Longmont Potion Castle is the alias used by an anonymous—and infamous—prank phone call artist. LPC has been releasing recordings of his strange, hysterically funny calls for decades, yet has largely remained an enigma. A new, appropriately off-kilter documentary shines light on this mysterious figure.

When I was first exposed to Longmont Potion Castle, his style reminded me of the absurdist prank calls made by Gregg Turkington (better known as his character, Neil Hamburger) that were included on the 1992 album, Great Phone Calls. Even more so than Turkington, LPC incorporates technology into his work, using tech to further confound his already confused “victims.” An example of this approach is heard on “Nash” (from Vol. 4), one of LPC’s most famous calls, in which he pranks his local record store.
 

 
The documentary, Where in the Hell is the Lavender House? The Longmont Potion Castle Story, is currently making the rounds. Here’s the IMDb synopsis:

Two filmmakers attempt to make a documentary about an anonymous phone-work artist called Longmont Potion Castle who’s been releasing albums of surreal and hilarious pranks for over thirty years. In spite of a semi-successful crowdfunding campaign and the involvement of celebrity fans, the filmmakers succumb to their own infighting and bad luck leaving an unpaid camera operator to finish the film.

Okay, while it IS a documentary on LPC, is what’s presented in the movie—as cited above—really what’s going on? From the get-go, there are moments that will make viewers wonder if they are being duped by the filmmakers. Considering the subject of the doc, it’s all very fitting.
 

Probably not Colin St. John.

One celebrity fan, actor Rainn Wilson, appears in the film, and is most certainly in on the joke. Wilson has described LPC’s blend of surreal artistry and improvisational comedy as “Salvador Dali meets Adam Carolla,” perfectly summing up the modus operandi of the legendary prankster. 
 

 
Eventually, the filmmakers meet up with Longmont Potion Castle, who gives unprecedented access to his world, though his face is always obscured. In one sequence, LPC creates an elaborate crank call for the cameras. Dangerous Minds is pleased to have the web premiere of that segment:

Upcoming screenings of Where in the Hell is the Lavender House? The Longmont Potion Castle Story, include a June 18th showing in Denver and another on June 20th in Los Angeles. LPC will appear at both events for Q&A and live calls—! Get your tickets here.