Twenty years after Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon quietly left theaters and found its true home in the horror community's hearts — and Blockbuster aisles — Leslie Vernon is coming back. And on this episode of Midnight Horror Picture Show, we sat down with the two people most responsible for making him an icon.Nathan Baesel, the Juilliard- and UCLA-trained actor who brought Leslie to life with that impossible mix of charisma and menace, and David J. Stieve, the screenwriter who built the character from the ground up and is now writing Behind the Mask 2: The Return of Leslie Vernon, join us for one of the most in-depth conversations about this cult classic we've ever put on record.We also go deep on:

• Why Leslie Vernon isn't a villain (at least not to his creators)
• Nathan's personal connection to the character — and how his own hunger for validation became the performance
• David's philosophy on writing Leslie as a metaphor for any outsider trying to break into a difficult world
• Why the original script ended completely differently — and how the entire third act was a late addition
• The future of indie horror distribution, and why the team is bypassing traditional Hollywood for Behind the Mask 2🎃 LINKS:Behind the Mask 2 Kickstarter (late pledges still open): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...Leslie Vernon Returns on Instagram: @LeslieVernonReturnsNathan Baesel on Instagram: @nathanbaeselDavid J. Stieve on Instagram & Bluesky: @DjStieveCatch Nathan at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA — August 7–9Nathan will also be at Triangle Terror Con in Durham, NC — September 26 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and find us on Instagram @MidnightHorrorPictureShow.Theme music by ‪@nick_ferreri‬

Chapters:

(0:00) Welcome to Midnight Horror Picture Show & Episode Intro

(1:35) Meet Nathan Baesel & David J. Stieve: The Minds Behind Leslie Vernon

(2:28) The Behind the Mask 2 Kickstarter: $322K and Counting

(4:45) Why Behind the Mask Flopped at the Box Office (And Became a Cult Classic Anyway)

(5:20) "Blockbuster Built Behind the Mask": The Power of Horror Cover Art

(7:18) The Death of Discovery: Movie Poster Culture vs. Streaming Thumbnails

(10:00) 20 Years Later: The Urgency Behind Finally Making the Sequel

(11:30) The Original Team Returns: Who's Back for Behind the Mask 2

(14:45) Crafting Leslie Vernon: The Character Who Breaks Every Slasher Rule

(17:30) Leslie as Metaphor: The Anxious Young Artist Hiding in Plain Sight

(18:40) Nathan Baesel on Finding Leslie Through His Own Hunger for Validation

(21:50) "Relatability Is the Currency of Acting" — Nathan's Acting Philosophy

(23:00) Is Leslie Vernon a Villain? David & Nathan Push Back

(25:15) The Cider Press Scene & Leslie's Master Manipulation (Deep Dive)

(26:00) 🚨 EXCLUSIVE: The Deleted Scene That Was Actually Filmed

(31:10) The Kickstarter Rewards, Physical Media & VHS for Leslie Vernon Fans

(32:30) Filming Locations for Behind the Mask 2 (Massachusetts or Illinois?)

(38:30) Leslie & Taylor: The Dark Love Story at the Heart of the Film

(43:10) Why Halloween's Laurie Strode Is the Key to Understanding Leslie Vernon

(47:00) The Sequel Script: Multiple Drafts, Table Reads & Getting the Band Back Together

(49:45) David's Award-Winning Short "Wait for It" & Expanding the Leslie Vernon Universe

(53:00) Nathan Stepping Behind the Camera: Learning From Robert Englund & Scott Wilson

(55:00) The State of Horror: Why the Studio System Is Failing Indie Filmmakers

(57:30) Netflix, Consolidation & the Future of Independent Horror Distribution

(1:00:00) Fan Encounters & Why Nathan Almost Said No to Convention Appearances

(1:02:45) Convention Appearances: Midsummer Scream (Long Beach) & Triangle Terror Con (Durham, NC)

(1:06:00) Closing Thoughts: What the Sequel Means to the Creative Team

(1:07:46) Outro: Stay Spooky & Support Indie Horror

Today’s guest, Tiffany Albright describes herself as a deviant queer writer/producer living in the South. Her work centers women and LGBTQ+ stories, and explores identity, gender, sexuality, and class in genre settings – from horror to romance.

Tiffany has been an artist in residence at Wildacres and the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities. She’s placed in the Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship, Austin Film Festival, the Stowe Story Labs Fellowship, the Page Awards, and ScreenCraft. Tiffany is a high school dropout with a master’s degree, who has lived on three continents but always felt home tugging her back. She now lives in North Carolina, where she founded and runs the nonprofit Queer Fear Film Festival, the production company Lunar Kitchen Films, and the imprint The Crackling Quill.

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction to Tiffany Albright

(01:20) The Origin of Queer Fear Film Festival

(05:00) Discovering Queer Cinema & Entering the Film Industry

(08:30) Building a Film Festival During the Pandemic

(12:15) Why Queer Horror Deserves Its Own Space

(16:00) Running a Nonprofit Film Festival: Challenges & Lessons

(20:20) Creating Opportunities for LGBTQ+ Filmmakers

(24:10) Screenwriting Fellowships, Competitions & Breaking In

(28:00) Writing Queer Horror, Romance & Genre Stories

(32:15) Producing Independent Films Through Lunar Kitchen Films

(35:50) Publishing, The Crackling Quill & Supporting Writers

(39:10) Building Creative Communities in the American South

(42:30) The Future of Queer Horror & Independent Film

(45:15) Upcoming Projects: Astrogenesis

(47:40) Amerinoid: A Timely Psychological Thriller

(50:05) Where to Follow Tiffany Albright & Final Thoughts

Discover how Queer Fear transforms the film festival experience for queer filmmakers and audiences. Learn about its inclusive approach and community-building efforts.

Follow Tiffany @tiffany.a.albright on Insta

tiffany-albright.com

Follow Queer Fear Film Festival @queerfearfilmfestival on Insta

queerfearfilmfestival.org

Our theme music is by ‪@nick_ferreri‬ | Insta: @nick_ferreri

Please subscribe to our channel and leave a 5 star review.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow us on instagram @midnighthorrorpictureshow

Part of the Hiraeth Podcast Network

#QueerFear #IndieFilm #FilmFestival #LGBTQ #HorrorFilms #midnighthorrorpictureshow #podcast #filmmaking #filmmaker #horrorcommunity #thelastgoodbye #podcastclips #filmtok #indiefilm #shorts #horrorfilms

Today’s guest, Jake Kustasz is a Michigan-based author and video producer focusing on horror, comedy, and the absurd. His most recent release- A Devil’s Night Tale, is a horror comic book illustrated by Ethan Woronko that also includes his original short story and an interview about the history of Devil’s Night in Detroit with historian Jeff Pollock.

Jake’s talents aren’t confined to any medium- and we talk about his strengths- especially his ability to use social media to network and bring artists together for different projects.

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction to Jake Kustasz & A Devil's Night Tale

(01:05) The Origin of A Devil's Night Tale

(02:40) Favorite Comics, Alan Moore & Horror Influences

(05:10) Working with Illustrator Ethan Woronko

(07:45) Devil's Night History, Detroit Culture & Horror Storytelling

(11:15) Combining Comics, Fiction & Historical Interviews in One Book

(14:20) Creating Horror Comics Without Hollywood Budgets

(17:00) Social Media Networking for Artists & Independent Creators

(20:00) Building Communities Through Creative Collaboration

(22:45) From Video Production to Comic Book Publishing

(25:10) Marketing Independent Projects in the Digital Age

(27:45) Talk Show To Go, MemeStudium & Content Creation

(30:15) Detroit Creativity, Local Art Scenes & Independent Media

(32:00) Upcoming Projects, New Comics & Future Stories

(34:00) Staccato the Guitar-Playing Cat in Space

(34:50) What's Next for Jake Kustasz?

(35:10) Where to Buy A Devil's Night Tale & Support Indie Horror

Make sure to grab YOUR copy of A Devil’s Night Tale: https://www.memestudium.com/store/p/kb8mibrjjovis0jzprhs68mon43ej7

If you’re local to Metro-Detroit, you can support a small business by picking up your copy at:

- Vault of Midnight Detroit - Detroit, MI

- Green Brain Comics - Dearborn, MI

- Toadvine Books - Berkley, MI

- Berkley Public Library - Berkley, MI

And for any Chicago listeners

- Quimby's Bookstore - Chicago, IL

You can follow what Jake is up to next at Memestudium.com or @jakekustasz on Instagram

You can check out the illustrator of “A Devil’s Night Tale” - Ethan Woronko @epworonko_art on Instagram

And you can learn more about Detroit history tours on Instagram @detroithistorytours

Our theme music is by @nick_ferreri | Insta: @nick_ferreri

Please subscribe to our channel and leave a 5 star review.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow us on instagram @midnighthorrorpictureshow

Part of the Hiraeth Podcast Network

#devilsnight #devilsnightdetroit #newhorrorcomics2026 #horrorcomics