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 set pieces by Steve Johnson. There was one sequence in Skillhouse that was so brutal the DP actually passed out. True story. Josh gets into this, his career history, advice for writers and aspiring filmmakers, and the background behind his very exciting new project, Darren and Josh Make a Movie, a podcast-docuseries hybrid that gives audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making an indie horror film from concept to completion, which he co-hosts with Darren Lynn Bousman. This was an extra special and extra fun episode. I loved chatting with Josh and hope to do so again real soon. Please enjoy Josh Stolberg.

Key Takeaways

Spec scripts represent your purest voice.

Josh broke into horror by writing a Piranha spec script in four weeks and remember, he wasn’t hired to do this. He pleaded with the rights holder to let him try, and the resulting script jumpstarted his horror career. He put his time and effort on the line and that gamble paid off. This taught him that writing for yourself — not a paycheck — produces your most authentic and personal work. A lot of would-be writers and filmmakers refuse to write spec scripts, which in some scenarios makes sense, but if you’re just starting out, specs are your bread and butter. They not only force you to hone your craft, they can open doors and introduce the world to your voice. Note your first few will likely suck — Josh’s first few apparently did — but he often pulls characters, scenes, or details from failed projects to give them new life in new ones. So the beauty of a bad script is they aren't failures, they’re raw material. Keep everything, you’ll use it later.

Keep multiple irons in the fire.

There’s a creative dichotomy that focus is critical, but you never know which project will hit so therefore, it’s important to keep multiple projects moving forward at the same time. Josh juggles dozens of projects at various stages — from ideas to early drafts to ones in active development — he rotates between them based on energy and momentum. His “creative journal” method helps him track where to put his time without burning out or stalling, and he has an organized database of his projects that lets him navigate which to focus on. When one project stalls, he pivots to another — keeping the creativity and productivity flowing while avoiding burnout.

Know your audience — but don’t just give them what they ask for.

After receiving intense backlash for his Jigsaw script, Josh learned the hard way how passionate (and vocal) Saw fans are. But when it came time for Saw X, he embraced that feedback and turned around a script for the second-best Saw movie since the original. Fans wanted more Jigsaw, so he gave them what they wanted, BUT instead of over-indulging in fan service, he also found ways to surprise the audience. The goal is balance: fan service with subversion. It’s a magical combination and led to the rabid popularity of Saw X, which made over $110 million and gained the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of the entire franchise.

Show Notes

Movies Discussed

• Saw X
• Spiral
• Jigsaw
• Piranha 3D
• Skill House
• Repo! The Genetic Opera
• Halloween
• Barbarian
• Talk to Me
• Terrifier
• Cannibal Holocaust
• Apocalypse Now
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Conception
• Good Luck Chuck
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show

TV Shows

• Parker Lewis Can't Lose
• Dexter
• Sabrina: The Animated Series
• Avatar: The Last Airbender

Books & Screenwriting Resources

• On Writing by Stephen King
• The Black List (annual industry screenplay survey)
• Halloween (original screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill)

Projects & Platforms

• Darren & Josh Make a Movie (on YouTube and Spotify)
• Skillhouse trailer
• Article about the DP passing out on Skillhouse

Follow Josh Stolberg at:

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0831457/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshstolberg/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/joshstolberg
• Website: https://www.joshstolberg.com/