Kent State Independent Films launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for Kent State’s third feature-length movie, “Hell at Heathridge,” a bloody psychological thriller being filmed this summer.

Kickstarter is a website that allows anyone to donate money to creative projects.

“The money helps us with location costs, wardrobe and special effects,” said Estee Hodge, executive producer of Kent State Independent Films and senior electronic media major. “It is amazing when you add up all of these little things how quickly your budget gets huge.”The film crew created a website and a Kickstarter teaser video that anyone can watch at the “Hell at Heathridge” Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HellatHeathridge.“Each movie we do, we try to step up and produce better quality, better content and better character development,” said Matt Petrunak, director of photography for the film and junior electronic media major.

The “Hell at Heathridge” screenplay was chosen from twenty other student-entered scripts. It is a horror film about a young female college student who, along with her classmates, is reenacting a series of grizzly murders that happened on campus 20 years prior.

“I never expected to be doing this in school; this opportunity is so unique and I am so grateful for it,” Petrunak said. “There is really only three schools in the country doing what we are doing.”The Kent State Independent Film class has been working all semester, choosing the script, assigning roles and planning production for the film. The movie will be shot during eight weeks this summer starting June 10.Tyler Pina and Caroline Abbey, both electronic media majors, are working together to co-direct the film.“I have always wanted to direct a horror film,” Abbey said. “I didn’t think that I would get to do it while I was still in school, and the fact that it came up, I knew I had to do it.”The premiere of “Hell at Heathridge,” will be in December 2013 at the Kent State Ballroom. The film will then be submitted into film festivals and hopefully be played at local theatres, Pina said.“It is going to kick start everyone’s careers, and at the same time it is going to be a really cool movie, with a really unique script,” Pina said. “It is a work of art. I can’t wait to see people’s reaction.”The Kent State Independent Film team is still looking for more members to join their crew. The final casting calls for “Hell at Heathridge,” will be Thursday, April 24 through Sunday, April 29 in room 215 of Oscar Ritchie Hall.For more information about the film, donations, and becoming a member of the crew, go to the “Hell at Heathridge” Facebook page. Donations can also be made at http://kentstatefilms.com/ by clicking on “Donate to Kickstarter.”Abby Bradford is a general assignment reporter for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].