A serial killer thriller for Upstate New Yorkers was made by Upstate New Yorkers.

'Garrow' is directed by Lori Bailey. The focus of her film is Robert Garrow.

Garrow grew up in Essex County and later lived in Syracuse where in 1973, he raped and killed his first victim - 16 year old Alicia Hauk.

"He went to school with my dad,” said filmmaker Lori Bailey. They worked in the Iron Ore Mines for quite some time. I've always known about Robert and the family odd dynamic and his crimes."

Garrow eventually confessed to hiding her body in Oakwood Cemetery. Decades later, it's a story producer Joel Plue believes is worth remembering.

"All the people that made it happen are the people that it matters to,” said Plue. “And it's just been spreading like wildfire, now it's kind of becoming a cult classic in New York."

Bailey and Plue made the film on a low budget of $30,000. Since December, it has been selling out theaters across the state.

"The feedback has 99-percent positive, not like 'oh we love gross horror movies', but just in the fact that we were able to, on a dime really no money, get a community of people together and find people that cared about the story and pull it off," said Bailey.

They hope it inspires others to make movies in Upstate New York.

"There's great scenery all across New York, whether in Syracuse or the Adirondacks, it's just a great place to film," said Plue.