PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Writer and filmmaker Will Savive has built a creative world that spans books, music, narration, filmmaking, and horror. His latest project, Midnight Stories, brings those interests together in a series of bite-sized horror tales built around suspense, twists, and the consequences of very human decisions.
With Season 2 of Midnight Stories on the way, PopHorror spoke with Savive about his path from forensic science and true crime to horror fiction, the evolution of his “Williverse,” what he learned from the anthology’s first season, and his extensive use of artificial intelligence to bring his stories to the screen.
PopHorror: For readers who may not be familiar with you, can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Will Savive: I’m an award-winning author and filmmaker with 17 published books. My background is in forensic science, true crime, business, and music. After years of writing, I wanted to find a way to bring all of those creative interests together and get my stories onto the screen. Short-form video became a way to introduce my work to an audience that might not necessarily discover it through books.
PopHorror: How did you make the transition from forensic science and true crime into horror fiction?
Will Savive: Science is very by-the-book, and I had a lot of creativity and stories I wanted to get out. I initially transitioned toward crime fiction, and once I realized I could create my own stories and worlds, I became addicted to it.
PopHorror: You’ve expanded into books, film, music, narration and production—the “Williverse.” Was that always the plan?
Will Savive: It developed naturally. Part of it came from trying to find different ways to get eyes on my work. If you write about something recognizable like Amityville, Peter Pan or Oz, people already know those names. An original project like Nomad Station doesn’t have that built-in recognition, even though I consider it some of my best work.
That led me to turn it into a short-form film and even write a song about it. Each medium becomes another way to introduce people to the stories. Fortunately, I also genuinely enjoy writing, music and filmmaking, so bringing them together has become a natural progression.
PopHorror: For someone discovering Midnight Stories for the first time, what is it?
Will Savive: It’s a cinematic short-form horror anthology designed for today’s online audience. Each episode is a complete standalone story with narration, suspense, hidden clues, twists and a shocking ending. And every nightmare begins at 2:17 a.m.
PopHorror: Why 2:17 a.m.?
Will Savive: Originally, I had the first story beginning at 3:15, partly because of the Amityville connection, but it felt too familiar. I wanted something different, and 2:17 just came to me. Once I used it, it became part of the identity of the series.
PopHorror: What did Season 1 teach you that changed your approach to Season 2?
Will Savive: One of the biggest things was realizing that I wanted more dialogue. I love narrating the stories, but giving the characters their own voices allows them to come alive, particularly during the dramatic moments. The challenge was adding that dialogue without sacrificing the momentum that short-form storytelling requires.
PopHorror: With writing, narration, visuals, editing and music all involved, what does your creative process look like?
Will Savive: Everything begins with the story. Before anything else happens, there has to be a compelling story with characters, a strong turn and the kind of ending that makes someone say, “I didn’t see that coming.”
Once I have that, I write a short script and add the dialogue. Then I create the images needed to match the story, record the narration and bring those elements into the editor. The video generation and final assembly come afterward. I don’t build these randomly as I go; preparation and having the story established first are important parts of the process.
PopHorror: AI is clearly a significant part of the production. How do you decide what AI handles and what needs to remain personal to you?
Will Savive: The story comes first. I write the story and establish what I want before the AI-generated visual elements enter the process. AI is the vehicle I currently use to put those ideas on screen. If I had the people and budget to produce these stories traditionally, the underlying creative process would be the same.
I understand the criticism surrounding AI, but I see it as another technological advancement that creators can choose to embrace. For me, it’s something that allows me to be more creative with the resources I have.
PopHorror: That creates another challenge, though. There’s an enormous amount of AI-generated horror online now, including material that can essentially be created from a prompt and uploaded. How do you distinguish what you’re doing from that?
Will Savive: I think the difference is storytelling and creative control. There’s plenty of generated material online that consists of disconnected scenes without a real beginning, ending or underlying point.
I originate the stories, make the creative decisions, perform the narration, shape the sound and pacing, maintain continuity and complete the final edit. AI is part of my visual production toolkit, but it isn’t the author. To me, there’s an important difference between using AI to help tell your story and asking AI to tell the story for you.
PopHorror: What should audiences expect from Season 2 of Midnight Stories?
Will Savive: The stories are longer, darker and more involved, and the moral consequences are stronger. They’re built around human decisions and what happens afterward.
You don’t necessarily need an entire character biography in a story this short. You need to understand that somebody made a choice—and that choice is going to affect them. I want there to be enough reality underneath the horror that viewers can think, “That could happen to me.”
PopHorror: What comes next for the Williverse beyond Midnight Stories?
Will Savive: I’ll be continuing the Embittered of Oz series with the second and third books, and I have another dark fantasy project planned for next year.
Ultimately, I want to continue growing the audience to the point where production companies see these stories and want to develop them into larger films. For now, I’m focused on building that audience, entertaining people and continuing to expand what I’m creating.
PopHorror: And when does Season 2 begin?
Will Savive: The Season 2 trailer premieres September 9, with the first episode debuting September 15 at Will Savive – YouTube and Will Savive
