American Nightmare Studios
The Nick Taylor Horror Show
Exploring the techniques, strategies, and key pieces of advice for aspiring horror directors, straight from the minds of some of the greatest filmmakers and creators in horror. Host Nick Taylor engages in one-on-one conversations with directors, producers, writers, actors and artists to uncover the keys to their creative and professional success in the horror business.
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American Nightmare Studios
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Podcast website
Latest episode
May 1, 2026
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Episodes
Jim Mickle, Director of STAKE LAND, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE & SWEET TOOTH 15.08.2025 48:20
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 ca...
ABRAHAM’S BOYS Director, Natasha Kermani 08.08.2025 34:09
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 belie...
Jamie Harrison, Stage Illusionist for STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW 08.08.2025 45:20
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,...
SAW Writer and SKILLHOUSE Director, Josh Stolberg 01.08.2025 1:09:45
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 a...
STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW Effects Creator, Chris Fisher 30.07.2025 37:59
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...
STRANGER THINGS Writer, Kate Trefry 12.07.2025 31:26
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...
BARK Director, Marc Schölermann 20.06.2025 41:04
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 wa...
Graphic Novel Duo, Shannon Eric Denton & David Hartman 13.06.2025 57:09
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., Disne...
IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS Producer, Robin Block’s New Indie Horror Venture, Screamseed! 30.05.2025 1:40:13
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 creat...
Horror Documentarian, Kurt Sayenga 04.04.2025 42:22
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...
THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR’s Mike Capes & Nic Neary 14.03.2025 55:04
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 distrib...
Horror Historian David Katznelson 28.02.2025 58:14
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 C...
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL Director, Adam Elliot 21.02.2025 34:10
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 s...
THE DEAD THING Director, Elric Kane 14.02.2025 49:41
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...
COMPANION Co-editor, Josh Ethier 07.02.2025 59:05
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...
WEREWOLVES Director, Steven C. Miller 05.12.2024 41:12
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...
DON’T MOVE Directors Brian Netto and Adam Schindler 27.11.2024 1:08:13
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 hau...
LOVE BOMB Director, David Guglielmo 15.11.2024 55:16
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 surrea...
ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD Director, Cooper Roberts 07.11.2024 55:45
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 the...
THE BABADOOK Director, Jennifer Kent Celebrates 10 Years 19.09.2024 47:59
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...
The Howl - Your Past Month's Horror News - September, 2024 07.09.2024 58:15
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...
DANIEL ISN'T REAL Director, Adam Egypt Mortimer 16.08.2024 1:00:20
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...
DOCTOR JEKYLL Director Joe Stephenson (from Hammer Films) 01.08.2024 32:25
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, J...
The Howl, MAXXINE and LONGLEGS - an Epic Horror Double-Header - July 2024 25.07.2024 45:31
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...
The Inheritance’s Joe Russo and Alejandro Brugués 12.07.2024 47:28
Alejandro Brugués is an Argentinian-Cuban director and writer known for directing Juan of the Dead, which is credited as Cuba's first zombie movie. He made his directorial debut with the 2006 film Personal Belongings and directed the segment The Thing in the Woods in the anthology horror film Nightmare Cinema from Mick Garris, as well as a segment for ABCs of Death 2. Alejandro’s latest movie is T...
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