I’m a filmmaker specialising in the horror genre, as a director and screenwriter. I write my own solo projects (eg. Muil, Matriarch) but also love to co-write and co-direct (Souvenir, Pan).

I’ve directed horror for hire (Raven en Louise in het Nauw), and am available for freelance horror writing and directing jobs.

In 2023 I succesfully finished my PhD in the Arts entitled “The Anxiety of Genre. Horror tussen vakkennis, theorie, en de screen idea work group.”  You can download my dissertation (in Dutch) here

I examine the influence of theoretical concepts on the process of writing and creating cinematic horror. I am interested in how filmmakers use theoretical concepts from critical theory in general (like the abject, the weird & the eerie, the uncanny…) and/or specific visions and theory about horror in particular (like John Clute’s specific story structure for horror, Julian Hanich’s definitions of horror emotions, David Church’s analysis of the post-horror film cycle, …). To analyse their influence on the creative process, I employ an autoethnographic approach, where I observe the screenwriting and development process of the short films Muil and Souvenir, and the feature screenplays Pan and Matriarch. To help contextualize my observations I employ the concept of the screen idea and the Screen Idea Work Group (SIWG) by Ian MacDonald.

Consultancy

During my PhD I’ve read and researched pretty much every existing piece of theory and advice on the creation of horror. This, combined with my own horror filmmaking experience and 13+ years of higher degree teaching experience, enables me to have a macro perspective and unique insight into horror projects in development. 

I am available for script doctoring, script analysis and dramaturgical advice and inspiration about narrative horror content. 

I am interested in what kind of horror you want to make, what horror means to you, your writer’s room, your tv-series, your story.

Contact me for more information.

Publications

I’m planning a mainstream publication which collects and explains all relevant theoretical concepts and thinking about horror, aimed at a filmmaking audience.

The aim is to help filmmakers think in new and refreshing ways about horror, deepening their (and mine) understanding of this genre, and hopefully helping in developing strong new horror films. Horror is a genre and an industry that craves new voices, new ideas and has a deep need of and a longing for innovation. 

My first academic publication, Horror as Affective Estrangement is free available online here.

It has also been published in print in Spanish. You can buy it here.

You can find my academic CV here.

I have 15+ years experience as a director, screenwriter and video editor producing various B2B video content: testimonials, mood films, corporate video, video reports, events, … for a diverse group of clients (construction, pharmaceutical, military, EU, …).

My specialities are directing, screenwriting and general corporate video production. I have strong interview (Dutch, French, English) and screenwriting skills, with a great emphasis on story structure and content.

I also have 10+ years of teaching experience. I teach and have taught several courses and workshops about video production, directing, screenwriting and filmmaking in general for a very diverse audience (Luca School of Arts, Genk; Syntra-AB; CVO GO! Antwerpen, several private in-house company trainings, …). I aim to be an inspiring teacher and coach, filled with passion and love for the craft of video production.

I’m a filmmaker, teacher and researcher, specializing in the horror genre. I teach about film and video production at the Luca School of Arts, Syntra-AB, … I am currently pursuing my PhD in the Arts about theory and horror film production.

I was born in the year Alien and The Brood were released, and horror is my main love and passion: from Barker, over Cronenberg, to Laugier and Evrenol.

Horror is fear of the unknown, fear of the Other (inside ourselves), inescapable and eager to devour us.

(Don’t worry, I like musicals too…! 🙂