
How to Run an Indie Horror Film Festival with Erik Steele (Founder of Horror Film Roulette)
Filmmaker & Festival Runner Erik Steele joins Midnight Horror Picture Show host Neil for a deep dive into indie horror filmmaking, festival building, and 20+ years in the film industry. Erik is the founder of Horror Film Roulette, a Metro Detroit horror short film competition now celebrating its 13th year, and co-founder of Th3 Studio, a boutique production space in downtown Utica, Michigan. In this episode, Erik shares how he got his start making stop-motion films at age 13, worked his way up through Michigan's film incentive era on productions like "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas", and spent years in reality TV before founding one of Metro Detroit's most beloved indie horror events. We talk file backup horror stories every filmmaker needs to hear, what it's really like directing a horror short in four weeks flat, and how Horror Film Roulette is partnering with the historic Senate Theater for its 2026 competition. Whether you're an aspiring horror filmmaker, a festival organizer, or just a fan of behind-the-scenes filmmaking stories, this conversation is packed with practical advice, industry war stories, and a genuine look at what it takes to build a film community from a drunken bar conversation into a 13-year institution. Chapters: 00:00 Intro — Welcoming Erik Steele 01:09 Erik's origin story: filmmaking since age 13 02:04 First working together — the reality TV bar shoot 04:27 Breaking into Michigan's film industry during the incentive era 06:03 Why you should ALWAYS back up your footage (twice) 08:19 File transfer horror stories & protecting yourself on set 09:18 Working on A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas 12:06 Hostel: Part III and shadowing director Scott Spiegel 14:35 The Blockbuster story that got Neil on Hostel 17:05 The bar-night origin of Horror Film Roulette 19:11 Horror Film Roulette's move to the historic Senate Theater 23:08 Growing an indie film festival from 30 people to a real event 24:27 Charging admission, giving prizes, and funding filmmakers 26:21 Community over competition — collaboration in the scene 28:47 Filming a UFC documentary on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi 30:24 Inside Th3 Studio — 13 years of a boutique production space 33:30 Horror Film Roulette 2026: rules, categories & kickoff details 35:30 Submitting through FilmFreeway and reaching other festivals 39:06 International wins and advice for choosing film festivals 40:07 One week to write, one to shoot, one to edit, one to procrastinate 43:02 What's next for Horror Film Roulette: 2027 and beyond 44:04 Erik's other projects: a new feature and a vertical web series 45:32 Aladdin 3477 — the sci-fi trilogy update 47:47 Wrap-up and where to find Erik Steele 49:06 Announcing Sideshow and the Midnight Horror Book Club Links & Resources: www.horrorfilmroulette.com @horrorfilmroulette on Insta, YT, and TikTok Find Erik Steele on Instagram: @Th3Studio / @SteelePhotos Midnight Horror Picture Show on Instagram: @MidnightHorrorPictureShow Email us: MidnightHorrorPictureShow@gmail.com Subscribe for new interviews with indie horror creators every month, plus our new Sideshow series and Midnight Horror Book Club coming this fall.