Episodes

Boaz Yakin is a New York City–born filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer known for his versatile work across indie dramas, mainstream hits, genre films, and TV. He began his career young, selling his first screenplay ( The Punisher ) at 19, and quickly made a name for himself with gritty urban stories and emotionally resonant character work. Boaz directed Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington, Safe starring Jason Statham, Max, Uptown Girls, A Price Above Rubies, Death in Love and his indie ...

We got a great one today, someone I’ve wanted to have on the show since year 1. Jim  Mickle is in the house. Jim is a director and writer, known for his bold genre-blending style. After graduating from NYU’s film program he made his directorial debut with the micro‑budget horror Mulberry Street (2006), followed by the vampire western Stake Land (2010). In 2013, he released his unsettling family cannibal remake (that legit gave me nightmares) We Are What We Are . Jim then ventured into noir-thril...

Natasha Kermani is a director whose work includes Imitation Girl , Lucky , and V/H/S/85 . Her latest feature, Abraham’s Boys , is an atmospheric, emotionally grounded take on Dracula and Van Helsing , adapted from Joe Hill’s short story. The film explores the lives of Van Helsing’s sons, reframing familiar gothic mythologies through a new lens and examining the cost of obsession, legacy, and belief systems passed from parent to child. Abraham’s Boys blends Western aesthetics, intimate drama, and...

Jamie Harrison is a renowned illusion designer, visual effects creator, and theater artist, who, alongside collaborator Chris Fisher, is responsible for the jaw-dropping illusions in Stranger Things: The First Shadow , the stage play prequel to the Stranger Things series. Both Jamie and Chris earned a Special Tony Award for Illusions & Technical Effects earlier this year. In this conversation, Jamie walks through his background as a magician and theater artist and the deep historical roots of m...

Josh Stolberg is a director, screenwriter, and photographer whose work spans comedy, horror, and thriller. Among the horror crowd, Josh is best known for his work as writer on movies like Sorority Row and Piranha 3D . Josh is well known for his contributions to the Saw franchise, penning scripts for Jigsaw (2017), Spiral (2021), and Saw X (2023). His latest project is Skillhouse , which he wrote and directed. Skillhouse is a critique on influencer culture with brutal, practical-effects-driven se...

Chris Fisher is one of the leading minds behind the groundbreaking illusions in Stranger Things: The First Shadow , the stunning stage prequel to the beloved Netflix series. As Co-Illusion and Visual Effects Designer, Fisher helped craft an unprecedented theatrical experience that combines practical magic, cutting-edge engineering, and emotional storytelling — all performed live, night after night. With a background in stage magic and major productions like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and ...

Kate Trefry is a key creative force behind Stranger Things . Joining the show as a writer in Season 2, she’s been with the series for over seven years, and her work has helped shape the mythology, tone, and lore of the town of Hawkins — and all of its beloved (and haunted) inhabitants. Her latest venture takes the franchise into uncharted territory: the stage. Kate wrote Stranger Things: The First Shadow , a theatrical prequel set in 1959 Hawkins that blends psychological horror with jaw-droppin...

Marc Schölermann is an acclaimed German director who made his feature debut with Pathology , a psychological thriller produced by MGM/Lakeshore and starring Alyssa Milano. His latest film, Bark , is a horror thriller about a man who wakes up tied to a tree with no memory of how he got there. Remarkably, the entire story unfolds within a single 10-by-10-foot space—making Bark not just a gripping watch, but a masterclass in single-location filmmaking. Marc shot the film in just nine days. In this ...

Today’s guests are the creative duo Shannon Eric Denton and David Hartman — two multi-hyphenate storytellers whose work spans the worlds of comics, animation, film, and beyond. Shannon Eric Denton is a veteran writer, artist, and transmedia creator with a career that cuts across comics, animation, television, and gaming. He’s worked with major studios including Cartoon Network, Warner Bros., Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, and Riot Games. Shannon is also the co-founder of Monster Forge Productions, a...

Intro Robin Block is rewriting the playbook for how genre stories get made. As the founder of CreatorVC, he’s behind the wildly successful In Search of Darkness documentary series, Aliens Expanded , and In Search of the Last Action Heroes —all funded and shaped by passionate fans. Now, with his new venture ScreamSeed, Robin is building the future of horror development: a platform that brings creators and fans together to incubate new IP and make bold, independent horror without waiting for Holly...

Kurt Sayenga is a writer, director, and showrunner who has become a leading force in horror documentary filmmaking. Kurt made a name for himself with series like Eli Roth’s History of Horror, The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time, and Horror’s Greatest, where he brings a scholar’s eye and a fan’s passion to the genre’s most iconic moments. In this episode, we delve into Kurt’s journey from punk-rock zine publisher to award-winning documentarian, his approach to keeping horror history...

On this episode we dive deep into the making The Invisible Raptor with writer and star Mike Capes and producer Nic Neary . The film is a hilarious, Amblin-inspired horror-comedy that delivers big creature-feature thrills (without ever showing the creature itself). Mike and Nic share how the movie originated as a 3 AM idea, the journey from script to screen, and how they secured funding and distribution in a competitive indie film market. They also get into guerrilla filmmaking tactics, crafting ...

On this episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show , we’re joined by journalist and horror scholar David Katznelson . Known for his meticulous exploration of the horror genre’s history, David shares details behind a fascinating project where he watches and analyzes every horror movie from the 1970’s. His most recent focus has been 1974—a pivotal and hauntingly transitional year in horror. From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to forgotten gems like Help Me, I’m Possessed , David’s work breaks down the evolut...

Today we’re joined by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot. Adam is Known for his painstakingly handcrafted stop-motion films like Mary and Max , and the shorts Harvie Krumpet, which won an Oscar, and Ernie Biscuit. Today Adam shares the emotional and artistic journey behind his latest film, Memoir of a Snail —a deeply personal, darkly whimsical tale about a young girl named Grace and her struggles with isolation and self-discovery. Memoir of a Snail —is nominated for Best Animated Featur...

I’m very excited because today, we’re joined by Elric Kane—filmmaker, podcaster, household name in horror and one of the most knowledgeable voices in genre cinema. Elric is the co-host of the ‘Colors of the Dark’ Podcast which I listen to religiously as well as & The New Beverly Cinemas ‘Pure Cinema’ Podcast. Elric’s new feature ‘ The Dead Thing’ launches on Shudder today! I got to see it at an advanced screening and I urge you to check it out on Shudder because it’s excellent and beautifully cr...

Josh Ethier is a film editor who has become a household name in horror. Josh is the editing force behind such films as: Contracted, Some Kind of Hate, We are Still Here, Mayhem, Leatherface, Bliss, VFW, Orphan First Kill, Christmas Bloody Christmas, The Seventh Day, Gretel and Hansel, Don’t Breathe and most recently Companion which he edited alongside Brett Bachman. In this episode, Josh gets into his career history, editing process, collaborations with filmmakers like Joe Begos and Osgood Perki...

Today we’re joined by action-horror filmmaker Steven C. Miller to discuss his latest barn-burner of a movie, Werewolves. Werewolves is an unapologetically fun and hydraulic creature feature packed with practical effects, action, and a whole lot of Frank Grillo. Steven dives into his experiences directing Werewolves , his focus on practical effects and full creature suits crafted by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr., and his collaboration with star Frank Grillo . Steven also shares his compelling ...

Today we’re joined by directing duo Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, the creative minds behind the new horror thriller Don’t Move. The guys share how they transformed the universal fear of immobility into a gripping narrative that they ultimately sold to Netflix and discuss what it was like shooting in the Bulgarian wilderness, working with legendary producer Sam Raimi, and how they developed a hauntingly charismatic serial killer played by Finn Wittrock, alongside a powerful and emotionally char...

Today we’re joined by indie filmmaker and casting director David Guglielmo , who recently wrapped his latest film, Love Bomb . David shares his journey of directing a script written specifically for him by friend and screenwriter Kathy Charles . We explore the creative challenges of transforming an erotic thriller into a dark comedy with shades of Scorsese's After Hours , and how he crafted surreal, Lynchian tones to set the film apart. David also dives into the real-world setbacks he faced on s...

Cooper Roberts is an editor and director who just released his feature debut, All You Need is Blood —a delightfully gory tribute to Amblin-esque coming-of-age movies and zombie films. Cooper’s background includes experience in advertising and music videos, and most notably, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for co-directing the music video for Jack White’s band, The Dead Weather, and their song “I Feel Love.” All You Need is Blood is a movie I really want to shout from the rooftops for...

Today, we’re celebrating a special milestone—the 10th anniversary of The Babadook — with director, Jennifer Kent. The Babadook was Jennifer’s feature debut and has since become an iconic classic and one of the GOATs of horror. Jennifer has been recognized for her ability to craft horror with heart, making audiences not only tremble but also reflect deeply on the emotional struggles at the core of her stories. Her follow-up film, The Nightingale , is a brutal yet emotionally resonant tale of reve...

Hey everyone, back with another monthly episode of The Howl, a new concept where me and my cohost Adam Cruz summarize and discuss the past month's horror news, share what we've watched recently, and just generally nerd out over all things horror. Our goal with The Howl is to catch listeners up with all of the horror news they may have missed from the past month in a fun, conversational format. If you want a quick-read version of The Howl sent directly to your inbox every month, then sign up for ...

Adam Egypt Mortimer is an American filmmaker, Producer and graphic novel writer. Originally from Boston, Adam kicked off his directing career with Some Kind of Hate in 2015 and followed that up with 2019’s Daniel Isn’t Real and 2020’s Arch Enemy. But Adam doesn't stop at films; he's also ventured into comics, co-creating series like Ballistic and Black Star Renegades. In this episode Adam opens up about his journey. We chat about facing personal fears as a director, easing the pressure when maki...

Joe Stephenson is a British director who made his feature directorial debut with the 2015 film Chicken. His second film was the acclaimed 2018 documentary McKellen: Playing the Part about the life and career of Sir Ian McKellen. Joe’s third film is, Doctor Jekyll , an adaptation of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring Eddie Izzard from Hammer Films. In this episode, Joe and I delve into the process of reimagining a classic horror story with a modern twist, working with the legendary Eddie Izzard, as ...