Film to focus on Grand Strand’s famous SC ghost. How you can be a part of it
The death of Alice Flagg is a well-known Lowcountry tale that is steeped in both historical and otherworldly elements.
Alice’s story is an age-old tale of heartbreak and mystery about a young girl who died filled with sorrow over an engagement ring and a lost love.
It will now become the focus of a new teen mystery-adventure series being shot in the Lowcountry, including Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island, where Alice’s story takes place in the early 19th century.
Bonnie Ryerson, a professional actress who lives in Conway, has written and will direct the “Marshlight Girls: The Alice Flagg Mystery,” which will be filmed this November.
Ryerson, co-founder of the Pied Piper Theater, said the film will be a series of episodes and is currently working on the pilot. She likened the project to that of a Nancy Drew/”Stranger Things” storyline.
The main characters are an all-girl cast of local actors, many who have already starred in TV shows, Ryerson said.
Ryerson didn’t want to give too much of the plot away, but the premise is that the girls meet in the first episode and they find the ring. But is it Alice’s ring?
The finding of the ring brings them into a mystery of Alice. Along the way, there are correlations between Alice’s story and the main character of the “Marshlight Girls.”
“Personally, I love the story,” Ryerson said. “It is endemic to this area. It’s just such a beautiful love story.”
Ryerson said Alice’s story is well-known in the area. And while Alice was a real person, there are elements of the story that can be considered urban legend.
Alice’s story
Alice Flagg was born into an upper-class family along the South Carolina coast in the 19th century. She supposedly fell in love with a man who was beneath her station, and her disapproving brother ordered her to end the relationship.
However, Alice and the young man continued the relationship and became engaged. She wore the ring on a ribbon around her neck in an attempt to hide the engagement. But her secret love was discovered, and she was sent to a boarding school in Charleston.
While there, Alice became very ill with what was believed to be malaria and rushed back home to her family in Murrells Inlet, where her brother, a doctor, tended to her. Her brother discovered the ring around her neck, ripped it off and threw it away.
She begged her brother to return it, but he would not. She later died without her ring and without her love.
Alice was dressed in a white dress and was supposedly buried in the Flagg family plot at the All Saints Cemetery near Pawleys Island. A grave with a flat, tombstone bearing just the first name of “Alice” in the cemetery is believed to be that of Alice’s.
However, there are reports that she is not actually buried there, and it is unknown who the grave actually belongs to.
Ghost hunters say that Alice’s spirit, often referred to as the Lady in White, can be seen in the Flagg home, the Hermitage in Murrells Inlet, and in the graveyard at the church. She is dressed in white and can be seen searching for something.
Believers often bring flowers and other small tokens, including plastic rings, to place on the “Alice” tombstone. Superstition says that if a person walks a certain number of times counterclockwise and then that same number clockwise, and then make a wish, the wish will be granted.
Discovering a Lowcountry mystery
The nine actresses who are the primary cast gather on a Monday evening at the church cemetery and around Alice’s grave.
The fading sunlight streams through the old oak trees draped in Spanish moss, giving the cemetery a haunting feeling.
Libby Kaminski is dressed in a long, floral gown that resembles those worn by women from the early 19th century. The 16-year-old from Georgetown will play the main character of Alice Flagg.
Kaminski, although not originally familiar with the ghost tale, said that Alice’s story is not far off from what teenage girls today deal with. People can relate to her heartache, she said.
Fourteen-year-old Anna Mae Quinn will play opposite of Kaminski. Quinn’s character will find just how much she relates to Alice’s story while trying to solve the mystery and deal with her real-life problems, Ryerson said.
“It’s a cool story to learn about,” said 15-year-old actress Julia Moran of Alice Flagg.
How to get involved
Ryerson and her film crew are currently looking for locations to film the pilot.
And although the pilot cast is set, Ryerson said that the production team is inviting the community to get involved.
She is seeking individuals to fill adult roles and serve as extras, as well as those interested in working behind the scenes with the professional crew.
The production is filming under a Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists agreement, which means that it is open to both union and non-union performers.
Ryerson is planning to have additional auditions and episodes. Those who are interested can email marshlightproductions@gmail.com.
“Our hope is to keep going,” Ryerson said. “There are so many tales in this area, focusing on the legends in this area. It’s really exciting.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 9:18 AM.
