Could the woodlands of Northeast Philadelphia's Pennypack Park be haunted?

Not likely, says Stan Grossman, vice president of environmental affairs for the Friends of Pennypack Park group that serves as caretakers of the urban forest.

The Pennypack may not be a playground for ghouls and ghosts, but it is one of the settings of a demon-inspired movie shoot that recently wrapped up filming in the area.

The 13th Child: Legend of the Jersey Devil is an independent horror film that attempts to capture the essence of the urban myth surrounding the dark hell spawn.

A fictional work, depending on whether or not you believe the tale of the Garden State's own Satan, 13th Child takes a scholarly approach to the 18th-century legend.

The movie's script, written by Princeton, N.J., native Michael Maryk, explores the historical context of the Jersey Devil and its alleged haunting of the expansive Pine Barrens forest in the southeastern part of the state.

The film stars Emmy-winning actor Robert Guillaume, best known for his role as television's Benson, and Academy Award-winning actor Cliff Robertson.

It follows Kathryn Tatum (played by Michelle Maryk, the screenwriter's daughter), a young investigator for the New Jersey attorney general, as she probes several homicides in the Pine Barrens. Eyewitness accounts of those deaths seem to link it to supernatural forces. One witness, Riley (Guillaume), is considered a local kook because of his decade-old claim that he glimpsed the creature.

"The events in the movie unfold very rapidly and bring (the audience) to the revelation of the Jersey Devil and some of its dark alliances and history," said Michael Murphy, one of the film's producers.

The movie concludes, he adds, with a shocking twist that few will see coming.

DEVIL'S IN THE NORTHEAST?

Scenes for the movie were shot late last month in Pennypack Park and at the old Holmesburg Prison.

Before the Philadelphia location shoot, the crew spent 40 days in Hammonton, N.J., site of part of the expansive Pine Barrens.

The origin of the Jersey Devil is about as hard to pin down as documenting the authenticity of the many variations of the legend, which, perhaps, is why Michael Maryk spent 15 years writing and researching his screenplay, Murphy explained.

"There has never been a feature-film adaptation of the legend of the Jersey Devil. We see this as a thriller with quality, not just as an exploitative horror flick," said the producer.

"We certainly looked at all the various theories and legends surrounding the devil, his origins and the sightings. I can't say we followed any one in particular."

Later this year, Murphy's Painted Zebra Productions, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, Calif., will seek a major distributor for the flick after post-production work is completed.

The Jersey Devil is said to have been born in 1735 -- the only area of agreement among the multiple versions of the legend.

The name Leeds also plays prominently in the many incarnations of the myth, whether it be the surname of the family that gave birth to the child or the name of the town where the delivery occurred.

Some say the beast was born to a witch. Others argue that it was an ungrateful woman who, upon learning she was pregnant with her 13th child, cursed it.

Apparently, a version of that tale plays prominently in the film, hence the 13th Child title.

DON'T MESS WITH THIS DUDE

Another story tells how the child, once it was born, morphed into a beast with the head of a horse, hoofed hind legs, bat or dragon wings, a forked tail and clawed upper legs.

Legend tells that it stands about 4 feet tall. (Those who dismiss the creature as a hoax claim that it is nothing more than a bird; one often-cited possibility is the sand hill crane.)

The creature was said to have sliced open the throat of the midwife who delivered it and then escaped up the chimney.

Does the hideous beast in 13th Child resemble those descriptions? The movie's producers won't tell.

Murphy says that "the identity of our monster has been kept a tight secret, security-wise."

The motion-picture producer did admit that the film's beast, at 10 feet, would be much taller than some versions of the legend.

"He's not the kind of entity you want to run into," Murphy explained. "The ferociousness of the monster makes it one of the leading men in our film."

Since 1735, there have been more than 2,000 reported sightings of the Satan Spawn -- from Philadelphia to New York -- and it is the alleged culprit behind everything from child snatchings to animal and livestock mutilations.

SO WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

Did all the research about the Jersey Devil, and the late nights spent in the woods shooting the film, convince the movie crew of the creature's existence?

Murphy, the producer, isn't convinced.

But he wonders.

"Some of the people we interviewed who claim to be eyewitnesses presented a pretty compelling case," he said.

"To say the least, we have been affected."

As for the Pennypack, it isn't any worse for its brush with fame.

The park's well-being, said Grossman, the Friends of Pennypack Park official, was his chief concern when he recently learned of the movie shoot.

"As long as they cleaned up well after themselves, left no debris or damage to the park and got all the appropriate clearances from the Fairmount Park Commission, I think it's great," he said.

Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, which helped lure 13th Child producers to the city, assures that any film project sanctioned by her office is run by the book.

"The film office was established so it would be a one-stop shopping place for all filmmakers' needs," she explained.

"We handle all the red tape. Nothing can happen with filmmaking in this city unless it goes through our office. And we are always respectful, careful and diligent to those matters."