Joshua Lastine is an entertainment attorney and the founder of Lastine Entertainment Law, representing actors, directors, writers, producers and more. A former in-house lawyer at Lionsgate and ViacomCBS, he has worked on high-profile projects such as Halloween (2018) and The Blackening, as well as massive Netflix productions, indie films, and everything in between.

Recognized by Variety as a Hollywood Deal Maker, Joshua also serves as an adjunct lecturer in Entertainment Business Law at The Los Angeles Film School.

A lifelong horror fan with a collection of VHS, DVDs, and Blu-rays, Josh brings deep genre knowledge to his legal practice, helping creators navigate contract pitfalls, IP disputes, distribution hurdles, and budget constraints. Since founding Lastine Entertainment Law in 2021, he has been dedicated to empowering artists and safeguarding their creative rights while bridging the worlds of horror fandom and Hollywood deal-making.

In this conversation, Josh breaks down the legal and contractual realities that every filmmaker needs to understand, from optioning IP and attaching talent to navigating distribution deals and protecting your rights. He also shares practical advice on unions, strikes, and why legal literacy is one of the most empowering tools a creative can have.

On today’s episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show, here, without further ado, is Joshua Lastine.

Build your legal relationship early.

Joshua’s first counsel is simple. Do not wait for a contract to land in your inbox. Grab coffee with an entertainment lawyer, establish rapport, and get them looped in before deals apply pressure. He even outlines a smart starter plan for indies: raise an initial 25K for a line producer, budget, legal, and accounting, so chain of title and financing agreements are set before momentum stalls.

Know your money lanes.

He breaks down the big buckets: equity, debt, tax credits, and crowdfunding. Debt requires careful counsel. Equity means real finance docs and a clean LLC structure. Crowdfunding can be powerful when paired with creative perks, like the Eli Roth “we will kill you on screen” idea that trades access for cash.

Investors buy more than ROI.

For many backers, the value is experience and access: a set visit, a cameo for a family member, festival credentials. Pitch decks and sizzles matter, but so do relationships, attachments, and a clear sense of your project’s look and tone in seconds. Package visually and socially, not just financially.

Product placement is real money.

Joshua points to Smile weaving Voss Water into its story as a character beat, likely putting real cash onto the screen. He and Nick also cite Weapons using Liquid Death cans in a 7-Eleven fight scene. The takeaway: brands can offset costs or boost perceived scale if you integrate them thoughtfully and on-brand.

Keep chain of title airtight.

Lawyers can’t help if ownership is murky. Joshua stresses that rights must flow cleanly from screenplay to delivery, or distributors and E&O carriers will balk. This is the “heavy lifting” that protects your sale, your investors, and your future library value.

Use AI and templates with judgment.

For tiny, low-risk projects, basic templates or AI can help you start. The moment budgets rise, name talent appears, or you touch debt and distribution, you need a lawyer shepherding the paperwork and negotiating terms. That is the difference between scrappy and exposed.

Understand franchise rights before you touch legacy IP.

He flags how messy rights can be. A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th remain tangled. Chucky and Child’s Play split across different rightsholders, which is how we got the Aubrey Plaza reboot while the Mancini-led “Chucky” continues elsewhere. Do not assume public familiarity equals available rights.

The market is hungry for horror, but taste still matters.

Joshua and Nick call out the current wave: PVOD windows are the new Friday night, Smile and Smile 2 did numbers, and fandom can lift scrappy indies to theaters. Not every film will be for every viewer, but well-crafted, fan-forward work travels.

Pitch like a pro.

In 2025, you need a sizzle that communicates look, feel, and vibe instantly, plus a deck, attachments, and a clear plan to reach your audience. You are not just selling a script. You are selling probability of execution and a credible route to eyeballs.

Career durability is strategic.

Joshua’s role model stance is “boots on the ground” counsel who keeps the train on the tracks while clients grow. Filmmakers should mirror that mindset: keep learning, keep relationships warm, and build a repeatable process that survives tight cycles and shifting distribution norms.

Movies Mentioned

• Abraham’s Boys
• Immaculate
• The Exorcist
• Smile
• Smile 2
• Weapons
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Friday the 13th
• Child’s Play (2019 reboot noted with Aubrey Plaza) / Chucky universe
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
• Killer Joe
• A Time to Kill
• Evil Dead
• Evil Dead II
• Army of Darkness
• Cabin in the Woods
• Suspiria (Guadagnino remake referenced)
• It (1990, Tim Curry)
• Jurassic Park
• Scream
• Leprechaun
• War of the Worlds (remake referenced)
• Thor
• The Black Phone 2
• Agonist (short)
• REM (short)

Books & Resources

• Making Movies by Sidney Lumet
• Story by Robert McKee
• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8524601/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-r-lastine-b3632b42/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastinelaw/
• Website: https://lastineentertainmentlaw.com/

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 horror mystery Boarding School among many others.

Beyond directing, as a writer, his credits include The Rookie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Now You See Me. He is also the executive producer and writer for the noir Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, and was executive producer of Hostel and Hostel 2 as one of the founding members of Raw Nerve alongside Eli Roth.

As impressive as this intro is, it still reflects only a small portion of Boaz’s prolific, extensive, and diverse body of work.

In this conversation, Boaz discusses his career as well as his evolution as a filmmaker, the challenges of working within and outside the Hollywood system, and why his favorite films are guided less by career strategy and more by creative curiosity. He also discusses how the key to rewarding work in cinema is chasing meaning, not validation.

This was a pretty awesome conversation that I was very honored to have with Boaz. Big thanks to my friend Scott Rose for putting us in touch. Without further ado, strap in, and get ready for this conversation with writer, director, and producer Boaz Yakin.

Boaz sold his first script at 19, but he didn’t just stumble into success or a superior storytelling ability — he was steeped in story from an early age. Growing up in a theatrical household and attending Stella Adler’s famed script analysis classes during high school gave him a formidable foundation in character, psychology, and subtext. This background trained him to understand the deeper currents beneath the text, a skill that directly influenced his ability to write sellable screenplays at such a young age and launch his career before he could even buy a drink.

This education also proved invaluable for Boaz as a director. Stella Adler taught that actors — and by extension, writers and directors — must understand every facet of a character’s environment: their culture, their religion, the tone of the scene and even the weather. These contextual details inform performance and behavior and are the difference between movies and cinema.

For filmmakers, building full character and environmental context informs every decision on set. The key lesson here is the importance of foundational education because learning the principles of story and writing can pay long-term dividends.

One of the most revealing points Boaz made was about the emotional toll of directing. Filmmakers are constantly having to say no to other creative collaborators — costume designers, cinematographers, actors — in order to preserve the vision of the film. Balancing that responsibility while also keeping your team inspired and not demoralized requires not only leadership, but emotional stamina and clarity of purpose.

Boaz notes that many successful directors tend to have narcissistic tendencies, which buffer them from the guilt or sensitivity that might get in the way of making tough decisions — but this can harm your work just as much as being a pushover. Being empathetic makes you a better artist and can help your work resonate with more people. What Boaz teaches us here is that in addition to being emotionally resilient, directors must be emotionally intelligent. It’s a balance you must learn.

Boaz expresses a deep discomfort with the notion of cinema as a medium for delivering clean messages or moral conclusions. He’s more drawn to the ambiguity of human experience — the gray areas where identity, emotion, and ideology collide without resolution.

When discussing his film Boarding School, Boaz emphasized that it wasn’t designed to convey a tidy moral or heroic arc. Instead, it was structured to explore unsettling territory — gender identity, family trauma, and psychological inheritance — without offering a clear-cut explanation or resolution. This reinforces his view that film should open up difficult questions rather than provide narrative comfort.

Boaz praises films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eyes Without a Face, not because they deliver messages, but for how they immerse viewers in mood, tone, and unease. He favors directors like Mario Bava and early Dario Argento, who constructed dreamlike, expressionist horror worlds that evoke emotion and dread without spelling things out. Boaz’s appreciation for these filmmakers is tied directly to their ability to leave room for interpretation and disorientation — and for questions.

For Boaz, real filmmaking — particularly in horror — still carries the capacity to push boundaries and leave the audience with discomfort and ambiguity. He believes that when filmmakers use the medium to explore rather than resolve, they not only reflect the true complexity of life but also respect the intelligence of their audience.

Movies Discussed

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• Eyes Without a Face (1960)
• Psycho (1960)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• Day of the Dead (1985)
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
• The Hostel series (2005, 2007)
• Boarding School (2018)
• Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore, 1994)
• Black Sabbath (1963)
• Black Sunday (1960)
• Blood and Black Lace (1964)
• Zombie (1979)
• The Beyond (1981)
• World War Z (2013)
• Now You See Me (2013)
• Fresh (1994)
• Remember the Titans (2000)
• A Price Above Rubies (1998)
• Aviva (2020)

Books & Writing

• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0945026/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boazyakinofficial/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/boaz_yakin

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-thriller territory with Cold in July (2014), starring Michael C. Hall and Don Johnson before transitioning to television by co-developing and directing SundanceTV’s Hap and Leonard (2016–2018). He then created, produced, and directed the Netflix fantasy series Sweet Tooth (2021–).

Jim has built a career on doing things his own way — often by learning things the hard way, but always with heart, vision, and grit.

In this episode, Jim dives deep into the evolution of his career — from his early days making guerrilla style films to becoming a Netflix show runner. He discusses how he learned to navigate the TV industry, the painful transition from indie DIY to studio systems, and how the business has transformed for filmmakers over the last 20 years. He also gets into his longstanding mentorship with Larry Fessenden and much more on this very special episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show.

Set the Date — Make a Movie.

Human psychology is complicated, but sometimes it’s very simple. Just the act of picking a shoot date can mean everything. The moment you schedule a day to film something, your mind orients toward a tangible goal and the idea of filmmaking stops being a vague “someday” idea and becomes real, scheduled, and tangible. In 2005, Jim and his longtime collaborator set a hard deadline by which they’d start shooting something—even if it was just the two of them filming in a kitchen. That commitment led to Mulberry Street, a gritty, ultra-DIY feature shot in their own neighborhood with friends and minimal gear. It may not have been perfect—but it was finished. And it launched Jim. Sometimes, all you need to launch a career is a simple commitment in your Google Calendar.

Find Your Fessenden.

Larry Fessenden—who’s been on this show in one of my all-time favorite episodes—is a prolific creator and mentor. Jim credits him as a key figure in his career and someone he reached out to early on for advice. That connection evolved into a long-standing creative partnership: Larry went on to produce several of Jim’s films and helped him navigate both the craft of filmmaking and the maze of Hollywood. More than just a collaborator, Larry became a guiding presence—part mentor, part indie godfather—who shaped Jim’s growth as a filmmaker. Every filmmaker stands to benefit from a relationship like that. So reach out to that filmmaker you really admire because you never know what may happen.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

After four indie features, Jim transitioned to television gradually — starting with Hap and Leonard (which nearly crushed him) before eventually helming Netflix’s Sweet Tooth. That slow progression helped him adapt to larger crews, higher stakes, and network politics without losing his creative voice or burning out. Each project taught him how to scale. Jim warns against trying to move too fast.

In the Nat Geo documentary Jaws at 50, Spielberg talks openly about the PTSD he experienced from making Jaws. For years afterward, he’d visit the Universal lot and climb into the actual Orca boat and cry—literally to cry out the trauma he’d been carrying from the experience. He even had nightmares for half a decade. And while the grueling experience of making Jaws turned him into Spielberg, that level of pressure would have destroyed most filmmakers right out of the gate.

Careers should—and often do—progress at the pace of what you can mentally, emotionally and technically handle. Many people enter this industry dreaming of running a big set right out of the gate—but chances are, you’re not ready. You grow into those roles with experience. So embrace the process. Push yourself a little further with each project, but give yourself the time and space to evolve.

Movies Discussed

• Mulberry Street
• Stake Land
• We Are What We Are
• Cold in July
• In the Shadow of the Moon
• Blackout (Larry Fessenden)
• The Orphanage (remake attempt)
• Terrifier
• Talk to Me
• CODA
• Ted Lasso
• Jaws (and related documentary)

TV & Streaming

• Hap and Leonard (Sundance/AMC)
• Sweet Tooth (Netflix)
• Arrow (CW)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)

Books & Resources

• Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
• Joseph Campbell's Hero’s Journey

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0585344/:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickle_jim/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/Mickle_Jim
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Jim-Mickle-100067127643543/

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 horror mythology to create something quietly powerful — and wholly its own. Available to rent on VOD and coming soon to Shudder.

In this episode, Natasha dives deep into the making of the film — from crafting a new visual language with her longtime DP Julia Swain, to working with horses and period locations, to adapting well-known material without undermining its origins. She also discusses the unpredictable nature of building a directing career, the importance of collaboration, and what it means to make films that ask questions instead of offering easy answers.

On today’s episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show, here — without further ado — is Natasha Kermani.

LA is the New LA.

While many productions chase tax incentives out of state or overseas, Natasha shot Abraham’s Boys in California—and reaped the benefits. An experienced LA crew made traditionally tricky elements—horses, children, and stunts—run smoothly. Her stunt coordinator even lived nearby on a ranch, with a horse-wrangler wife ready to step in. Local crews weren’t learning on the job; they brought deep expertise, period-accurate resources, and an efficient workflow that protected high-risk days. In a time when LA has been nearly abandoned for cheaper pastures, the city’s seasoned talent pool has become a niche advantage for those who stay.

Test, Test, Test — Early and with Your Actual Actors.

Natasha didn’t just test lenses in a vacuum—she brought one of her lead actresses in costume for full camera tests. Seeing the lead actor’s face under various lighting setups, with period wardrobe and the chosen LUTs, gave a true preview of the film’s look. The process revealed not just what worked, but what didn’t, allowing for informed, confident decisions before day one of shooting. Testing with real elements—actors, costumes, lighting—ensures you’re dialing in the visuals of your movie, not a theoretical version of it.

Prioritize Mental Health and Self-Kindness.

Natasha reminds filmmakers that this industry is uniquely high-stakes, unpredictable, and expensive—and that sustaining creativity under those conditions is exhausting. Her advice: extend the same grace to yourself that you show others. Hustle culture can make rest feel like indulgence, but in a business this volatile, breaks and self-care aren’t luxuries—they’re survival tools. Replenishing your energy isn’t stepping back from your career; it’s what allows you to keep pushing it forward.

Movies Discussed

• Abraham’s Boys
• Imitation Girl
• Lucky
• V/H/S/85
• Dracula (1931)
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
• Annabelle: Creation
• Deadwood
• Bosch

Books & Stories

• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
• Dracula by Bram Stoker

People & Resources

• Joe Hill (author)
• Julia Swain (DP)
• Jessie Rowland (AD)
• Dalton Simmons (stunt coordinator)
• Tim Wu (producer)
• Travis Tips (DP of Imitation Girl)

Locations

• Big Sky Movie Ranch (Simi Valley, CA)
• Monrovia, CA

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2992403/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natakerm/?hl=en

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 magic in live performance. He also shares the rigorous process of designing for large-scale theater, how ancient illusionist traditions can be used to create state-of-the-art spectacle and explains why the most rewarding magic is built on precision, surprise, and storytelling.

This is the third in a series of conversations I’ve had with the multiple creative forces behind Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Seriously if you’re in the New York or London area, this show is an absolute must. It completely blew me away and defied what I thought was possible to do on a stage.

This was a really fascinating and fun conversation and if you enjoy it I recommend also checking out my conversation with Jamie’s partner on the show, Chris Fisher and the writer of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Kate Trefry. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Jamie Harrison.

Movies & TV:

• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End & Broadway)
• Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things the First Shadow (Documentary)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Jaws (1975)

Books & Writing:

• Magic in Mind (the book Jamie mentioned)
• Danse Macabre by Stephen King
• The Secret Out, or One Thousand Tricks Explained

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17220143/
• Website: https://www.voxmotus.co.uk/

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.

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.

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

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

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 Back to the Future: The Musical, Chris brings a magician’s eye and a director’s instinct to theatrical illusion, redefining what’s possible on stage. In this episode, he talks about training actors in sleight-of-hand, designing horror sequences for a live audience, and why Stranger Things: The First Shadow might be the most ambitious stage show ever produced.

Live theater is the new special effects.

In a world dominated by CGI and AI, Fisher believes true spectacle now lies in what you can do right in front of an audience. With Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the goal was to create jaw-dropping effects — in real time, with no digital help. That meant gasps in the theater, not in post-production. The live setting becomes its own kind of magic.

Treat actors like magicians.

To pull off illusions, Fisher and his team had to train the cast in principles of stage magic: misdirection, sleight of hand, and controlled attention. Especially lead actor Louis McCartney, who had to master complex tricks — like bleeding on cue — all while acting. Fisher runs “magic boot camps” during rehearsals, teaching performers how to make illusions look natural and narrative-driven.

Horror is harder on stage — but more powerful.

Crafting fear in theater demands balance. Go too far and it becomes laughable; not far enough, and it’s ineffective. Fisher focused on building suspense through precise timing, lighting, and sound — even dissecting jump scares frame by frame. His team embraced the “Jaws effect”: show just enough to unsettle, then deliver a brief, unforgettable payoff.

Make every department part of the illusion.

From lighting and sound to costumes and props, each scare in the show is a feat of cross-departmental coordination. A single effect — like a character’s fall or a monster’s entrance — often requires perfect timing across half a dozen teams. According to Fisher, true stage magic only works when everyone is completely in sync.

Sometimes, the simplest things are hardest.

The most challenging illusion? A nosebleed. Recreating Eleven’s signature moment live took months of testing — and eventually relied on sleight-of-hand and costume tricks. The goal was to make it visible to every seat in the house, not just the front row. More often than not, storytelling dictated technique.

Push past what’s been done.

To elevate the show beyond existing stage spectacles, Fisher and his team studied the most advanced illusion shows in Las Vegas — then set out to beat them. With encouragement from producers and the Duffer Brothers, they constantly pushed for bigger, scarier, and more innovative moments. Multiple illusion labs and workshops allowed them to invent new methods just for this production.

Blood is a storytelling tool.

After early previews, one note became universal: “More blood.” From subtle nosebleeds to geysers of gore, Fisher and his team used blood effects to amplify horror and tragedy. These weren’t just shocks — they were emotional beats, tied to character and story. That meant making blood visible from every seat and learning how it read under different lights and costumes.

Collaboration is the ultimate special effect.

No single department could have pulled this off alone. Fisher credits the leadership of producers Sonia Friedman and directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin for fostering an environment where every creative team — from illusion to engineering to design — worked in tandem toward a shared vision. Weekly meetings, shared breakthroughs, and constant iteration made the impossible possible.

• Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End, Broadway)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Jaws
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Back to the Future: The Musical
• Titus Andronicus (Stage Production)

• The First Shadow Documentary (Netflix, Behind-the-scenes)
• Magic Sets (Chris Fisher & Jamie Harrison, childhood influences)

• The Jaws Effect (suspense over spectacle)
• Sleight of hand & misdirection training
• Practical blood FX on stage
• Multi-department stage illusions
• “Scary Patty” sequence
• “Black void” design
• Spider puppetry and staging
• Gantry fall stunt

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17220142/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theatreillusion/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/theatreillusion
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.fisher.77312/

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-dropping effects.

The First Shadow is one of the most incredible theater experiences I’ve ever had — its a mind-blowing fusion of stagecraft, horror, and storytelling that feels like witnessing real magic unfold in real time. So if you’re in New York City or London’s West End, run — don’t walk. This show absolutely blew me away.

In this episode, Kate gets into her career history, including her ten-year struggle in Hollywood after which she was making snowcones before landing the writing gig of a lifetime on Stranger Things. She also dives into her collaborative process with the Duffer Brothers and the extremely challenging, grueling, and fascinating experience of adapting Stranger Things to the stage.

On today’s episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show, here — without further ado — is Kate Trefry.

Ignorance is bliss.

Despite having written for Stranger Things for over five years, Kate had never written a play before — and that turned out to be an advantage. Unburdened by the typical constraints of stagecraft, she approached The First Shadow like she would an episode or film: big set pieces, impossible visuals, cinematic pacing. Instead of limiting her vision, the creative team encouraged it — telling her to write whatever she wanted and leave it to them to figure out how to make it work live. The result is a show that doesn’t just adapt Stranger Things for the stage — it redefines what live theatre can do.

There is no writing, only rewriting.

Throughout the development of The First Shadow, Trefry wrote hundreds of drafts. During the workshop and preview process, she sat with live audiences, watching for moments when people shifted, coughed, or lost focus — then made adjustments accordingly. Kate believes the magic starts to happen around draft six — when emotion, structure, and theme finally begin to align. Her process always involves discovery through multiple rewrites, often transforming scenes completely from their original form. For her, the key is getting to the end of your first draft as quickly as possible — so you can start rewriting. And then rewrite again. And again.

Authenticity opens doors.

Kate’s path to Stranger Things began not with a polished pitch, but with brutal, unfiltered honesty. After years grinding in Hollywood, she took a call with the Duffer Brothers and told them point-blank that “Hollywood is a cesspool” and “writing is a nightmare” — not exactly go-to lines for landing a job. But to her surprise, they loved her candor. That authenticity — combined with clear talent — landed her in the Stranger Things writers’ room the following week. The takeaway: showing up as your real self, especially in an industry full of rehearsed personalities, can resonate more than trying to be what you think others want.

Movies Discussed

• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End & Broadway)
• Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things The First Shadow (Documentary)
• Game of Thrones
• The Shining
• Harry Potter
• Lord of the Rings

Books & Projects

• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
• Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
• Dragons Love Tacos
• 
  

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4418668/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/kaaaaaatetrefry?lang=en

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 episode, he shares how he crafted a highly effective, technically simple film on a tight budget and schedule without compromising quality. He also offers insights on where to invest your resources when working within budget constraints.

I’ll say there are some SLIGHT spoilers in this interview - I recommend watching Bark first but if you haven’t it won’t necessarily ruin the experience for you, but you should still try to see it anyway.

Movies Discussed

• Bark
• Pathology
• Buried
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Crank
• The Blair Witch Project
• Tremors

Directors & Filmmakers Referenced

• Robert Rodriguez
• Lex Fridman
• Tim Ferriss
• Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
• Marc’s DP: Peter (longtime collaborator)

Topics Covered

• How Marc discovered Bark via an online script forum
• The story’s emotional and visual roots in a real-life animal abuse incident
• The creative constraints and opportunities of a one-location movie
• Using long lenses and color desaturation to reflect the main character’s mental state
• Filming in the Black Forest with a micro-crew of 12 people
• Shooting 25 pages of dialogue in a single day
• Crafting immersive sound design and environmental texture in post
• Writing a behind-the-scenes book: Making Bark: A Filmmaker’s Journey
• Working with SAG actors, sound teams, and editors who elevate low-budget filmmaking
• Building your career through commercials and staying agile

Books & Projects

• Making Bark: A Filmmaker’s Journey by Marc Schölermann (available on Amazon)

Where to Watch

• Bark is now streaming on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and other major VOD platforms

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0774340/?ref_=nmbio_ov_bk
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcschoelermann/?hl=en
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/therealschoeli?lang=en
• Website: https://www.marcschoelermann.com/

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, alongside horror legend Steve Niles, where they specialize in developing monster-centric IP for film, TV, games, and merchandise.

Joining him is David Hartman — an Emmy-nominated director, illustrator, and producer with over 25 years in the animation and horror industries. In addition to directing Phantasm: Ravager, the final chapter in Don Coscarelli’s iconic franchise, David has worked as a visual effects supervisor and animator on cult favorites like Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End. His background also includes extensive work in animation as a showrunner, storyboard artist, and Spectrum Award-winning illustrator.

In addition to their individual accomplishments, Shannon and David have teamed up on several projects, most notably through their work with Titan Comics. Their graphic novel Kraken blends supernatural horror with historical adventure. Their upcoming title Spectors, set for release in May 2026, continues this trajectory — a supernatural adventure featuring a team of eccentric heroes battling monsters and cults, combining pulpy thrills with cinematic visuals.

Together, Shannon and David bring a wealth of experience in genre storytelling, and today they’re here to talk monsters, collaboration, and navigating the creative process across mediums.

• Kraken (Titan Comics, Sept. 2025)

- A pulp adventure set in the 1930s that follows a transformed explorer back from the sea, determined to stop a supernatural apocalypse. Think The Shadow or The Rocketeer—but with monsters.

• Spectres

- Starts in the 1930s and leaps to present day, following a monster-hunting team through a time-hopping, lore-rich narrative.

• Return of the Monsters

- A passion project from Monster Forge Productions, this is a reimagining of classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Creature, brought to life in premium comic form.

- Back it on Kickstarter

• Indiana Jones
• Return of the Living Dead
• Evil Dead
• The Goon (Eric Powell)
• Tales from the Crypt
• House of Secrets, The Unexpected, and other 70s–80s horror comics
• Mad Magazine, Cracked, Crazy
• Transformers: Prime (David Hartman directed)
• Phantasm: Ravager (David Hartman directed)
• Bubba Ho-Tep
• Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas (Netflix animated series)
• Rob Zombie music videos & concept art

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003015/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonericdenton/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/ShannonDenton
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonericdenton/
• Website: https://shannondenton.com/

• IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366935/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhartmanart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artofdavidhartman/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sideshowmonkey/
• Website: https://www.sideshowmonkey.com/