KATTAPPANA: In the movie Lucifer, Priyadarshini Ramdas came to meet Stephen Nedumpalli in the courtyard of the church, which is reminiscent of his mysterious life. The broken crucifixion of Christ, the broken roof and the jungle-like cemetery inside in the middle of the tea garden captivated the audience along with the performances of Mohanlal and Manju Warrier. Stephen Nedumpalli tells the story to Priyadarshini from his mother's grave in the cemetery. The venue for that crucial meeting in the film was St. Andrews CSI Church, also known as Dracula Church located in Laundry Second Division at Upputhara Panchayat.

With Lucifer becoming the biggest money-making film in Malayalam, the fate of the Dracula Church also changed. When the church was given for the shooting, producer Anthony Perumbavoor had promised the locals that the church would be renovated. Accordingly, the roof was rebuilt and the church was beautified at a cost of Rs 8 lakhs. Now the Dracula Church in and around Laundry has become a favorite destination for visitors. Tourists visiting Vagamon and Thekkady also visit this place to see the church. The locals are eagerly awaiting to know whether the place will be there for the shooting of Empuran, the second part of Lucifer directed by Prithviraj.

The story of Dracula Church

It is one of the three surviving gothic churches built by the British in Idukki. The other two are in Munnar and Peermade. St. Andrews CSI church was established on February 15, 1952 by a British man by the name of JM is Wilkie. Although it was a union church where the clergy of the CSI, Orthodox, Jacobite, and Marthoma churches could worship, the Laundry Church was later orphaned as each church established its own church. With the closure of the Peermade Tea Company 18 years ago, worship came to a complete halt. The locals started calling it Dracula Church as it was destroyed. The Mass resumed in 2016 with the arrival of the new Vicar. It was then given for Lucifer's shooting.