COLUMBIA -- A bloodbath in New Brookland Tavern and the making of three doomed protagonists in Papa Jazz Record Shoppe are just two of the things viewers can expect to see in Chris Bickel's newest film, "Pater Noster and the Mission of Light."

The thriller, which will make its world premiere in Charlotte's Independent Picture House on Oct. 5, was shot and produced by the Columbia-based independent filmmaker and musician.

The story centers on young record store employee Max (Adara Starr), who, along with friends and coworkers, go on a quest to find the last record in a five-part collection of records by 1970s music cult "Pater Noster and the Mission of Light." Their journey takes them to Wunderlawn, the cult's grounds, where they are exposed to unspeakable and supernatural horrors.

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For Bickel, the film's concept stemmed from two set pieces to which he knew he would have access: a tie-dye painted school bus, which serves as a central fixture in Wunderlawn, and Five Points's Papa Jazz, where Bickel worked for decades.

"I don't have money to spend on props and locations," Bickel said. "I knew that I had a location, and that I've been wanting to do something that revolved around a record store, so I just put the two together."

Despite the movie's larger-than-life premise, Bickel was intent on grounding the film with local elements. Max, who lives on Devine Street, and her friends attend a concert by thrash metal band Lunacide, played by South Carolina's Demiser, at New Brookland Tavern. Local talent in the film, especially during its lighter beginning, includes Columbia-based comedians and icons like Dog West.

"I think there's things in it that people in Columbia will appreciate," said Bickel. "There are all of these tiny Easter eggs -- things that people in Columbia will see, and go, 'Oh, yeah!'"

The cult of Pater Noster (Mike Amanson) has psychedelic music tracks that make appearances throughout the film. The production of these songs, Bickel said, was as intentional as that of the film. The soundtrack combines the talents of a roster of local musicians with scores written by Bickel. The entire record, including songs that did not make the final cut, will later be available for sale at Papa Jazz.

"Only two of the songs from the album make it into the movie, because there just wasn't a way to shoehorn them in," Bickel said. "But I still wanted to have that as a basis for the world."

'Pater Noster' not for the faint of heart -- or stomach

Despite its hometown setting and musical components, "Pater Noster" doesn't skimp on scares. The film is not for the faint of heart -- or the faint of stomach. Highlights include a live birth of a half-demon-baby, entrail-laden vomit and a graphic castration scene, with a pig tail as an anatomical stand-in.

"I just want people to be entertained by it," Bickel said about these gory choices. "There's a lot of weird, out-there stuff that I think is kind of dreamy."

Bickel also intends viewers to craft their own interpretation of the film's ambiguous and disturbing construction.

"There's certainly a lot of things that I think are allegorical statements on the world we live in right now, but that's as far as I would want to go in explaining it to anybody," he said. "I think people can pull their own conclusions."

One of Bickel's largest pride points is the film's low budget -- "the price of a used car," says a card in the end credits -- of $20,000.

"I come from punk rock, where everything is just about doing it yourself," Bickel said. "It's a lot more than just doing the movie and the arts side of it. We also have to figure out all of the business stuff, too."

But the film's budget is also one of Bickel's insecurities. As the movie releases and he embarks on an international screening tour that will take him to Milan and Liverpool, Bickel said he hopes audiences will be "forgiving."

"People know, going into it, that it's not going to be super slick and it's a little rough around the edges," he said. "People can appreciate it if they accept that."

In spite of these hang-ups, Bickel urged viewers to immerse themselves in the twisted world of "Pater Noster." After all, says the movie's namesake during one gruesome scene, "Fear is incredibly powerful."

Fear junkies who miss the "Pater Noster" premiere will later be able to catch the film on Amazon Prime and other movie streaming services.