LI Native Pens Screenplay About Spooky Lake Ronkonkoma Legend

LAKE RONKONKOMA, NY—Maria Capp is an independent filmmaker from Long Island who involves her own family, children and hometown background in her arts career. She's now written a screenplay inspired by the creepy legend of the lady of Lake Ronkonkoma, a influential location from her childhood.

"The Legend of Lake Ronkonkoma: The Lady of the Lake" is a psychological thriller that spins a contemporary tale based on the longstanding local myth.

Capp grew up in the late 1970s and 80s playing and exploring the lake with her siblings—her parents' home was one block from the lake and she remembers hearing about Ronkonkoma's legendary "Lady of the Lake" while witnessing lifeguard rescues at the deep lake which was once a thriving swimming beach.

Back home in 2020 during the pandemic, the now-Los Angeles transplant found herself inspired again by the story. She researched the folklore, reached out to local Native American resources about the historical reality behind the myth and penned a script.

The myth that Long Island children grow up hearing is that one male drowns per year in the lake, Long Island's biggest and deepest. Capp's story centers on a young woman whose brother is one of those victims, and explores grief and family amid the eerie occurrences that take place.

In the legend, set in the 1600s, a young Setauket Indian woman named Tuskawanta falls in love with a white settler but her father shuts down the romance. She eventually kills herself on the lake in despair and has haunted the lake ever since, grabbing a series of young men to assuage her broken heart.

The film is due to shoot next spring around Lake Ronkonkoma at homes, parks and at the lake itself. Capp plans to hire local residents to work on the project, encouraging young people involved in the arts and is aiming for inclusive casting for the Indigenous character roles. Capp's daughter and son are professional actors and they, along with her nephew and niece may all make appearances in the film.

"It will be a family affair, both on and off the screen," she told Patch.