Words of Overbrook -The Movie

Words of Overbrook
Made For Video • 50 min • Documentary • History • Experimental • Multimedia • Released April 1, 2019
A trespassing poet records the last moments of Overbrook Asylum, New Jersey's most infamous mental hospital.
Walk the decaying halls of Overbrook Asylum with Wheeler Antabanez. Witness the demolished institution as it briefly flickers back to life on screen. Tread quietly through the shadows of the abandoned mental wards while avoiding police and security guards. Watch breathlessly as the asylum is smashed to pieces by heavy machinery. Wheeler takes us through the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove, NJ. The journey begins in 2007 when the the asylum was fully vacated and climaxes with the final demolition sequences of 2018. Based on the book and spoken word album of the same title, Words of Overbrook follows the abandonment and destruction of New Jersey's most infamous insane asylum
Buy the book here:
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Wheeler is a Montclair based author and rogue journalist best known for his 2007 Weird NJ special issue, Nightshade on the Passaic, which chronicles his canoe explorations of the Passaic River. He is the author of The Old Asylum and Other Stories, Words of Overbrook, and several other books. Wheeler is a lifelong resident of New Jersey. Visit his website at luckycigarette.com or on instagram: @wheeler_antabanez

[@greghartman5895]

Thanks for posting this. This place and the sanatorium were always my 2 biggest fascinations growing up. Still breaks my heart in pieces knowing they knocked everything down and basically pretended a century worth of history never happened.

[@christinarallie6375]

When I was a young girl about 14 or 15 years old. It was about 1969 or 70. I did some volunteer work at Overbrook. For a girl scout badge. It made a lasting Impression on me. I saw some things that would turn anyone’s stomach. And was asked to do some things that no young lady wearing a candy striper outfit should have to do. They treated the patients like they were robots. Not like the human beings they are. They fed them like animals. I felt so bad for them. God rest their souls.

[@JerseyShoreAngelAuthorofFallin]

This is where I spent my very young years off and on shock treatments because they didn't believe I was a prophecy from God an Earth Angel assigned to do missions but my parents thought I was nuts early 70's I was beaten placed in padded cell with rats sometimes starved a very Sick place and very true I herd screams of women and children young around my age being raped than killed how I knew they were dead I herd the wheels of the stretchers being wheeled down to the mourge. I would write Help Me God on my wall with my nasty tomato sauce. Just looking at this brings back so much tragic memories that I saw go on in there and the beatings I got ouch.😭 RIP Overbrook rott in hell to all the workers who worked there. ONE GOOD THING CAME OUT OF THIS I WASN'T CRAZY I AM JERSEY SHORE ANGEL 🙏🏻💔😇👍🏼✝️😢

[@chrisd.6346]

Wow, you got the tunnels when no water was in them. We used to go through them and the lights all worked. The power plant was working at that time, JINS was a tough building to get into, and the papers we found were mind-boggling. We never destroyed anything.. never set fire to anything.. The new kids that explored this place destroyed everything and set fire to the place. We explored it when it was "pristine", wheelchairs, beds, desks and chairs, and even the radio room were all complete. Winter was the best time, especially when it snowed even though our footprints were left behind they soon filled with snow, the serenity was nothing that I'd ever felt. You are so right, the ECPD couldn't come up here when it snowed.. You must have been up there when my group was up here, almost every weekend or even during the week we were there. Medical kits, mattresses, linen... it was all there, no glass was broken, and nothing was really damaged at all. Maybe you remember one July Fourth when we all watched the fireworks and ECPD showed up since we were shooting off our own fireworks, they became the targets of our M80 and skyrockets. They left and came back in force with CGPD and VPD on the Fairview side and NCPD on the Mountain Ave area. Never got caught, no one would go into the woods and Read Ave was blocked so they couldn't drive up it to where we were. The hilltop was what the cops called it and knew we were up there. Crazy times but memorable.

[@ryanshutz4748]

Excellent job with the filming and story. I always wanted to explore here but never got the chance. I did get to explore Marlboro state before it was demolished which was cool. Crazy they put condo’s there. I wouldn’t want to live there for shit

[@christophersmith7138]

Thank You, this is well done........ I Lived 3 blocks away and it sure was a strange place when it was open.

[@afterdark6822]

Overbrook was well known even where I grew up about seventeen miles east. We used to drive out there back in late 80's freshman year of high school.

[@Whipslinger1]

It breaks my heart to see Overbrook as it is now....well, what remains of it that is. I worked there in the Summer of '78 before College. My parents and many of my family members and their friends made their careers there until they retired. It housed thousands and employed hundreds with great County salaries. It was a well kept place with well kept grounds and very self contained. It even had it's own farm which was once tended by the Prisoners of the near by Essex County Correctional facility. It was like a small city within a city. My Uncle even had a building named after him. It's torn down already though. I'm saddened to see what it has become. I enjoyed my employment there although short lived. The hope was that it would have been repurposed, but I guess it was decided that Asbestos removal would be too costly for the State. What a sad ending for something so Historic.

[@JR-mg6mm]

Is that area now a park or did they actually redevelop it?

[@JerseyShoreAngelAuthorofFallin]

Hello do you remember me I was 11 years old and my memories of being in there were horrible. I do remember crying and RN was so kind and helped me adjusted and I was placed in there because I shamed my parents. Today an auther,business, writer, radio host and so much more. I was there in 1978 Maureen Mayer I was transferred from east orange to Ob I can't help but say you paint a pretty picture of this place but maybe on days off you didn't see what went on. My father was Joseph Mayer and how Iron he was custodian. Love & Light Jersey Shore Angel

[@miab3793]

I can’t believe they demolished it and put Hilltop high rise buildings

[@denizdzines]

As i recall there where more buildings where they knocked down already? i was there many times in the 80's

[@mikerc24]

Would you happen to have the picture of the banner that said RIP Overbrook asylum 1898 to 2018?

[@WheelerAntabanez]

yeah i have pictures of that banner

[@FullMetalNobody]

Very nice job brother.

[@JerseyShoreAngelAuthorofFallin]

This is where I spent my very young years off and on shock treatments because they didn't believe I was a prophecy from God an Earth Angel assigned to do missions but my parents thought I was nuts early 70's I was beaten placed in padded cell with rats sometimes starved a very Sick place and very true I herd screams of women and children young around my age being raped than killed how I knew they were dead I herd the wheels of the stretchers being wheeled down to the mourge. I would write Help Me God on my wall with my nasty tomato sauce. Just looking at this brings back so much tragic memories that I saw go on in there and the beatings I got ouch.😭 RIP Overbrook rott in hell to all the workers who worked there. ONE GOOD THING CAME OUT OF THIS I WASN'T CRAZY I AM JERSEY SHORE ANGEL 🙏🏻💔😇👍🏼✝️😢

[@caryn3688]

I am so sorry this happened to you.

[@jerseyshoreangel8147]

PART 5 This is where I spent my very young years off and on shock treatments because they didn't believe I was a prophecy from God. An Earth Angel if you will who is assigned to do missions and healing. The real truth I shamed my parents in the early 70's I was beaten placed in padded cell with rats sometimes starved and a very Sick indeed. I herd screams of women and young children around my age being raped than killed. I knew they were dead I herd the wheels of the stretchers being wheeled down this long hallway to the dark freezer that is what we young children were told by people doing the medication shuffle. Alot were placed in there who came from broken homes, drug addictions ,homeless etc. I would write Help Me God on my wall with my nasty tomato sauce. Just looking at this brings back so much tragic memories that I saw go on in there and the beatings I got ouch.😭 RIP Overbrook rott in hell to all the workers who worked there and rest easy to all the pour souls who were killed for no reason. Rest Easy Angels ONE GOOD THING CAME OUT OF THIS I WASN'T CRAZY I AM JERSEY SHORE ANGEL 🙏🏻💔😇👍🏼✝️😢

[@BigHughJazz]

Did you keep the patient records ?

[@wendy51765]

If u find out broadcast it. I have family members who were patients and worked there.

[@JerseyShoreAngelAuthorofFallin]

Do you have mine and how ironic my father was Joseph Mayer who worked there too This is where I spent my very young years off and on shock treatments because they didn't believe I was a prophecy from God an Earth Angel assigned to do missions but my parents thought I was nuts early 70's I was beaten placed in padded cell with rats sometimes starved a very Sick place and very true I herd screams of women and children young around my age being raped than killed how I knew they were dead I herd the wheels of the stretchers being wheeled down to the freezer I would write Help Me God on my wall with my nasty tomato sauce. Just looking at this brings back so much tragic memories that I saw go on in there and the beatings I got ouch.😭 RIP Overbrook rott in hell to all the workers who worked there. ONE GOOD THING CAME OUT OF THIS I WASN'T CRAZY I AM JERSEY SHORE ANGEL 🙏🏻💔😇👍🏼✝️😢

[@The-Portland-Daily-Blink]

This isn’t really a documentary. More of an exploration in bad poetry. It would have been better to approach the spoken introduction in a more journalistic manner. And the delivery of the poetry/spook show verbal description of the “urban explorers” venturing into Overbrook is definitely amusing and over the top. The stream of consciousness delivery from “the old Guard” narrator is amusing, contradictory in its lapses into a formal/goth, then modern slangy tone is over the top, and amusing. The music is good though, but this entire film could have been done much better if it had had a more organized, and journalistic tone and approach. The poetry is not bad, but not great either. The poetry and delivery is definitely super self-indulgent. The viewer doesn’t really learn much about the history of Overbrook, but only what the poet/narrator wants revealed. What is truly sad is that the patient files were abandoned and not rescued. All in all, a fun, but disappointing “movie.” LOL…

[@flymike126]

I thought the poetry was pretty good!