From Hollywood Dreams to Dakota County Reality: How the Nelsons Made a Viral Thriller in Their Inver Grove Heights Backyard

What happens when a film and television veteran decides to make a survival thriller during COVID—then casts his entire family and shoots it on his five-acre property in Inver Grove Heights?

You get UNCONTAINED, a film that's now streaming on Amazon Prime, hitting #1 in multiple categories, and generating more than 20 million views on TikTok. But the story behind the film is just as compelling as what's on screen.

I sat down with Morley and Nicole Nelson to discuss their journey from pitching TV series to Hollywood studios to shooting a feature film in their backyard, all while Nicole worked 50-60 hours a week in investment banking and their kids went to school. Now they're bringing the film home for a red carpet charity premiere at Eagan Emagine Theater on December 15th—with 100% of proceeds benefiting Winning Pathways Foundation, which helps children with disabilities.

Nicole Nelson works in investment banking at Allianz Life Insurance Company in Golden Valley, specializing in change management, communication, and project management. "I work with individuals to make sure that whatever we're implementing, they understand what the story is going to be and how it's going to impact them," she explains. It's a far cry from acting in horror films.

Morley Nelson, meanwhile, has spent 16 years building a career in film and television—starting as a technical advisor, then evolving into a technical director, before becoming a writer.

"I conned an A-list writer to teach me how to write," Morley laughs. "He very generously taught me."

That education paid off. Morley has written everything from video games (including The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct) to television segments. His biggest pre-UNCONTAINED credit? Technically directing the Kennedy assassination recreation for Hulu's 11.22.63, based on the Stephen King novel.

"They have CCTV cameras at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, so I could log in and watch them work in Texas while I was in Minnesota," Morley explains. "I was waving at her and I think she could see me."

That work eventually led to acting roles—including a romantic interest in a television series and a part in an independent film with A-list actors. Then COVID hit and everything changed.

Before the pandemic, Morley had written a television series called Contained and was pitching it around Hollywood—HBO, Bad Robot, Legendary Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment. "A lot of people were interested," he recalls.

Then COVID hit and everything stopped.

"A couple people approached me and said, 'We'll pay you to write a movie starring just one person with a camera crew of five,'" Morley recalls. "A lot of people were doing that during COVID. But I thought, instead of them paying me to do something for them, maybe this is a time I can take one of my scripts and turn it into an intimate introduction to that world."

He had four scripts to choose from. Contained felt like the right one to adapt into UNCONTAINED.

Then came the big ask: "Would it be okay if I wrote a script where our kids were the main characters?"

Nicole agreed, though she admits: "I think later I would be like, oh my gosh, I can't believe 50 million people have seen our children."

Morley made another request—he wanted to be in the film too. "That made it easy because I know them better than I know anybody. I wrote the characters to fit their personalities because I think the best acting is not acting."

UNCONTAINED stars the entire Nelson family:

"With Brooke at three years old, there's no acting involved at all," Morley explains. "You just put her in situations and see how she reacts."

As for Jack? "He never missed a line. He never missed a beat. There's a moment where the scene asks for him to be sad and he actually cried during shooting. As a director, I couldn't be more proud. As a father, it's something I'll cherish forever."

When the premiere happened in LA, one interviewer asked about Nicole's previous work. "I said, 'Well, she's in investment management,'" Morley remembers. "They just started laughing like, are you serious?"

Nicole, meanwhile, was juggling her full-time investment banking job—50-60 hours a week—taking care of the kids, and acting for the first time. "I think that everybody fell in love with our daughter Brookie," Nicole says. "She was like the set highlight. She was running around, and usually on productions you have a set mom—somebody who takes care of cast and crew. On our production, we had a set kid."

Having a dog and a kid on set "just makes people relax," Morley notes. "It breaks down barriers. I had never worked with that crew before, so we bonded immediately."

The Nelsons own five acres in Inver Grove Heights and about half an acre in Rosemount. Morley figured out how to shoot in different directions to create 40 distinct locations—all on their property.

"I figured, if we shoot this way, that can be one location. If we shoot this way, we can make it look like another location," he explains. "We're on a dirt road, surrounded by woods, and we're 25 minutes from the airport. That's what we love about being here."

The local crew came from Minneapolis companies like Tasty (which provided equipment rental at a 75% discount) and the post-production company led by Charlie Gerszewski.

"That would've cost us probably $250,000 to $750,000 worth of work," Morley says. "They did it for free because they liked the film so much."

The antagonists—including Irish actor Peter O'Meara (Band of Brothers, Knightfall)—flew in from Los Angeles. "Outside of our family being the main characters, all the bad guys are essentially from LA," Morley explains. "Those are all actors I've either known or worked with."

Peter O'Meara had one major concern when he signed on: "Will my eyeballs freeze?"

"He paid for himself to come in a week early to acclimatize," Nicole says. "And he liked being here so much that he stayed an extra week after we wrapped, just tooling around. He was like, 'What is there to do? What is there to see?'"

The wardrobe choices added to the challenge. Morley wanted specific looks for the characters—including rancher gloves for Peter's character. "We all know that's ridiculous in this weather, but it was good in the movie," Morley admits. "And people on the coasts don't know."

"We'd get done shooting and Peter would be like, 'I can't feel my hands, there's nothing there. Are they going to fall off?'" Morley recalls.

Wardrobe supervisor Riley had a solution: "She had this big bear skin rug she'd throw over Peter as soon as I yelled cut. She also had these earmuffs that wouldn't mess up his hair for hair and makeup and didn't mess up his makeup. But then he couldn't hear anything. I'd be talking to him and he'd be like, 'What? I can't hear a thing.'"

The local crew handled the cold better. "The hard part was the actors from LA were trying to be tough," Morley says. "Brett Zimmerman, who played Peter's son-in-law, they're trying to be tough and you can see them shivering. Then Jack and Brooke would run by in t-shirts throwing snowballs at each other."

So what exactly is UNCONTAINED? "Home Alone meets The Walking Dead," is how Morley describes it.

The official logline: "A mysterious drifter struggles to protect two abandoned children during a viral outbreak that turns people into a feral-like state."

But UNCONTAINED isn't your typical zombie movie. The infection creates cyclical, partial transformations—more werewolf-like than traditional zombies—which adds moral complexity.

It's interesting because on Amazon Prime, "they have us listed as sci-fi," Morley notes. "Yesterday we were the #1 action movie on Amazon. On Tubi they've had us as mystery, sci-fi, and thriller. We've been able to reach #1 on Tubi in all those categories. It's almost like everything but what we are—or maybe it's hard to categorize what we are."

The film is PG-13. "If you're a horror fan, you'd call it gateway horror," Morley says. "If you're not a fan of horror, don't worry—it's definitely not The Conjuring, it's definitely not Friday the 13th. It's a slow burn horror."

The core theme explores what people are willing to do to protect their families in extreme circumstances. Peter O'Meara's character—the "bad guy"—is actually a mirror antagonist to Nicole's character.

"In any other world, his character would be the hero of the movie," Morley explains. "He's looking for his missing daughter. He could be Liam Neeson in Taken. There's a standoff scene where they're facing off, and through very subtle lack of dialogue, they're essentially saying 'we see eye to eye' without saying it. He's saying, 'I'm coming into your home and I'm looking for my daughter.' And she's saying, 'No, you're not, because I have my kids here.' Any second it could explode into a firefight."

The character shares a moment that captures one of the film's main themes: "I'm just trying to find my family and protect them. Same as you."

"That's one of the overlying themes of the movie," Morley says. "What would you be willing to do for your family to protect your family in extreme circumstances? We all had to go through COVID—it sucked. But if we went through COVID and it was turning people into zombies, that would really suck. What would you do to protect your family?"

After the March 11, 2025 premiere, the Nelsons went back to their hotel room and held their breath waiting for reviews.

"Critics know everything about film—story, lighting, sound, acting," Morley says. "If there are flaws, they're going to point them out. The first review came in and it was okay—3.5 out of 5. I was excited like, 'Oh, they liked it!' I sent it to everybody. Twenty minutes later, another review came in and that one was phenomenal. It was almost too good to be true. Then the next one came in and it was also good. You're like, 'Oh, they liked the film. This is insane.'"

Then came the waiting period. "There's this week where you don't know—is anyone real going to like the movie?" Morley recalls. "The critics liked it, okay. But is the audience going to like it? I felt like there were literal weights on my body because I was so worried. For that week or two weeks after the film debuted, I was hiding up in my bedroom."

The turning point came when a major horror influencer reviewed the film and loved it. "That was the moment where I was like, 'Okay, here we go.'"

But the real surprise came months later.

"All of a sudden I started getting texts like, 'What's going on with your movie?' We got 20 million views on TikTok. Then Instagram had 5 million views. Now we're going up 10 million views a month. Gen Z found the film and they liked it."

The film hit #1 on Amazon Prime in multiple categories and reached #1 on Tubi in every category they've been listed in.

"You always hear, don't read the comments as a filmmaker," Morley says. "But you can't not. We have a lot of engagement and people argue. One thread had like 200 comments about whether Scout, our dog, lived or not. They're swearing at each other like, 'No, you're an idiot,' arguing back and forth."

"Finally I was at comment 209 and I'm like, 'No, she definitely lives at the end. If you look at minute 97, she's in...' Then people are arguing with me. One person was like, 'Scout is a he,' and I'm like, 'No, Scout's a she.' I was like, I think I know what our dog is."

The most searched terms related to the film? "Morley Nelson's jaw" and "Morley Nelson ethnicity."

"I get a lot of flack from my jaw, but I'll take that," Morley laughs. "Our son hates it when I do the mewing. He's like, 'Oh my gosh, why'd you do that? Don't do that in front of my friends.'"

Another milestone: "For the longest time if you Googled Morley Nelson, this falconer from Montana would show up. His name's Morlin Nelson. He's got a river named after him and a lake and a school. Finally last month, if you type Morley, my name pops up. I finally beat this dead guy."

On December 15th, UNCONTAINED returns to Dakota County for a red carpet premiere at Eagan Emagine Theater. This isn't just a screening—it's a fundraiser where 100% of ticket sales benefit Winning Pathways Foundation.

What attendees get:

"It's supposed to be an enjoyable night," Morley says. "If you want to dress up, you can. Come meet people, talk, and it's for a good cause—100% of proceeds go to the charity. We're not making $1."

They're also selling signed DVDs with director's commentary ($40—limited edition with lot numbers) and limited-run t-shirts (only 100 made). "A hundred percent of that will also go to Winning Pathways," Morley confirms. "All of it is tax deductible."

Cast members attending include Nicole and the Nelson family, plus Alison Crandall (who played the wife in the film), with potential surprise guests.

"We've talked to a number of different theaters and hands down, the customer service—when you walk into the theater, it is just such a warm and welcoming space," Nicole says. "We wanted the experience to feel that way. Working with Jessica [Geese] has been—I mean, it speaks volumes. I just love her."

"Emagine Theater is the theater we go to," Morley adds. "We were there twice in two days over Thanksgiving."

He hopes theaters survive the streaming era: "Theater is such a great experience because you get to enjoy something on a communal level. When everyone laughs at the same time or everyone's scared at the same time, there's something about that that feels good."

Nicole works with Todd Hedtke, who co-founded Winning Pathways, at Allianz Life. "Todd and I had been colleagues for a number of years—I've been there for 13 and a half years," Nicole explains. "I was right there alongside him when his son got in the accident."

The accident was devastating. "A few of us at work helped make these rubber bracelets for he and his family to get through what they were going through because it was extremely scary. They're lucky he's alive. I mean, it was that touch and go."

The Hedtkes discovered something crucial: many resources exist for children with disabilities, but families often don't know about them. They founded Winning Pathways to help kids access everything from prosthetic limbs to wheelchairs, adaptive sports equipment, tutoring, and scholarship money.

"They saw how much their son grew and regained confidence when he got his prosthetic leg," Nicole says. "When he started doing wheelchair basketball, it changed their family 100%. Then they opened up the foundation because they knew this wasn't just their son out there and that they could do more."

The foundation focuses on lower-income communities. "There's nothing more devastating than having money be the cause of not being able to experience joy and achievement," Nicole reflects.

"A lot of kids watch their brothers, sisters, or friends play from their bedroom window because they don't have the ability to be mobile," Morley adds. "Winning Pathways wants to provide that ability so they can just get out of their bedroom and go play. That's such a basic thing that everyone should enjoy."

Morley participated in Winning Pathways' wheelchair basketball fundraiser earlier this year, which sparked the idea for the premiere. "We just really believe in the cause."

The film is already streaming on:

"Pretty much you can watch it anywhere you want," Morley says. Deals are in the works for Netflix and Disney+ in 2026.

"It's really weird to turn on Amazon right now," Morley notes. "Yesterday I was scrolling through and it said 'Action,' and our movie was right next to Batman. First of all, our movie's not action packed, but second of all, every now and then a category will surprise me."

But for the full experience with the Q&A, red carpet, and chance to meet the filmmakers? December 15th at Eagan Emagine Theater is the time.

When asked about his influences, Morley doesn't hesitate: "I love movies in general—Spielberg, Ridley Scott—but as far as influencing the way I write and direct, it would be William Friedkin."

Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) came from documentary filmmaking. "He loves realism in film and making things as real as possible. I liked his style."

But the bigger influence was Sergio Leone, the Italian director known for epic westerns. "He would make the landscape itself a character," Morley explains. "He sets you up in the environment before he introduces you to the character, so you feel like you're there with them. He had this style of having a broken hero—an anti-hero who's really good at something, but they're so damaged. Then they come across a stranger who needs help, and the bad guys take away whatever the hero's superpower is. The ultimate climax is when the character realizes who he is inside makes him a hero, even without that superpower."

The structure stuck with Morley. "I shot it much like a Sergio Leone Western, even though it's a horror film. The big secret is it's actually a Western. Any film buff would be like, 'Oh yeah, Sergio Leone was a major influence.'"

When people ask what book to read, Morley always recommends two:

But the most valuable education? Director's commentaries.

"Of all the educational tools I've had as a filmmaker, director's commentaries have been by far the best," Morley says. "I'll listen to them while watching movies—usually it's the director and one of the cast members. It's too bad we're losing those because people don't buy or rent DVDs as much. I highly recommend them."

Morley's biggest piece of advice comes from an agent who changed his trajectory: "You can't keep hoping one of your scripts is going to make it or you're going to get cast in something fantastic. If you really want to get going, you just have to do it yourself."

"That was the best advice I ever got," Morley reflects. "We did it, and I feel like I probably wasted five years not doing that sooner."

He emphasizes networking within Minnesota's film community: "There's a great community here. We have a ton of commercials shot in the metro area, so we have excellent crew and great actors. It's just a matter of meeting those people and coming together."

"If people want to reach out to me on Instagram, absolutely do it," Morley offers. "If I can help you in some way, give advice, or make connections, I'd love to do that. I may not be the fastest at getting back to you, but I will get back to you."

His other advice? "Just continue to act. Whatever you do, keep your acting muscles going. I don't care if it's acting in front of the television. If you can shoot a short, shoot whatever."

The one challenge Morley emphasizes: Minnesota's film incentives.

"To qualify for Minnesota's film incentive, your budget has to be a million dollars," Morley explains. "That doesn't help independent filmmakers. There's a lot of people that are creative who could use some kind of film assistance that we just don't have available."

He points to a better model: "Duluth and St. Louis County have incentives where you get 25% cash reimbursement from the city of Duluth if you film in Duluth, then another stackable 25% back from St. Louis County. Because of that, they've been able to foster a great independent filmmaker community."

"I wish we could do something like that in the South Metro," Morley says. "We have so many awesome areas we could shoot in. You can't walk through Dakota City [Hastings] without thinking, 'We could shoot this way and shoot that way'—the production value would be phenomenal."

Better incentives would create jobs and lure productions. "The biggest problem we have as a country is that because of the incentives in Ireland and Australia and Saudi Arabia, all the big studios are going overseas to make movies and television series. It's really tough to be competitive with foreign countries and other states."

"If we could figure out how to invest in our own film community, we could achieve the next generation of talent and lure great projects here."

Morley doesn't sugarcoat the challenges: "This industry is a lot of dream selling. There's this idea that you're one role or one script or one production away from mega success. The thing that sucks is that does happen—it happens like winning the lottery happens. But as a career, you cannot bank on any of that."

"It's hard sometimes to feel like there's any optimism whatsoever," he admits. "But if you want to be successful in any career, you just have to keep pushing forward and have a lot of options. Don't bank on just one thing."

"I can't emphasize networking enough. If there's anything I can do, people should feel free to reach out."

Morley has several projects in the works:

"It's just super cool," he says, trying not to reveal too much.

For now, though, the focus is on bringing UNCONTAINED home and supporting Winning Pathways.

"As a film, this is a snapshot of a moment in our lives where we all did something together," Morley reflects. "Five years from now, ten years from now, our kids will be able to watch this. Even our grandkids will be able to see: there's mom, there's dad, there's grandpa and grandma. And they'll probably ask, 'Why'd they have such a small dog?'"

He pauses, then adds: "But everywhere we walk in our house, we get to remember what it was like. How much food we shared. The 40 people on set who became family. I never knew how special it was going to be until I started reflecting back on what we did in that moment."

UNCONTAINED Red Carpet Charity Premiere
Date: Sunday, December 15, 2025
Location: Eagan Emagine Theater
Beneficiary: Winning Pathways Foundation (100% of ticket sales)

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/c/Ye3k6o
Follow: @morley_nelson and @southmetroscoop on Instagram
Watch Now: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Tubi, Screambox, and more