PORT ANGELES — Eighty-four years after Hallie Illingworth’s body surfaced in Lake Crescent, her narrative has resurfaced through the documentary “The Lady of the Lake.”
Part true crime documentary, part paranormal investigation, the film details what little is known about Illingworth’s life while exploring the lasting hold her story has on residents of the Peninsula.
“My goal with the film is to provide Hallie with a vehicle to transcend victimhood and become an archetype,” director Ryan Grulich said.
Illingworth, who often is colloquially referred to as the lady of the lake, disappeared in December 1937. Three years later, she was found floating on the surface of Lake Crescent — her hand pointed toward the sky.
Her body, as the lore goes, was the consistency of soap.
The documentary aspect of “The Lady of the Lake” explains the known facts of the murder, largely through the inclusion of historical footage of Harlan McNutt’s firsthand account of the aftermath of the body’s discovery.
The film then takes a turn. Led by paranormal investigator Amanda Paulson, the documentary intertwines the facts and myths surrounding Illingworth’s death with a modern-day investigation of the rumors of a supernatural presence surrounding Lake Crescent.
“The lady of the lake still haunts this lake,” Grulich said.
One goal of the documentary is to look at Illingworth’s story through a new lens.
“It really made sense for us to look at Hallie’s story as one of reclaiming her power and becoming something more than a victim,” Grulich said.
Three words are frequently used by Grulich to describe the themes in this film: “violence, history and the supernatural.”
And, although Illingworth died more than 80 years ago, her story has lived on in local lore.
“This is the people on the Peninsula’s story,” Grulich said. “If you live on the Peninsula, there really is no need for me to tell you what to know about this.”
One possible reason Illingworth’s story has traveled through generation after generation, Grulich said, is as a collective way to process a traumatic situation that could have happened to anyone.
“We react to traumatic events as communities by telling stories,” he said. “The stories that revolve around Hallie, and her death, and everything after her death, are our collective way — and the community’s collective way — of coping with the trauma of her murder.”
“Everybody can feel the proximity of these types of situations,” he added. “We have to reconcile that.”
The film, which was four years in the making, was released to the public on Dec. 17 with the goal of providing a spooky narrative just before the holidays.
Much of the documentary was filmed in Port Angeles and the surrounding areas. At some point in 2025, Grulich is hoping to offer a screening of the film in Port Angeles, although the details are still being worked out.
In the meantime, the film can be viewed on Amazon, iTunes and most other platforms, Grulich said. To get a taste of what the film is like, view the teaser on YouTube.
“Settle in,” Grulich said. “Here’s a ghost story for Christmas.”
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
