Adam Green is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and horror icon best known for creating the Hatchet franchise and directing cult favorites like Frozen, Digging Up the Marrow, Spiral, Chillerama, and more. He is the co-host of The Movie Crypt podcast and founder of ArieScope Pictures.
In this episode, Adam opens up about the brutal reality of filmmaking — from nearly walking away during the pandemic and the collapse of his dream project, Killer Pizza, to streaming platforms dismantling independent film.
He shares personal stories of building a cult audience, the real reason Scary Sleepover disappeared from YouTube, and the constant battle to keep creative control. We also discuss the aftermath of the strike, censorship by the MPAA, and the madness of navigating Hollywood as an indie horror director.
We talk origins of Hatchet, casting horror legends, the convention circuit, the return of slashers, and the death of physical media.
Adam reflects on directing a younger cast in his upcoming film The Ascent, and shares untold stories about working with Tony Todd, Felissa Rose, Sid Haig, and the chaos of some of his most iconic films.
Also covered: Yorkiethon 2025, the potential return of Scary Sleepover, social media controversies, Terrifier, cancel culture, and how horror has evolved in the age of streaming.
—
Subscribe: youtube.com/@TalksFromTheCrypt
Follow On Social Media –
Talks From The Crypt: https://instagram.com/talksfromthecrypt / https://talksfromthecrypt.com
Adam Green: https://www.instagram.com/adam_fn_green
YORKIETHON JULY 25-27, 2025: https://www.ariescope.com
The Movie Crypt Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/TheMovieCrypt
—
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:30 - The Movie Crypt Podcast, Wanting to Quit, Killer Pizza, Streaming vs. Physical Media, Pandemic Aftermath
00:13:35 - The Reality of Filmmaking, Filming & Touring Hatchet and Frozen, Dealing With Critics
00:20:47 - Holliston, Finding DP Will Barrett, First Feature Film, and Lessons In Actually Finishing What You Start
00:29:32 - Writing, Working with Comedy, 48 Hour Live Stream, ArieScope's YouTube Channel - Halloween Shorts and Scary Sleepover
00:39:48 - The Selection of Adam's Casts, Directing Performances, Working With a New Cast on 'Ascent', Being the "Old Guy" On Set
00:53:44 - Casting Horror Icons, The Death and The Reviving of Slashers, Remakes & Reboots, Keeping Screenplays Private
01:03:45 - Relinquishing Creative Control, Censorship, Trailers Spoiling the Film, Writing 'I, Survivor,' Writing Real Names Into Scripts
01:15:11 - Vivid Detail in Writing, Digging Up The Marrow, Headaches of Distribution, Fan Letters and Theories
01:47:16 - Using Practical FX, Final Destination, Bloodlines, Using Fears for Plots
01:58:47 - Recasting Marybeth in Hatchet, Good Looking Casts, Filming Overseas in Malta, Grateful To Be a Filmmaker
02:05:57 - The Strike and Pandemic's Effect on Hollywood, Damien Leone Twitter Controversy, Cancel Culture, and Social Media
02:23:09 - Meeting Fans at Conventions, Tattoos, Being Lucky to Exist in Horror Culture, Bringing Back Scary Sleepover, Tony Todd, Sid Haig, and Making Friends With Anxiety
02:38:19 - The Last Drive-In, Getting Booked at Conventions, Adam's Growth Since Hatchet 1, and Future Projects
02:47:27 - Terrifier, MPAA's Censorship, Making Sequels
02:54:28 - Horror Stories of Getting Recognized in Public, Yorkiethon, Gratitude for Horror Community
03:03:19 - Adam Green's Social Media, Yorkiethon (JULY 25-27, 2025), and Outro
—
Copyright Disclaimer:Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.