Daniel Byers

Writers, boy, do I have a great show for you today.

My guest is Daniel Byers, a screenwriter and director, here to talk about his movie, a horror film, Dark Hollow, which is available in theaters and on demand now.

His first narrative feature film, Eradication, that came out in 2022, was released as a Tubi Channel original and has enjoyed critical and commercial success.

And on this episode, Daniel talks about what it takes to turn a screenplay into a terrifying feature film.

Send your guests to thewritershangoutpodcast at

gmail.com. Let's start the show.

Daniel Byers, thank you so much for joining us on The Writers Hangout.

Well, thank you, Sandy.

Welcome back, pod people.

My guest today is Daniel Byers, the writer-director of Dark Hollow, which was described to me as a Southern Gothic film, although the image that comes to my mind when I hear that is pretty different than what I ended up getting from watching Dark Hollow.

To me, that makes me think of something that's set in New Orleans or Georgia or something that's very glamorous, like Interview with the Vampire.

And this is set in rural Appalachia in a coal mining community.

But what frightened me about this film wasn't only the creature lurking underground, it was what desperation can make people do when they feel like they have nowhere left to go.

My guest tonight is Daniel Byers, writer and director of Dark Hollow.

I watched the film ahead of our conversation, and from the cinematography and sweeping landscapes to the creature effects, score, and quieter moments with this family, there is a lot hiding underneath this story.

So tonight, we're going beneath the surface, and we're going to find out what he put down there.

Daniel Byers, welcome to The Mirror Room.

Hi, Daniel.

Welcome to The Mirror Room.

And then there are the ones that make you wonder what might be hiding underneath you.

Today we're going deep underground, literally, with writer and director Daniel Byers, the filmmaker behind the new southern gothic horror film, Dark Hollow.

The film follows a young mother who enters a collapsing Appalachian coal mine searching for her trapped husband, only to discover something ancient beneath the mountain – But the story of how our dark hollow got to the screen might actually be the most fascinating as what happens inside that mind.

So, before making narrative films, Daniel spent years shooting documentaries in more than 60 countries.

Where the real story always flows.

This is the villa down low.

Before we get into my conversation with filmmaker Daniel Byers, you know we need a drinking word.

And considering we're talking all things Dark Hollow, there was really only one choice.

Pretty decent horror movie.

All right, so that is Dark Hollow, directed and written by Daniel Byers.

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