The candlelit mirror distorted every shape and figure in the bathroom, turning a simple towel rack into an unspeakable, horrifying beast. The heads of my friends looked shapeless and liquidy, like oil slicks in puddles. I could barely see my own face.

As my friends' chanting grew louder and louder, my legs started flailing like an empty Pixie Stix in the wind.

"Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary!"

Right about the 13th time they summoned her, I tried to shield my face from the impending doom in the mirror. Then all seven years of me hit the doorknob with a resonating thwack.

So Bloody Mary gave me a bloody forehead. Or at least, that's how my squealing pals told the story.

Decades later, I'm still petrified of dark bathrooms. Bloody Mary leaves me all weepy and shaky. And I bet there are plenty of others who are also traumatized from the slumber party fixture.

The precise requirements to beckon Bloody Mary vary, depending on where a person was raised. Some involve several candles. Some entail as few as three repetitions of her name. Some even call on completely different versions of Bloody Mary (sometimes called Mary Worth).

The story I grew up with required 13 chants in a dark bathroom with one candle and a full sink of water. The spirit we were trying to reach was a woman who was burned for being a dark witch.

All versions are equally terrifying.

That's what students from the AEC Southern Ohio College in Woodlawn are banking on. About 20 film buffs from the school are creating a flick based on the urban legend to enter into the New York City Horror Film Festival.

The extracurricular project is headed up by audio/video production instructor Jeff Winkelman.

"I always try to create projects above and beyond what we do in class," he said.

It's the story of Mary, prior to becoming a crazed murderous spirit. It details her origin and background and runs from Salem, Mass., in the late 1600s to modern times. The 57-page script was primarily written by student Shai Davis, 24, of Golf Manor, who is soon moving to New York to attend school for scriptwriting.

Auditions were arranged by student Rebecca Price, 26, of Mount Healthy, and casting has already been set for most of the film. (Though not all the actors are students.)

Most of the shooting will take place between June 26 and July 11 to coincide with the short school break.

The students are not being graded on the project. They likely won't make any money off it, either. In fact, they might be losing some. Many of the participants have been working overtime now, so they can take time off from their jobs during filming.

"This is where our dedication is. And when you want something, you'll do anything to get it," said assistant director Robyn Bromwell, 26, of Independence. "Besides, the finished project is so worth it if it's something you love."

"It's a very ambitious project," Winkelman said. "I always knew they were good students, but they constantly surprise me now."

To be an extra in the film, call Rebecca Price at (513) 254-8402. To make a donation (and to get listed in the credits), e-mail Jeff Winkelman at winkelman@fuse.net.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com