Director Greg McLean | Finding Fresh Terror in Familiar Horror episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 21, 2026 · 54 MIN

Director Greg McLean | Finding Fresh Terror in Familiar Horror

from 5AM StoryTalk · host Cole Haddon

Genre filmmaking is all about taking simple premises and turning them into high-impact scares.GREG MCLEAN (writer-director of 'Wolf Creek' and 'Rogue') breaks down how to build relentless tension, develop iconic horror characters, and turn tight premises into unforgettable feature scripts.JOIN THE COMMUNITY!Join the 10,000+ members of the 5AM StoryTalk community at Substack mastering the craft of storytelling (and the art of life) together: https://colehaddon.substack.com/EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE: ALIEN (1979)Greg returns to break down a seminal piece of art from his own life that still informs every cinematic decision he makes today. A masterclass in horror.UNLOCK THE BONUS AT SUBSTACK: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/director-greg-mclean-alien-horror-masterclassUNLOCK THE BONUS AT APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/director-greg-mclean-on-alien-subscriber-exclusive/id1807437928?i=1000777663617IN THIS EPISODE: Greg McLean ('The Belko Experiment', 'Territory') breaks down genre filmmaking, building relentless tension, crafting iconic horror characters, discussing the film he wishes he could erase from his filmography, and turning tight premises into unforgettable scripts by manipulating audience psychology.TIP JAR:Not up for a paid subscription? You can also “buy me a coffee” ⁠⁠⁠here to help keep me caffeinated (translation: writing)⁠⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/colehaddon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIA:5AM StoryTalk @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/5amstorytalkpodcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cole Haddon @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.com/Colehaddonwashere⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠EMAIL:⁠[email protected]:5AM StoryTalk acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.This podcast’s music is by ⁠⁠Cary Brothers⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.carybrothers.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 21, 2026

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Director Greg McLean | Finding Fresh Terror in Familiar Horror

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