FrightFest 2025 is only hours away so we'd thought we'd start our coverage with the debut movie from a very exciting talent, Illya Konstantin whose Night of Violence has its UK premiere tonight. We chatted about this and their plans for the future.
NYX: Where did the idea for Night of Violence come from?
IK: It actually started as a writing exercise to explore what justice looks like when the system fails. I wanted to take that premise to a breaking point and see how far ordinary people could be pushed. Once Chris and I landed on the central event, the rest snowballed from there.
NYX: What was your writing technique with co-writer Christopher Lang? Did you do it remotely or in the same room?
IK: We’ve been working together for a long time, so we’ve developed a great shorthand. He’s in California and I’m in New York, so we spend a lot of time on the phone, work with shared screens on the same document, and sometimes send drafts back and forth. That mix of constant communication and independent writing time keeps the ideas fresh and gives the script both of our voices without losing cohesion.
NYX: Did you write it with a cast in mind?
IK: Not initially. We focused on the characters first, the emotional arcs, their moral conflicts, and once that foundation was strong, we started imagining actors who could bring those layers to life.
NYX: This is your first feature as director. Were you nervous the first day on set?
IK: Oh yeah. You prep for months, but the second they call “action” for the first time, it hits you. But then instinct kicks in. Everyone’s there to make something great, and that energy carries you through.
NYX: What lessons in directing did you learn?
IK: Tons. Honestly, the biggest was learning how to protect the tone. When time or stress throws curveballs, you have to hold the emotional throughline tight. That’s what keeps the film grounded.
NYX: Was it all shot on location?
IK: Yeah, entirely. We leaned into real spaces to give it that lived-in, gritty texture. You feel the cold, the grime, the tension. You can’t fake that.
NYX: There are some incredible effects in the movie. Were they all practical?
IK: 95% were practical. We had an incredible SFX team, and I grew up loving tactile horror, so we wanted that feel. There are a couple enhancements in post, but most of the blood and violence was done old-school.
NYX: How much fake blood did you use?
IK: Enough to worry the neighbours. Let’s just say wardrobe had a tough week. After we wrapped one night, Kit went straight to the hotel covered head to toe in fake blood. Totally forgot. Walked right up to the front desk asking for a new room key, not understanding why the entire lobby looked like they’d seen a ghost. Took him a beat to realize he looked like a maniac!
NYX: It has a lot to say about corporate greed. How did you make sure that message wasn’t lost in the horror?
IK: The key was embedding it in the characters’ choices, not preaching, just showing the consequences. If the audience feels what the characters are going through, the themes come through naturally.
NYX: Who designed the cool masks?
IK: The mask design actually started with us, we had a pretty clear vision of something that felt iconic but still grounded in the world of the story. Then we worked closely with our production designer and costume team to bring it to life. It was a mix of sketches, weird reference images, late-night texts like “what if it looked more like this,” It really became a group effort to land on something that felt both unique and unsettling, without ever tipping into parody.
NYX: Are you a fan of 80s cinema? It has a cool montage sequence with a great track on top.
IK: Definitely. That era of genre filmmaking had guts. Bold choices, great pacing. The montage was a love letter to that era, but with our own twist.
NYX: Illya Konstantin, thank you very much.
