More from the First Blood stramd at FrightFest 2025 and time we're off to Jack the Ripper's House with Natasha Tosini and Stephen Staley.
NYX: Where did the idea for the movie come from?
I (Natasha) thought of a bunch of different ideas for a horror movie to send to our investor, Stephen thought up a bunch too! When they chose my idea I had to then turn what was at that point, a paragraph into an entire movie. That was probably one of the hardest parts, creating all the dialogue and the personalities for the characters, but that alsomakes the movie feel so much more REAL! We wanted lots of character development so the audience would really FEEL when big things happened, we wanted certain deaths to happen and the audience go ‘NO NO NO’ but other deaths to happen and the audience go ‘YES DIE’ sort of thing? I’m very very happy with how my idea translated on screen!
NYX: As you co-wrote and co-directed the movie what was your process?
Once we (Natasha Tosini and Stephen Staley) had the whole idea penned out, writing together was easy! It did take a very… very… VERY long time, we actually aligned our schedules so we were unavailable at the same time, meaning we had the entire day to write, we were sometimes up until 5am writing! I remember some very strange delusional phone calls happening after 3am haha! Co-directing was also super fun! As we both acted in this movie we directed different scenes, but our vision was so aligned and we were SO prepared before going onto set, we didn’t clash heads at all in the creative process! Honestly, the entire thing from start to finish was fun, we’re very lucky we get along so well because we work together amazingly!
NYX: Did you write it with a cast in mind?
Yes and no… most roles we didn’t have an idea at all but for a set few, we knew all along, for example Kelly Rian Sanson plays ‘Demi’. I can safely say, the second we knew we were making this film, we knew we’d have her if she’d want us! We were extremely lucky to have Kelly, she’s a great friend of ours, a delight to be around, a beautiful woman and an AMAZING actor! So yes, Demi was written for her! 😁
NYX: How did you get prolific actress Danielle Scott involved?
Dani is a great friend of ours and we’ve all worked together on various projects over the years! Dani is amazing on screen and also off screen, she brings such an amazing atmosphere everywhere she goes! The only thing we’re upset about is that we didn’t have a bigger role for her!! Next time, expect to see more of Danielle!
NYX: Where was the movie shot?
The movie was shot at two locations in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
NYX: Was it all on location and if so, what challenges did that throw up for you?
It was all on location yes! Other than the general indie movie problems like limited time because of limited budget, meaning organisation needed to be perfect! At our first location the only major problem was the fire alarm, as strange as that sounds. We wanted a lot of fog/smoke which meant every day the fire alarm went off several times, so much so, everyone had paper and other things ready to waft the smoke away! The second location was a different story because it was FREEZING! Some cast members were wearing 2-3 coats! We just couldn’t get warm!
NYX: Were you nervous the first day on set?
For me (Natasha) the first 20 minutes on set were strange for me, as a first time producer, everyone arrived on set and kind of, sat near me and looked at me, waiting for me to tell everyone what to do… i had no idea what to say haha! For both of us, the first day wasn’t scary and we weren’t nervous per say, we had an amazing team of cast and crew to thank for that, it went swimmingly the entire way through!
NYX: The movie relies on atmosphere rather than in your face effects, how hard is it to create that sort of tense atmosphere?
As this was our first time, it impacted us massively! We had to learn all about the lighting, the sounds, the suspense, the tension and the atmosphere. They all come hand in hand so we quickly realised we needed to prioritise everything and leave nothing to chance! We chose to keep our shots dark and use minimal lighting so our viewers had partial view of our surroundings, we worked tirelessly with our sound techs to create chilling sounds to add to the suspense, and we did a lot, a lot of research!
NYX: The movie has a lot to say about the shallowness of “influencers” was this your goal from the start?
Yes! We really wanted to immerse the viewer in the fame of the ‘Haunt Hunters’ showing them how real it was for them! We wanted them to experience it with out characters so they really felt a part of it. The message isn’t that all influences are shallow, but that some influencers will cash in on anything that gets them clicks and attention, the world we live in is changing, attention is the new currency, we wanted to show that throughout our story.
NYX: How long did it take to create the “viewer’s comments” which you see when the team are talking?
Honestly it didn’t take too long, we had our VFX team working on it, we worked on it and we had our editor working also, we kind of combined comments from all of us to show you what you’ve seen in the final product! We wanted hashtags, misspelt words, true ‘stan’ comments and also the non-believer/haters also. We wanted it to seem as real as possible to align with what influencers deal with everyday.
NYX: Do you believe in the paranormal?
Natasha: I definitely do! At our second location i had my ghost app out searching for ghosts! Everytime i heard a noise i freaked out and ran to the nearest person for support! I absolutely do believe, which makes filming this type of movie all the more scarier!
Stephen: Let’s just say I didn’t… until one night. I was lying in bed, completely still, when I clearly heard footsteps — slow, deliberate — right behind me in the room. I froze. I knew I was alone. When I finally turned around… nothing. No one there. No explanation. Ever since then, I’ve kept an open mind. Some things just don’t make sense — and maybe they’re not supposed to.
NYX: What’s it like to be part of FrightFest’s First Blood strand?
Honestly, its amazing! We put so much time, effort, sweat and tears into this project, we’re massively grateful and super proud! We used every single penny we could to constantly make it better and better, we even put our own money in on top of the investors payment to make sure we got a product we were happy with! It feels crazy to us that our first ever movie is being premiered at such a prestigious festival, in Leicester Square! Definitely a pinch me moment! We can promise you there is more to come. We’ll keep improving our movies and making each one better than the last until you’re all sick of us!
NYX: Will you be nervous when it has its world premiere at FrightFest 2025?
Natasha: I’m personally super nervous, I’m usually nervous when I’m just an actor in a movie and its being premiered, but this! This is another level! I’m just really hoping people love it as much as i do and they appreciate it for what it is! :)
Stephen: No, I don’t think so. I’m more excited than nervous. I really want to enjoy the moment, take it all in, and just appreciate how special it is — especially for both Natasha and myself. It’s been a huge journey getting here, and moments like this don’t come around often. So on the night, I plan to be present and soak it all up.
NYX: So, what are you working on at the moment?
At the moment we’re working on another horror movie, shooting in August! We’re hoping to get a higher budget for any movies to come, so we can really show you all what we’re made of and make the movies we know we can!
NYX: Natasha Tosini and Stephen Staley, thank you very much.
