Amerikana

Goth horror As a teen, summer vacations were spent in Kansas at my grandparent’s farm. Their property included a plot of ground where eleven infamous murders occurred in 1873. The murders, committed by a family of German immigrants, Kate, John, Ma and Pa, were spread over eighteen months and took place in a remote prairie inn. The three hammers used have long been on display in the Cherryvale, Kansas, library, and may still be there. Anyway, about ten years ago I came across The Bloody Benders, a novel by Robert Alderman. I contacted him, was granted an option, and wrote a screenplay, AMERIKANA. The author told me his novel had once by optioned by Paul Newman. A couple years later, Alderman died. I’ve contacted his daughter asking if she’d be willing to renew the option, and although she initially expressed some interest, she then stopped responding. The daughter is in no way connected to the film biz and there’s no reason to think the novel is doing anything but sitting around collecting dust. But here’s the really interesting part. The mystery of what happened to the Benders has never been solved, although there have been a number of theories. They simply disappeared into thin air. But the author’s novel expertly weaves an astounding tale (fictitous, obviously) of what DID happen to them, told through the eyes of a teen boy smitten with the beautiful Kate. Now, one movie about the Benders has already been made, but nothing remotely like the version the novel proposed. But I’m not suggesting a movie, rather, a limited series for Netflix, Amazon, or their ilk. So, perhaps, if interested, perhaps you have a connection at those places.