Members of the International Film Society hoped to bring their group back from the dead by bringing Kent State alumnus Luke Campbell to show two of his horror films in the Kiva last night.

The showing was the first IFS-sponsored event in more than a year.

IFS member Mike Varrati said the group invited Campbell for the event, titled “Raise IFS Back from the Dead,” because of the Kent State connection.

“We wanted to bring him back because it shows loyalty to our roots – bringing local filmmakers back to Kent State,” he said.

Campbell showed two of his films: Teenage Zombie House Massacre and The Red Skulls. He brought his first film ever created and the most recent film he created, so the audience could see the progression between the two.

He and his brother directed their first film, Teenage Zombie House Massacre, while they were in high school. He said the budget for this film was $20.

“The best advice I can give to anyone interested in filmmaking is just do it,” Campbell said. “The best way to make movies is to pick up a camera and do it. You need to get your feet wet.”

Kent Weaver, senior business management major and president of the group, noted the significance of this showing because it was the first event since the group regained its funding.

Last year, IFS was forced to take a few semesters off when the group lost its funding because not enough students were coming to events. Weaver said IFS needed to focus more on advertising.

“We really realized what was wrong with our group,” he said. “We weren’t going anywhere as a group. We lost our funding because we needed to prove to the university that we could advertise and attract a larger student audience.”

The group then started working to prove to students that they deserved funding, Weaver said. IFS cosponsored events with PRIDE!Kent last fall and worked on various advertising strategies for this semester.

“Everyone has put so much effort into bringing the organization back to where it used to be,” Weaver said. “This event is the bridge to success for the rest of IFS’ existence.”

Varrati, who is an English graduate student, said the lack of involvement was a major issue for IFS.

“No one wanted to participate,” he said. “We also had financial issues, and as a group we needed to shut down and regroup.”

Patrick Rigney, junior English major, said IFS is a good opportunity to get together with other students who like film and share a mutual interest.

IFS meets at 8 p.m. Wednesdays in room 314 of the Student Center. The next IFS showing is March 16 in the Kiva.

Contact business administration reporter Nicole King at [email protected].