Austin Torres majored in Film Studies at Michigan State University and his film, Spider, recently won Best of Fest at the Dunwich Horror Fest, the Festival Director’s Choice Award at the Milwaukee Horror Festival and Best Michigan Made Film at the  Desmond District Demons Film Festival. Austinhas worked tirelessly to get to where he is and knows a thing or two about the business and self-promotion. He has successfully crowd-funded short films, attended countless festivals, and hosts his own horror-centric podcast, “Would You Die?”

Listen to Austin share some wonderful insights for filmmakers and fans into the passion and determination it takes to self-start a successful horror film, and why collaboration is SO important.

Chapters:

(00:00) – Intro: Austin Torres — Michigan Horror Filmmaker & Host of the Would You Die? Podcast

(01:12) – Austin's Background: Growing Up a Cinephile & How Family Shaped His Love of Film

(04:12) – Canon Horror Films: Why Jaws & Jurassic Park Are Legitimately Scary

(05:40) – Is Silence of the Lambs a Horror Film? The Genre Recognition Problem

(07:10) – Jurassic Park's Best Jump Scare & What It Taught Austin About Horror Filmmaking

(11:26) – Why Horror Unlocks Your Imagination as an Indie Filmmaker

(13:31) – How to Get Started on the Film Festival Circuit: Research, Film Freeway & Real Talk

(14:40) – Festival Submission Strategy: From 3 Out of 18 to Finding Real Success

(16:20) – Dealing With Festival Rejections: What They Really Mean

(17:41) – Best Horror Film Festivals in the Midwest: Hell's Half Mile, Lake Michigan Film Festival & More

(22:22) – The Redford Theater: Where Evil Dead Premiered & It Follows Was Filmed

(23:36) – The Sax Man from The Lost Boys & the Power of 45 Seconds of Screen Time

(24:46) – Ice Cream, Blood Witch & Spider: Austin's Three Kindred Short Films

(26:48) – Crowdfunding Spider on Indiegogo: Raising $5,000, the Spider Puppet & Paying Cast

(28:13) – Indiegogo Tips for Indie Horror Filmmakers: What Actually Works

(30:06) – Building a Community That Funds You: Why the Horror Space Is Uniquely Generous

(31:34) – Shooting Spider in One Day: Collaborating with Actor Spooky Madison

(33:01) – Spielberg-Style Tension: How Spider Uses Off-Frame Movement & Blocking

(34:00) – Trusting Your Crew: Why a Good Director Listens More Than They Command

(35:05) – Bringing in Talent More Experienced Than You & What That Teaches You

(37:09) – Arachnophobia, Repressed Trauma & the True Origin of the Spider Film

(40:46) – Blood Witch: A Date Night Horror Story, Self-Reference Easter Eggs & Budget Cuts

(44:44) – Why Horror Is the Best Genre for No-Budget Filmmaking

(45:45) – Indiegogo Deep Dive: Planning Your Campaign, Posting Daily & Digital vs. Physical Perks

(47:08) – How to Structure Crowdfunding Reward Tiers for a Short Film (Skip the T-Shirts)

(50:57) – Blood Witch Budget: Going from $5K to $1,200 by Calling in Favors

(54:00) – Don't Be a Diva: Why Treating Cast & Crew Right Is Career-Defining

(56:50) – The Would You Die? Podcast: Origin Story, Horror Icons & 19 Episodes as a YouTube Show

(59:31) – Pivoting Would You Die to a Weekly Interview Podcast & Three Years of Horror Villain Deep Dives

(1:01:34) – Burnout, Balancing Filmmaking with a Day Job & Knowing When to Evolve

(1:03:36) – Failure Is Not Permanent: Resilience as a Creative & Indie Horror Filmmaker

(1:05:35) – Would You Die? Gets a Co-Host: Finding Anneliese Petersmarck & Relaunching with Monthly Themes

(1:10:37) – Where to Find Austin Torres, Would You Die?, Spider, Blood Witch & Ice Cream Man

WATCH Austin's short films: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@WouldYouDieShow⁠

LISTEN to the "Would You Die Podcast":⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/0AypwktSCFDn1coWI72etb?si=_vO2ghMORruSe3Dx7pYymA⁠

Find Austin on Insta: @austinmtorres

Our theme music is by Nick Ferreri | @nick_ferreri on insta

Please subscribe and leave a 5 star review wherever you listen!

Follow us on instagram: @midnighthorrorpictureshow⁠

hiraethfilms.com⁠

Born & Raised in Queens, Sabrina Mendoza carved her own way into the filmmaking world, and is now working at TROMA.  Last September, she wrapped production as Assistant Director on Lloyd Kaufman’s latest film, which she is also serving asLead Editor on. In addition to making movies with the TROMA team, Sabrina also stepped into the role of Festival Director for Troma’s flagship film festival, Tromadance, in 2024.

Listen to Sabrina talk about her journey into the world of filmmaking, her wild experiences with the Troma team, and some KEY pieces of advice to young filmmakers.

Chapters:

(00:00) – Introduction & Welcome to Midnight Horror Picture Show

(01:00) – Meet Sabrina Mendoza: Queens Native, Troma Editor & Festival Director

(01:30) – How Saw 2 and Seed of Chucky Launched a Horror Obsession

(04:45) – Being Traumatized by Chucky as a Kid (A Classic Horror Origin Story)

(05:15) – Saw X Deep Dive: John Kramer's Funniest Moment & the "Epic Bad Luck" Scene

(10:30) – Sabrina's Official Role at Troma Entertainment(11:50) – Hands Across Tromerica Tour & New Troma Films

(18:00) – Working as Assistant Director on Lloyd Kaufman's Latest Film

(22:00) – The Realities of Low-Budget Indie Horror Production

(28:45) – Lloyd Kaufman Calls Sabrina "The Next Big Thing"

(29:10) – Troma Dance Film Festival 2025: 3,700 Submissions & What to Expect

(30:45) – Why Troma Dance Is Free (And Why That Matters for Indie Horror)

(33:20) – The Wildest Night at Troma Dance 2024 (Lloyd Gets Too High)

(36:30) – Growing Up in Astoria & the Museum of the Moving Image

(40:20) – Horror Film Roulette: How Sabrina Got Into the Indie Festival Circuit

(43:00) – Making "Coast to Coast": Filming Guerrilla Style Across New York

(47:00) – On-Set Chaos: Bed Bugs, a 102° Fever & Caramelized Onions

(51:30) – "Vlog 37: Ecuador" — Filming a Horror Short in South America

(57:00) – "Are You Winning, Son?" — The Short Film

(1:01:00) – Advice for Aspiring Horror Filmmakers: Sound, Food & Knowing Your Audience

(1:04:45) – Upcoming Project: "Communulus" — Poor Things for the Chronically Online

(1:06:35) – Where to Find Sabrina & How to Get to Troma Dance in September

(1:06:50) – Outro: Stay Spooky & Support Indie Horror

WATCH Sabrina's short films: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@startingoffscared807⁠

Tromadance: ⁠https://filmfreeway.com/TromadanceFilmFestival⁠

Reach out to Sabrina- Insta: @felonybologna

Our theme music is by Nick Ferreri | Insta: @nick_ferreri

Please subscribe to our channel- Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or IHeartPodcasts.

Follow us on instagram @midnighthorrorpictureshow

What does it take to go from making short films in your basement to running two film festivals and getting your work on a YouTube channel with 7 million subscribers?In the very first episode of the Midnight Horror Picture Show podcast, host Neil Willoughby sits down with filmmaker, festival co-director, and creative producer Josh Taube— a collaborator and friendly competitor he's known for nearly a decade of horror film competitions.But the conversation goes deep on the business of filmmaking — how Josh went from contestant to co-director of Horror Film Roulette, why charging an entry fee actually made the competition better, how he convinced founder Eric Steele not to shut it all down after 7 years, and how they scaled it from a hotel conference room with a portable projector to a 250-seat Dolby cinema.They also talk about Josh's second festival, The Comedy Roll, the new Graveyard competition for completed films, networking as the most underrated skill in independent film, and Josh's vision for becoming the next A24 — starting right here in Michigan.

Chapters:

(0:00:00) Introduction & Welcome to Midnight Horror Picture Show
(0:00:49) Meet Josh Tabby: Filmmaker, Festival Director, Creative Producer
(0:01:27) Flashback: Horror Film Roulette 2015 and the Henipin County Massacre
(0:02:10) Josh Wins His First Competition with "Wiper"
(0:03:10) How Josh Got Into Filmmaking (Hint: A $50 PC Game)
(0:05:10) First Camera, First Shorts, and Parody Horror Films
(0:06:01) Making a Feature Film with 30+ Best Buy Coworkers
(0:08:21) Why Passion Is the Most Magnetic Skill in Filmmaking
(0:10:04) Josh's Secret Weapon: Networking and Building a Team
(0:13:28) The Reality of Microbudget Filmmaking
(0:19:55) Cat's Game: Getting Picked Up by Alter (7M Subscribers)
(0:22:49) What 112,000 Views Taught Josh About Divisive Films
(0:23:53) Investing in Yourself Before Others Will Invest in You
(0:24:04) How Horror Film Roulette Works (The Full Breakdown)
(0:24:21) From Contestant to Co-Director: Saving the Festival
(0:26:43) Why Charging Entry Fees Made the Competition Better
(0:28:29) Upgrading to Imagine Cinema: DCP, Dolby Sound, and Recliners
(0:31:11) Horror Film Roulette: Rules, Roulette Wheel, and Subgenres
(0:35:37) Is a $50 Entry Fee Worth It? (The Value Breakdown)
(0:37:28) Using Festival Films to Submit Elsewhere and Grow Your Career
(0:39:15) Why Neil Started the Midnight Horror Picture Show Podcast
(0:40:04) Horror Film Roulette Originals: Open to Filmmakers Worldwide
(0:41:03) The Graveyard: A New Competition for Completed Films
(0:43:22) The Comedy Roll: Josh's Second Festival (Dice Instead of a Wheel)
(0:44:09) How the Comedy Roll's Modifier Die and Punishments Work
(0:46:09) Streaming Options and How to Support Local Filmmakers
(0:47:48) Sponsorships and How the Festivals Stay Financially Healthy
(0:49:33) Why Watching Your Film in a Theater Never Gets Old
(0:50:02) Film Festivals as Incubators for Local Creative Talent
(0:52:02) Comedy Roll Kicks Off April 1st — Horror Film Roulette in September
(0:52:34) Josh's Big Vision: Becoming the Next A24 from Michigan
(0:56:04) Final Thoughts, Where to Find Josh, and How to Get Involved
(0:57:50) Outro: Subscribe, Follow, and Stay Spooky

WATCH Cat's Game:    • Cat's Game - A Psychological Thriller  

Comedy Roll: thecomedyroll.com

Horror Film Roulette (HFR): horrorfilmroulette.com

Reach out to Josh- Insta: @joshtaube | FB:@joshjtaube

Our theme music is by Nick Ferreri ‪@nick_ferreri‬ | Insta @nick_ferreri

Please subscribe to our channel- Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or IHeartPodcasts.

Follow us on instagram @midnighthorrorpictureshow

Hi Friends!

Welcome to Midnight Horror Picture Show! For those who don’t know me, I’m Neil and we’re going to call this Episode 0. It’s really more of an opportunity for me to introduce myself and give you some insight into my background and why we’re making this show.

In a world full of Prequels, Sequels, and Reboots- we need original storytelling more than ever. And that can only happen if we support it. Episode 1 comes out this Wednesday- until then- stay spooky and support indie horror.

Are you a fan of horror movies?

Our new podcast, Midnight Horror Picture Show is a showcase for underground, indie horror- From filmmakers and artists to the blood-soaked film festivals that fuel the genre — we’re building a community for those who live and breathe horror.

Gain insights into what it takes to make a horror film, learn about some awesome festivals to seek out, and listen to horror fans (like you) nerd out over their favorite films.

Indie horror is where some of the boldest, most innovative storytelling is happening today. We created Midnight Horror Picture Show to give those artists a place to be heard — and to connect fans to the beating heart of horror.

So join us…if you dare...