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Hoosier horror film enthusiasts have reason to shriek in terror this weekend as Headless, the sequel to Found, premieres in Bloomington at 7 p.m. March 1 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Headless is a ‘70s themed slasher about a skull-faced killer struggling with inner demons, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. The film was shot entirely in Indiana by Bloomington-based companies Forbidden Films and Gentleman Monster Productions, which was founded last year by senior Nathan Erdel and his wife, Kara Erdel.

Found was directed by Scott Schirmer, BA’02, sociology, and was based on a novel of the same name that tells the story of a bullied fifth grader who discovers his brother is a serial killer. He finds a cassette tape in his brother’s room called Headless, which may have inspired his brother’s crimes.

There’s about 15 minutes of footage from Headless in Found, and fans wanted to see Headless become a film in its own right. Those 15 minutes resulted in Found being banned in Australia – twice — for gratuitous violence.

“Most of the blood-letting happens in that part of the film,” said Nathan Erdel, the screenwriter for Headless. “It’s the gory part of the film, and it proved to be the most popular part of Found on the festival circuit.”

The creators of Found weren’t sure how they would make a feature-length film out of 15 minutes of what Scott Schirmer described as “torture porn.”

Forbidden Films contacted the Erdels’ Gentleman Monsters Production last year to write the screenplay. Nathan Erdel has studied filmmaking abroad and in professor of practice Robby Benson’s T452 Seminar in Design and Production class. The final product of the class was Unwelcome, which he wrote, produced and directed. It tells the story of a couple haunted by a woman who lives in the walls of their new home.

For Headless, Erdel had a short amount of time but a broad range of options.

“I had a month to let this jell in my head, and then Arthur started coming up with ideas,” Nathan Erdel said, referring to Headless director Arthur Cullipher, who also created the special effects for Found. “He gave me a sandbox, and as long as I stayed in the sandbox, I could do whatever I wanted.”

The idea became reality as Erdels, Cullipher, Schirmer and videographer Leya Taylor, BA’09, talked through the script. It developed into a hyper-violent, dreamlike horror film.

“We’re actually billing Headless as ‘pre-banned’ in Australia,” Nathan Erdel said.

Headless was funded entirely by Kickstarter donations.  The page raised more than $20,000 from 324 fans. The project also tapped into the fanbase of horror film enthusiasts, many of whom contributed directly to the film by working 14-hour days without pay upfront.

Kara Erdel said contributors were willing to work long hours because the horror film community is tight-knit, and it created a familial atmosphere.

“We had so much fun making this movie that it really translates on screen,” she said. “You can tell when someone had a good time making a movie.”

“That love for what you’re doing shows up on screen,” Nathan Erdel said.

Others with Media School connections are cast member Matt Keeley, BA’14; and graduate students Javier Ramirez, gaffer, and Joshua Coonrod, production assistant. Headless also features a cameo by film professor Joan Hawkins.

Headless also was part of the line up at the Culture Shock Convention in Indianapolis Saturday.