‘Bender,’ made in Kansas, premieres at Tallgrass film fest

John Alexander has made a killer film.

Literally. His feature directing debut, “Bender,” is about a real-life serial-killing family – who would become known as the “Bloody Benders” – living in Labette County during the 1870s. The film will have its premiere at the Tallgrass Film Festival on Friday, Oct. 14, at 11 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre.

Alexander is coming from Los Angeles to present the film. He calls “Bender” an “understated thriller” and says he discovered the story while doing research of the Old West.

“I really couldn’t believe it hadn’t been made into a film before,” Alexander said in a recent phone conversation. “I was compelled.”

The film is not only set in Kansas, it was also shot here in 2013. Although most of the main cast and crew was brought from Los Angeles and other places, local people were used to fill in. Alexander credits locals such as Ginger Bynorth and Shawn Rhodes with being “ambassadors to what Kansas could do for me.”

Alexander says he is thrilled to be playing at Tallgrass and especially in Kansas.

“Something feels very right about reuniting this film with its roots,” he said. “It really is a movie of the land.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 9:06 PM with the headline "‘Bender,’ made in Kansas, premieres at Tallgrass film fest."