Following a tragic accident, a grieving Anna (Whitney Peak) leaves bustling Brooklyn and heads to rural Florida to live with her grandmother May (S. Epatha Merkerson). Her new home is supposed to be a safe haven, but it gradually unravels to become a nightmare. May, the matriarch, is eccentric and at odds with her sister, Patti (Golda Rosheuvel), but her grandma's erratic behaviour is the least of Anna's problems. Lonely in her new neighbourhood, she befriends two troublemakers who lead her astray. When a prank goes terribly wrong, our protagonist is caught in the crosshairs of an intense supernatural conflict. Can she make amends with the mythical figure, Mr Sandman, in Night Terror before it's too late?

Night Terror is directed by Colin Tilley, best known for his visually arresting music videos for artists like Zendaya, Justin Bieber, and Kendrick Lamar. Tilley's 2021 horror project If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power served as a cinematic companion to Halsey's fourth studio album, showcasing his flair for blending music and narrative with haunting visuals. Speaking with FILMHOUNDS, Tilley discussed the inspiration behind Night Terror, the rich talent of the cast, and what he hopes audiences will take away from this bloody, emotionally charged horror. The film is adapted from Mr Sandman, an adult picture book by Elisa Victoria.

Why did you want to get involved in the project?

There were several elements that really drew me to taking this project on. I would say the first one was Elisa's novel. It is this really weird, hand-drawn concept of a graphic novel, really exploring the lore of Sandman and this monster that eats bullies' eyeballs. I thought the whole concept was really interesting and clever. The visuals in the novel made my brain start to go crazy with ideas of where this movie could go from a visual standpoint.

Did you feel a bit of pressure adapting a novel into a film?

I did feel pressure, but at the same time, Elisa had written the script for the film. Once I read the script, I felt very confident that I could bring her story alive and create this very grim fairy tale that takes place in the Florida swamplands. And me being from the city, Berkeley, California, I just knew this would be a really interesting challenge for me, and I'd be looking at this environment with very foreign eyes. I knew that this would really inspire the world building and just the overall concept and tone of the movie. I knew I'd be able to nail that and take the story in a really interesting direction.

Now I've got to ask you a personal question – were you scared of any folklore or myths growing up?

Growing up, I was a super scaredy cat. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid of ghosts. I think that's why I got so drawn into directing horror because of the interest in the unknown. All of that makes what I do so much more interesting because it isn't something familiar for me. I had to uncover my fears whilst working. I think that passion shines through when it comes to storytelling.

Thanks for sharing that with me. How do you think you've grown as a director from If I can't have love, I want power?

I would say I've grown just by continuing to really immerse myself into storytelling. That's working with other writers and putting together great scripts, watching a million and two movies, and going on set and making a movie. If I can't have love, I want power. It was a very abstract experience because, essentially, we were shooting a silent film. So it was all about emotive, physical acting and telling the story without any dialogue whatsoever. Fast forward to Night Terror, and this was very different. Working with actors for the first time in this capacity was something new and something that I enjoyed. My favourite part about filmmaking is the collaboration aspect. I love working with great actors who have their own perspective on the core of the characters and the story and what it all means. Shooting a movie in 20 days is so hard and something I wasn't used to, being on set so many days in a row. Most of the time when I do music videos or commercials, it's a couple of days max, so this was like a real marathon and a sprint at the same time.

You spoke about the actors there. There was such a wealth of experience across the cast. Some actors at the very beginning of their career and some who are very seasoned. What is it like harnessing talent at both ends of that spectrum?

Over the years, I've had to work with so many different personalities. I have a different relationship with every single one of the actors. From the first Zoom call we had, I would say I knew somebody like Whitney would be the perfect protagonist for this movie. She had this vibe and just the way she was emoting, I could tell it was going to be the perfect performance for this film. She could express so much within her eyes and her body, and tell you everything you need to know without having to express it or be too expository. And then you look at somebody like Golda who just comes to set and has this energy that is so incredibly intense and electric. Fun fact: S. Epatha, who played May, came on three days before we started shooting. We did our first readthrough the night before, so that was a really different and rewarding process.

You really can't tell, because she is the heart of the film. You've had a very successful career directing music videos. Where did you draw your inspiration for this film from?

I was drawing from so many different inspirations and so many different techniques that I've tried over the years. I'm huge on world building. I'm huge on being able to have a visual impact. There should be a feeling when you watch a movie directed by Colin Tilley. I wanted to nail a certain atmospheric tone that was brooding over this Southern gothic grim fairy tale world. I drew from my music videos, and using a camera as its own character to draw audiences in. I was looking at movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and Rosemary's Baby. My biggest inspiration is Guillermo del Toro, Pan's Labryinth, and those dark fairy tales. This felt like my version of that, where I could really create an interesting grounded reality and at the same time blend nightmares and dreamscapes.

I think people will be able to see that influence. What do you want people to take away from this film?

I want people to walk away and just be able to think about the concept behind this

movie and the whole bullying theme. What if you're the one witnessing it? What if you're the one who is passive while it's happening in front of your eyes, and you could have stepped in? And I also want people to be able to walk away just knowing that they had a really cool experience watching this film. That is my goal is to be able to create experiential experiences where people can have a roller coaster of a ride while watching my films.

Night Terror is out in selected cinemas in the UK and Ireland