The Nick Taylor Horror Show

Emily Bennett and Justin Brooks are the filmmaking team behind *Blood Shine*, a deeply unsettling indie horror film that blends spiritual obsession, intimacy, violence, and practical effects into something extremely unique and unsettling. Built around a belief system inspired by Manichaeism and anchored by a pair of characters whose connection becomes increasingly extreme, the film is designed to disturb without ever losing sight of character.
In this episode, Emily and Justin break down the origins of *Blood Shine*, the religious mythology behind the film, the making of its most shocking practical effects sequence, and much more. They also discuss collaboration, finding the right editors, protecting a creative vision without becoming precious, the importance of practical effects, and why indie horror remains one of the best spaces for genuinely original filmmaking.
Show Notes
Movies and Shows Mentioned
Blood Shine
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Virgin Suicides
Martyrs
The Innkeepers
Smile 2
American Horror Story
The Righteous Gemstones
The Invitation
Terrifier
Hostel
Rosemary’s Baby
The Evil Dead
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Audition
Psycho
Barbarian
Don’t Look Now
The Buildout
Alone with You
Mulholland Drive
Twin Peaks
The Babadook
Obsession
Backrooms
The French Connection
The Last Stop in Yuma County
Habit
Trauma
Maxine
X
Pearl
Shelby Oaks

Follow Emily Bennett at:
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4077057/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrbennett/?hl=en

Follow Justin Brooks at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbrooksfilm/?hl=en
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2386983/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/justinmbrooks

Jamie Nash is a professional screenwriter, book writer and teacher. His credits include Altered, a very under-appreciated alien horror movie written by Jamie and directed by The Blair Witch Project’s Eduardo Sánchez. He also wrote and produced A Ride in the Park the zombie segment in V/H/S/2 and Exists, the 2014 creature feature about bigfoot, and he wrote and directed the audio drama Black Velvet Fairies. Jamie is also author of Save the Cat! Writes Horror, my new favorite book on the craft of horror writing which was built from decades of Jamie’s experience screenwriting, teaching, and studying the genre.
In this episode, Jamie gets into his career history and explores some of the most vital horror screenwriting lessons he’s learned in his career history. You may want to get your note-taking apps ready on this one because Jamie really delivers the goods for writers. Please welcome, Jamie Nash.
Show Notes
Movies and Shows Mentioned
Halloween
The Exorcist
Sinners
Candyman
A Nightmare on Elm Street
V/H/S/2
The Ring
The Sixth Sense
Scream
Get Out
Longlegs
Nosferatu
Barbarian
The Conjuring
The Blair Witch Project
The Shining
The Snowtown Murders
Magic
Poltergeist
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Alien
Dawn of the Dead
Friday the 13th
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Aliens
Highlander
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Lord of the Rings
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Clayface
Send Help
Evil Dead II
Ready or Not
Weapons
Toxic Avenger
Phantoms
Pet Sematary films, original and remake discussed in relation to the book

Books and Resources
Save the Cat! Writes Horror by Jamie Nash
Save the Cat! beat sheet and screenwriting framework
Save the Cat! Writes for TV by Jamie Nash
Danse Macabre by Stephen King
Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King
On Writing by Stephen King
H. P. Lovecraft
Shirley Jackson
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
The Stand by Stephen King
Dean R. Koontz, especially Phantoms
Clive Barker
Peter Straub
Raiders of the Blockbusters podcast
The S From Hell documentary by Rodney Ascher

Follow Jamie Nash at:
IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1912178/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie4475/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamie-Nash-Writer-158843424733788/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/Jamie_Nash
Website: https://www.jamienash.net/

Markian Tarasiuk and Sean Harris Oliver are the filmmakers behind Hunting Matthew Nichols, a true-crime-style horror mockumentary that has become a notable self-distribution success story. Made for a budget of $300K Canadian, roughly $215K USD, the movie made all of its money back before it was even released through presales, then did $600K in its opening weekend in theaters, all thanks to the enterprising bootstrapping of the filmmakers, who entirely took charge of the future of their own film.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most important and inspiring conversations I’ve had in recent years, and it is very indicative of the type of stewardship filmmakers need to take over their projects. In this conversation, Markian and Sean discuss the making of Hunting Matthew Nichols, from a COVID-era concept to theatrical distribution, all done without distributors or studios. You might want to take notes on this one, and definitely check out William Earl’s article in Variety (see show notes) on this project, because this is a case study worth studying.
Key Takeaways
Do not wait indefinitely for permission to make the movie.
A major thread in this story is how much time was lost trying to get the “normal” system to say yes. The guys spent years pitching, hoping for financing via a traditional path, only to realize later that they might have been better off making the film sooner on their own terms, which they did. Then, once they got their movie made, the deals distributors offered them were so bad and senseless that they thought, maybe we can do this ourselves, which they did, and they were successful. The lesson for filmmakers: if the system keeps stalling you, fuck the system, do it yourself. Filmmaking is punk rock, baby. Sometimes you gotta do it your own way.
Maintain Beginner’s Mind. A lot of would-be filmmakers are insecure about their lack of experience to the point of paralysis, but this interview clearly shows you that being green can be your greatest asset.
The industry is going through an overhaul and growing pains, and many of the insiders have not caught up with the times and are still doing things in archaic ways. You do not need to follow them. As you get your movie made, you will be faced with so many people who tell you, this is how it’s done, but you can question that, you can doubt that, and ultimately you can reject that.
Self-distribution is possible, but it is a full-time operational job.
This is the counter to the other two lessons. Yes, you can do this all yourself, but it’s going to be a full-time job. Markian and Sean were very clear that the release and marketing involved months of constant work, long daily hours, pressure from deadlines, and a huge amount of problem-solving across both the U.S. and Canada. And now they have to handle distribution themselves, which is even more full-time work. So if you’re gonna go this route — and you can — you’ve gotta be ready to go all the way. It’s grueling, constant work, but at the end of it, you’ll have an incredibly comprehensive education in what it takes to get movies funded, made, and distributed, which is the best film school you can imagine and puts you in the most favorable leadership position for your own production company.
Show Notes
Movies and Shows Mentioned
Shelby Oaks
Undertone
Best in Show
Chris Guest mockumentaries
Strange Harvest
Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3
Good Boy

Books and Resources
William Earl’s Variety Article: ‘Hunting Matthew Nichols’: From Guerrilla Marketing to Directly Pitching Theater Owners, This $275K Indie Turned a Profit Before It Even Was Released https://variety.com/2026/film/features/hunting-matthew-nichols-viral-horror-movie-1236713088/
Team Click, the influencer support company they brought in late in the campaign for boxes and outreach support
Moon7, a key marketing partner on the theatrical rollout
HorrorTok, referenced as an influential horror-centered online community they were interested in reaching

Follow Markian Tarasiuk at:
IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5950996/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marktaras/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/MarkianTaras
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@markiantarasiuk
Website: https://www.markiantarasiuk.com/

Follow Sean Harris Oliver at:
IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1725784/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanharrisoliver/
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sean-harris-oliver
Website: https://www.seanharrisoliver.com/

Patrick McMahon and Rick Shaine are the editors behind the original Nightmare on Elm Street. In this special live conversation at the Metrograph theatre in New York, Pat and Rick reflect on everything from working with Wes Craven to the intense amount of pressure they were under and their specific techniques for editing to induce fear.
On today’s episode of The Nick Taylor Horror Show, here, without further ado, are Patrick McMahon and Rick Shaine.

Rod Blackhurst is a filmmaker, director, and producer whose work spans documentary, narrative, and horror.
He made his narrative feature debut with Here Alone, winner of the Audience Award at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, and later returned to Tribeca with Blood for Dust (2023), starring Scoot McNairy and Kit Harington. He also co-directed and produced the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Amanda Knox. He also co-created The White Room, a Blood List script later acquired by Amblin, and co-wrote the story for Blumhouse’s Night Swim, which grew out of the 2014 short film he made with Bryce McGuire. Rod also directed and served as showrunner for Peacock’s John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise and directed on National Geographic’s Welcome to Earth with Will Smith.
His latest film, Dolly, is a beautifully shot 16mm slasher that evokes the grime and menace of early horror classics while carving out its own identity. In this episode, Rod and I talk about his path into filmmaking, the realities of getting indie films made, and the making of Dolly. Please enjoy this conversation with Rod Blackhurst.
Key Takeaways
Wear your influences openly, but metabolize and integrate them.
Rod talks about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a major influence, and it is really clear when you see the movie, but he is careful not to recreate it in a way that feels like blatant homage. The useful principle is that inspiration works best when it is absorbed into the DNA of the film and filmmaker rather than pasted on top of it as a wink. As a result, the movie feels like it takes place in the same world as these influences instead of attempting to overtly acknowledge or recreate them, which can take viewers out of the movie.
Investor trust is built with transparency.
Rod is one of the most financially responsible filmmakers I have spoken to. His financing advice is unusually concrete. He informs investors how the equity works, how they might recoup, what the timeline is, and acknowledges the very real risk that they could lose all their money. He also shows prior accounting and distribution sheets to demonstrate his own personal track record, treating his career like a business, which it is. That mindset treats filmmaking as entrepreneurship, not just art, and it is one of the most practical pieces of advice in the conversation.
Cast the person who can give the monster a soul.
Rod found Max the Impaler through wrestling and quickly realized he had found more than a physical presence. Max’s background as a largely nonverbal performance artist made them perfect to play Dolly, the slasher, and their emotional investment transformed the character into something much richer than what was on the page. Think about David Howard Thornton and Doug Jones. A monster is not just a costume and makeup job; it comes down to the soul of the performer.
Show Notes
Movies Mentioned
Dolly
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Evil Dead
Blood for Dust
Snow White (1937/1938 animated film)
The Vanishing
High Tension
Martyrs
Barbarian
Night Swim
Undertone
It (via the Bill Skarsgård / Pennywise discussion)
Castle in the Sky
The Iron Giant
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Project Hail Mary
Marty Supreme
Backrooms
Obsession
Here Alone

Follow Rod Blackhurst at:
IMBd: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2060444/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodblackhurst/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/rodblackhurst
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/rodblackhurst
Website: https://www.rodblackhurst.com/