Prism of Madness

The Prism meets with powerhouse filmmaker Chelsea Stardust, director of Satanic Panic and Into the Dark: All That We Destroy, for a lively and illucidating interview. Chelsea discusses her film beginnings working with Jason Blum as well as Ivan Reitman's Montecito Picture Company, and describes her journey leading to directing her first movie. Chelsea discusses the challenges of being a female genre director in Hollywood, strength in unity and the power of support amount filmmakers, and sitting for a private screening of Insididuous with Rob Zombie. A great interview, and one you'll want to hear from beginning to end!

We're Not Meant to Know is a horror fiction podcast featuring delectably uncomfortable horror stories all told from a first-person perspective. The Prism sits down with the mysterious and unnamed writer, narrator, and producer of the WNMTK podcast to talk the creative process. In this episode, we discuss the appeal of mystery, the joy of discovering, and sharing, new artistic finds, and the benefits of removing the author from the writing equation.

Dale talks with Chris on the presentation of mental illness in horror films and selects three titles of note that explore the topic with boldness and sensitivity. While often exploitive and cliche, horror movies have the ability to provide thought fuel in exploring mental illness. Dale looks at three movies that take the viewer into dark recesses that leave them thinking about mental illness challenges in fresh, new lights.

Chris and Dale reflect on two months of Prism of Madness with a behind-the-scenes, unfiltered look at the wild ride of getting the Prism podcast launched. Hear confessions of the mishaps, challenges and duct-taped solutions they put into place to get the podcast off the ground. 

Maverick filmmaker Todd Rohal, director of the wild, funny, heartfelt and supremely weird The Cataclysm Cataclysm, sits down with the Prism to talk creativity, filmmaking and renting Irish videos from Phar-Mor drug's video rental section. We look back on his genre-blending indie classic Cataclysm Cataclysm a a decade later and discuss his work, from his first feature film The Guatemalan Handshake to his shorts with Adult Swim. An interview to not miss.

Pop quiz: what does a producer for a movie actually do? It's okay if you don't know, because filmmaker Shirit Bradley joins the Prism to explain. Shirit shares her experiences from the production world, having worked on large studio and independent productions. Her experiences include Associate Producer for  Godzilla: King of the Monsters and production work on Krampus, Kong: Skull Island, The Cleansing Hour, and more. 

The Prism sits down with writer, actor and producer Brian Asman to discuss the artistic journey. We talk the art of waiting, coping with social anxiety and the potential of giving away a haunted house. We also discuss Brian's book, the viral sensation Man, F--k This House, recently optioned for a movie, and find as many ways as we can to say that title over and over again.

A Jersey Devil in his own right, Nigel Bach, the colorful writer, director and star of the cult indie Bad Ben found footage movies, sits down with Chris and Dale at the Prism. Nigel talks the beginnings of Bad Ben, his great relationship with his fans (that he has named Ben-nites), and why actors bailing on you can be a blessing in disguise.  NOTE: This episode provides a type of spoiler to the planned final episode of Bad Ben (with Nigel's approval), so be forewarned!

Anna Shields, screenwriter and star of the sasquatch (we call him 'Squatch)  thriller Monstrous and the upcoming My Best Friend's Dead, sits down with Dale to talk horror movies, indie films and making a living in the industry.

An outtake from Episode Four with director Bill Watterson of Dave Made a Maze fame. Drifting way off topic, Bill and Chris talk comic books and Dale can't bring the it back! A bonus feature for comic book fans.

Step into the brain of the creative genius that is Bill Watterson, director, writer, puppet maker, musician.  Chris and Dale talk to Bill about his award-winning movie Dave Made a Maze, staring Nick Thune. We also talk Bill's approach to skill building and creative momentum and talk Cleveland,  filmmaker William Castle and why Bill has an Elvis tatoo.  

Technically the first podcast, we're scooting it down to 3. Chris allows Dale to wax poetic on his favorite horror sub genre, ghost stories. Dale discusses the power of restraint in ghost story movies and Victorian written ghost stories and gives a peek inside his noggin by sharing five of his favorite ghost story movie titles as examples of restraint.

Prism of Madness meets up with Mike Wendt, award-winning director, location scout and production coordinator for the Greater Cleveland Film Commission. We discuss how horror films find a filming home in Ohio, the process of site selection, and visits to Cleveland by Robert Englund and Sally Field.

Damien LeVeck, writer, director, editor and horror movie lover, discusses horror movie making with Prism of Madness. Most known for his his creepy possession-meets-social-media shocker The Cleansing Hour, Damien discusses his life in movies and TV, his  transition from directing a 19-minute proof-of-concept film to a feature film, and his upcoming practical effects Christmas horror movie A Creature is Stirring, dropping in 2023. We also discuss filming in Romania, being married to one of the producers of your film, and all things practical effects. 

An introduction to the upcoming Prism of Madness podcast. Prism of Madness explores the madness that is movie making, looking at the people and parts that create horror and sci-fi entertainment. From lively interviews with industry professionals from the movie, television and gaming worlds to in depth discussions, Prism of Madness peers beneath what we see and hear to look at pieces and parts that go into making horror real.