Writer-director Nicholas Nicastro has officially launched a crowdfunding campaign to adapt his bestselling book-turned-award-winning short film, “Hell’s Half-Acre: Sojourn,” into a feature-length production.
A true-crime Western inspired by the “Bloody Benders”—America’s first family of serial killers—Hell’s Half-Acre is set in the lawless heart of post-Civil War Kansas. Nicastro describes the project as a blend of the brutal realism found in “In Cold Blood” with the macabre, gothic intimacy of “Sweeney Todd.”
“When their crimes were discovered in 1873, the family known to history as the Bloody Benders shocked the nation,” said Nicastro. “Nobody knows if they were actually related, but they would take visitors along the Osage Trail into their remote cabin/store … and kill them.”
The case remains unique in the annals of American crime due to its female lead. The “family” was centered around Kate Bender, an intelligent, outspoken woman who claimed to be a “professor” of the occult. “To this day, it is one of only a few cases of serial murder with a woman at its center,” Nicastro noted.
The Benders managed to evade detection for nearly three years by targeting outsiders, until they murdered a man connected to a powerful politician. As suspicion mounted, the family vanished into the frontier, leaving behind at least fifteen bodies and a mystery that persists today. Though many claimed to have tracked them down, no story of their fate has ever been corroborated.
The Kickstarter arrives with significant momentum as the short film has already garnered a strong of acolades on the festival circuit, including Best Indie Short at the LA Indie Shorts Festival, Best Narrative at the Toronto Indie Shorts, Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Brooklyn International Short Awards, the Gold Award at the Paris Film Awards, an Award of Merit at the IndieFEST Film Awards, and is an official selection at the Allentown and Jacksonville Horror Film Festivals.
Nicastro is seeking to raise $29,600 to transform the story into a feature film. Production is slated to begin in April 2026, with filming planned across Northern Virginia, Kansas, and Arizona.
Backer rewards start at $25, which includes a signed DVD. Higher-tier rewards offer personalized copies of the Hell’s Half-Acre novel, opportunities to appear as an extra, and Producer credits.
For more information on the project or to back it, visit the official Hell’s Half Acre: The Movie Kickstarter campaign.
