by Stone Soup, a Virginia Independent film company. Several major scenes in the movie were filmed inside Dixie Caverns. One scene that featured newcomer actor Gary House, was the one where Gary, playing the traitor, Administrator Kashitani enters the underground of the dead to consult the Wizard Qara-Qoyunlu. The underground place of the dead and den of evil wizards was of course an area inside the caves of Dixie Caverns. Gary House pulled the scene off like an experienced professional rather than a firs- time actor. The fear he projected from his face while he descended the stone carved stairs inside Dixie Caverns came over as genuine. This was enhanced by the fact the scene was filmed in torchlight. Few independent film outfits can afford to build big budget sets, so it was a major boon to have such a real natural attraction as part of the set of the movie Talos.
Martial Arts FIght Scenes Filmed Inside Dixie Caverns
The other scenes filmed in Dixie Caverns included those of the movies hero Talos, played by karate grandmaster Eddie Thomas, running through the caverns to rescue his friend, Terifina played by another black belt, Shawna Shannon, wife of Scott Shannon. At this point in time Dixie Caverns was being an actual cave inhabited by primitive cannibals. The scene with the extras known as "the cannibals" was all the more authentic for having been filmed in a real cave system. The Cannibals were also first-time performers and they danced and chanted and hoisted real African art and artifacts in the air. Some of those artifacts were provided by one of the scenes bad guys, Emperado, played by real life black belt martial artist Scott Shannon. Other African art pieces in the Dixie Caverns Cannibal, and Human Sacrifice scene were actually purchased at the Dixie Caverns Antique Shop and then loaned to Stone Soup to use in this scene in the filming of Talos by the new owner of the artifacts.
Dixie Caverns: A Silent Star in Movie Talos
The action scenes from Talos occurring inside Dixie Caverns were a wonderful contrasting blend of backdrop and creepy realistic action. That the props were authentic African art also enhanced the human sacrifice scene. Dixie Caverns could be said to be in part a star of this film. Dixie Caverns made Talos a better quality movie in the context of scenic backdrop. Hopefully the move Talos, which is already in DVD format and will also have a formal big screen debut at the elegant Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia, on March 5, 2011 at 10:00 am for media and local fans, will help make people even more aware of what a wonderful out of the way place Dixie Caverns is as an all round recreational facility as well as a place to buy exotic art and antiques. See the movie Talos then plan a vacation trip to Dixie Caverns or visit Dixie Caverns and see the move that filmed several scenes there.
