PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In I Know Exactly How You Die, a psychological slasher with a meta twist, a struggling horror novelist checks into a remote motel hoping to finish his book, only to discover that what he writes may be bleeding into reality. Directed by Alexandra Spieth, the film follows Rian Burman, played by Rushabh Patel, alongside a cast that includes Stephanie Gomes Hogan, Bobby Liga, and Rawya El Chab. Blending classic slasher influences with a self-aware narrative, the film explores creativity, control, and the terrifying possibility of becoming the author of your own nightmare.
We spoke with Rushabh Patel about balancing acting and producing, building the character of Rian, and bringing this layered horror story to life. The film became available on streaming services on April 7th, 2026.
[NOTE: This interview has been edited for basic grammar/readability, but the content or “vibe” of the discussion is overwhelmingly similar to the video recording.]
Rushabh Patel on I Know Exactly How You Die
PopHorror: So, as both the lead and producer on I Know Exactly How You Die, how did your perspective on the story shift between being in front of the camera and, of course, shaping it behind the scenes?
Rushabh Patel: Well, it’s interesting. I feel like a lot of the work you do for producing, like the creative stuff for this specific character, it happened a lot while we were in the pre-production phase, and you have an idea of the character going in, you’re doing all the work and everything, but once you get on set and then you start responding to your scene partners and everything, that sort of informs the way you’re crafting the character more than sort of the producing side, but it all goes together hand-in-hand. Once you get on set, that’s when you can really sort of feel the energy and see what feels good, see what feels bad.
PopHorror: And your character is dealing with heartbreak, like a recent breakup, and there’s some creative burnout at the same time, so what did you latch onto personally to make that struggle feel real?
Rushabh Patel: No, I think sort of my way into this character was the fact that he’s still an artist, right, he’s a writer, I’m a different kind of artist, I’m not a writer, so I felt like, at least in that way, you can relate to anybody who just wants to create a great piece of art regardless of the reason, so that was kind of my way in. I think what was interesting about Rian in particular is that he’s sort of using his art to mask all of the issues going on in his personal life, whether it’s his professional life and also dealing with the internal stuff that he’s going on with his ex, so that’s sort of my way into the character. It definitely helped the fact that we were similar in that sense in terms of just being artists.
Playing With Reality and Influence
PopHorror: I Know Exactly How You Die plays with the idea that writing can shape reality, so what drew you to that concept, and how did you approach making it believable rather than gimmicky?
Rushabh Patel: Yeah, I think we wanted to make sure that it didn’t feel like just a plot device, that there was an actual sort of story reason for that, and I think my writer, Mike Corey, he just did an amazing job coming up with the concept, because originally we had a different hotel idea, and sort of pivoted to this one. This one just made more sense for this production.
PopHorror: People often think of The Shining or maybe Psycho when they think of a motel setting. Are there any homages in this movie that people might detect?
Rushabh Patel: Oh yeah, so many. I would say the first kill in the movie, it’s an homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And even early on, you see Rian driving through the highway, and that’s sort of an homage to The Shining. Obviously the hotel itself is also a callback. Me and Mike, I told him to just watch the original Scream a bunch of times to inspire himself and me, so we definitely paid homage to classic slasher movies, but at the same time we wanted to present something new and create our own spin on it.
PopHorror: Yeah, you don’t really want to be all homage, because then it feels like a gimmick.
Rushabh Patel: Yeah, we wanted to go after something original, but at the same time there are certain things you can honor about the past that really fit the story.
The Motel as a Character
PopHorror: The motel setting feels like a character in itself. How important was that environment to the story?
Rushabh Patel: The fact that you said the hotel felt like a character made my entire day, because when we were in the script phase, one of the things Mike and me were always focusing on was making this hotel feel like just as much of a person as everybody else in the story. We definitely managed to do that. The place we shot at doesn’t even exist anymore, so it was really run down, grimy, and added a lot of texture. Even when we were on set, everybody stayed there, so being in that one environment, a little claustrophobic, dealing with the winter, all of that translated on screen. It felt like we were in the story itself.
PopHorror: And people can relate to that. Hotels are unpredictable places.
Rushabh Patel: Yeah, definitely. It’s a hotel, so there’s all kinds of people, good, bad. We wanted to explore that reality as well. Everyone has different motivations, and that helps with the chemistry.
PopHorror: It’s kind of a roll of the dice.
Rushabh Patel: Oh yeah. There was actually an incident on one of the shoot days where someone was stalking the set, and we had to call the authorities. It was like the stalker in real life came out and was stalking the movie.
Tone, Genre, and Evolution
PopHorror: I Know Exactly How You Die has a strong psychological layer. Did you see it as a horror, a thriller, or a character study?
Rushabh Patel: They say there are always three versions of a movie: the one you write, the one you shoot, and the one you edit. All three can be totally different, and that applies here. In pre-production, we thought it was a horror comedy. On set, it felt more like a black comedy with psychological elements. Then in the edit, it became the best version of itself. It was constantly changing, but there was always an end goal.
PopHorror: The comedy doesn’t feel forced.
Rushabh Patel: That was important. I wanted to make sure the humor didn’t clash with the horror. Everything had to feel thematically appropriate. You don’t want a joke in the middle of a super intense moment. Finding that balance was a really fun challenge.
Challenges and Collaboration
PopHorror: As a producer and actor, what was the biggest challenge in getting this project made?
Rushabh Patel: Money. That’s always the answer. You have to cast the widest possible net and be okay with people saying no, because they will say no most of the time. Creatively, it was about juggling multiple hats, being a producer and an actor at the same time. It was a fun challenge.
PopHorror: You also have to wear the interview subject hat.
Rushabh Patel: Yeah, and it’s cool. You don’t get taught this in film school. When you actually make a movie, you learn so much more because you’re dealing with real situations that just come up.
PopHorror: Katie is another main character. What are your thoughts on her?
Rushabh Patel: She’s my favorite character. The performance is amazing. Steph brought a lot of vulnerability and strength at the same time. There’s so much nuance there. She made Katie feel like a complete person, and that helps you as an actor because you can really respond to it.
Final Thoughts
PopHorror: After audiences watch I Know Exactly How You Die, what’s the one feeling you hope sticks with them?
Rushabh Patel: I want them to come out feeling like, “fuck yeah, I can’t wait to rewatch that.” The slasher genre is so invigorating when it’s done right. It feels like an adventure or a party. So, I want people to come away when they watch this thing, like, “Oh yeah, I can’t wait to, you know, show this to my buddy on Friday night.” Like, this is the movie. I want people to come away feeling like we honored those old slasher movies while completely spinning it and doing our own thing.
PopHorror: All right, I think that about does it.
Rushabh Patel: No, that was cool. This is my first time doing a full media circuit, so it’s been a really cool experience.
PopHorror: Well, I enjoyed talking with you.
Rushabh Patel: Yeah, I’ll take that as a compliment.
