Brianna Lee on Halloween Nights, grief, AI horror and making five shorts in five days

Every October, the writer-director-actor Brianna Lee sets herself a gloriously punishing challenge: five brand-new horror shorts, each written, directed, edited and headlined by her, released as part of her annual Halloween Nights series on Bloodstream. Having worked my way through this year's batch, a run that leaps from bloody creature horror to possession to a genuinely poignant ghost story to a chillingly timely slice of AI techno-horror, I was keen to find out how she does it, and what keeps her coming back. She was kind enough to answer all my questions in typically candid, funny and thoughtful fashion. My thanks to her for the time.

In conversation with Brianna Lee

Halloween Nights has become an annual tradition for you. Where did the series start, and what keeps you coming back to make a fresh batch every year?

I started the series in 2022, and haven't looked back since. I have a longtime comedy background and have been writing, producing, and performing in live comedy and online sketches since I was a teenager. Over the past decade, I've made tons of comedy content for YouTube and Instagram, and mixed with my longtime love of horror movies, at some point I started making "comedic" horror videos. When some of them started turning out legitimately scary and eerie, I had a lightbulb moment: why don't I just start making pure horror shorts? Halloween of 2022 I took my iPhone and shot five starkly horrific, sad, eerie horror shorts, and it was challenging and so fulfilling. I come back every year to do five more because it not only challenges me as an artist and writer, but it guarantees that I have roles to play as an actress. The deadline of making five brand new complete horror shorts that I write, direct, edit and star in is something I feel really proud that I'm able to accomplish year after year.

This year's five are strikingly varied, bloody creature horror, possession, a ghost story, domestic dread and AI techno-horror. Do you deliberately set out to cover different corners of the genre, or does each idea just arrive with its own tone?

Yes, each year when I go into my writing process, I try to deliberately cover a range of horror genres. If I have two similar ideas, I pick the more interesting of the two. My mind thinks in movie plots, so when I start with the seed of an idea it's usually, "if this happens, then what if that happened…" I always want to give horror fans with all kinds of tastes something in my work that particularly entertains them. Exploring all different genres also keeps challenging me creatively.

You write, direct and star in most of these. How do you juggle those three hats on such short, intense shoots, and do you ever wish you could just focus on one?

The shoots are short and intense, that's for sure. Every single Halloween Nights horror short has never taken more than one day to shoot. My background making online comedy sketches really trained me to work quickly, with a clear vision of what I want. Because I also write and edit the films, I know how I want each scene shot and performed. But I'm very improvisational and never too married to one idea. If something doesn't work logistically, I'm happy to change it on the spot. Sometimes I do wish I could focus solely on acting. I'll spend so long directing and producing that by the time I jump into a scene, I don't realise my hair looks crazy or I have bagel crumbs on my face, and suddenly I have to convincingly react to my boyfriend turning into a bloodthirsty demon who's hunting me! But I work quickly, stay flexible, and try to have fun with the chaos.

Your Ticket Is Ready was my favourite, that grief-laced ghost story with the gut-punch twist. Where did it come from, and how early in the writing did you know the ending?

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I knew the ending as I was writing it. I've spent the last few years confronting my own grief, and my questions about life, death, and the people we've lost have fuelled a lot of my recent work. I find comfort in the possibility that our loved ones are waiting for us somewhere, or that we'll be reunited in some capacity. Though the story is sad and unsettling, at its heart I wanted to tell a story about someone waiting for someone they love.

Project Lonely feels like the most "of the moment" of the batch. What drew you to the AI-companion idea, and how worried are you, honestly, about where that technology is heading?

I have a longtime joke, or theory, that we're all kind of dating our cell phones. Technology has become such a huge part of our lives that it's replacing genuine human interaction. It's particularly difficult for this generation to date and find companionship in real life, and I think it all has to do with our addiction to AI. Also, we live in a world where you can order anything to your doorstep and technology is replacing virtually every aspect of life, so isn't it just a matter of time before you can order an AI partner? I started with the seed of an idea, "what if you could order a boyfriend from an app", and went full-blown Terminator with my thinking from there.

Hungry leans hard on practical effects. How much do you prioritise doing things practically versus digitally, and what were the messiest or most fun effects this year?

I never rely on digital effects until I'm in the editing room. I'm about as indie as indie gets, so filmmaking often comes down to, "how can I make this look real for almost no money?" and "what camera tricks can I use to pull this off?" The messiest shoots this year were Hungry and Tag. For Hungry, I spent the day crawling around in mud and dirt in the woods, and for Tag, I ended up completely doused in fake blood. I'm a big fan of coloured contacts and fake blood, both relatively inexpensive. Pair those with a good story and convincing performances, and you can accomplish a lot. The special effect at the end of Hungry is literally ketchup!

You work repeatedly with collaborators like Noah Barker and Chris Bert. How important is that shorthand with a regular team when you're moving this fast?

Working with a regular team and close, trusted friends is invaluable. My longtime DP Noah Barker and I have developed a shorthand that makes working together incredibly easy. I rarely have to overexplain what I'm thinking, and he's so skilled with the camera that filming with him is always a pleasure. Chris Bert and I have been friends since childhood, so there's a similar level of trust and understanding. When you're working this quickly, having collaborators who instinctively understand what you're trying to accomplish makes a huge difference.

A couple of these, Bump in the Night especially, end on deliberately open notes. How do you think about endings in short horror, and when is leaving something hanging the right call?

I love ending on a dramatic, eerie, or unfinished note. It's so unsettling to wonder what happens next when you have all of the horrific pieces of the puzzle and have to put it together yourself. I always come back to the Jaws principle: what you don't see can be far more scary than what you do see! I think horror films sometimes overexplain things or overstay their welcome. I prefer leaving some of the "what happens next?" to the imagination of the audience. And when a story is more philosophical, I love the idea of starting a conversation, or leaving someone with something to think about and question.

The series streams on Bloodstream. How has having a dedicated home for the films changed how you make them, or who finds them?

Having a home for my horror shorts is genuinely a dream come true, and something I've worked hard toward for years. For so long, I made these films entirely on my own deadlines, releasing them through my personal channels for friends, family, and followers to enjoy. Having them on Bloodstream hasn't really changed how I make them, but it has changed how I think about their reach. Now, horror fans who have never heard of me can stumble upon my work and hopefully be entertained, moved, or spooked by it.

Beyond this year, what's next for you, and is there a feature-length idea lurking in any of these shorts you'd love to expand?

I'm currently in pre-production on a feature-length sci-fi psychological thriller called Everlong, which I'm incredibly excited about! Like a lot of my recent work, it's heavily inspired by my own experiences with loss and grief. The story follows a grieving family introduced to a mysterious and controversial technology, and explores the effects it has on their lives. Other than that, I have a few other completed short films set to premiere throughout the year, and I'll continue to put out my online comedy videos every week.

My thanks again to Brianna Lee for her time and her candour. Her 2026 Halloween Nights shorts are streaming on Bloodstream, and my reviews of all five, along with a rundown of the whole batch, are up on the site. I will be first in the queue for Everlong.