How A Horror Short Topped The Box Office: An Interview With Christian Nilsson & Eric Tabach

“I don’t have the time”, “I don’t have the money”, “How do I stay creative during the pandemic?”, are thoughts many filmmakers have struggled with, and something YouTuber and Actor Eric Tabach knew all too well. Eric turned to his friend, former BuzzFeed co-worker, Emmy-award winner Christian Nilsson, and together they came up with an idea to make a short horror film over Zoom. The Killer Shorts blog brings you this interview with a team of filmmakers that took their short film script, Unsubscribe, to #1 at the Box Office. As Eric puts it, “It was actually an opportunity for us to take fate into our own hands and creatively break into Hollywood.”

Killer Shorts hopes Eric & Christian’s story shows contest finalists, winners, and those submitting scripts, that there are a myriad of paths one can take with their horror short scripts. Check out the interview with Eric Tabach & Christian Nilsson below, where you can really get a sense of the process they took.

Conversations with Christian & Eric

Where did you grow up & where do you currently reside? Does your location influence your filmmaking in any way?

C: I grew up on the East End of Long Island—right outside of Westhampton Beach. Growing up out there definitely influenced my filmmaking. In fact, the next project I’d like to direct is titled Westhampton—I was set to shoot the film summer of 2020 but when COVID hit, we lost funding.

E: I grew up in Moscow, Russia and moved to Philadelphia when I was 15 years old. I’m currently living at home in Philadelphia. I left NYC for a bit during Covid to spend more time with family. Because I grew up in a military family I was constantly traveling and never really got the time to fully assimilate to one specific culture or location. I feel like that’s helped me have a unique perspective on the world around me.

How did you two get to know each other? Christian, what is it about Eric as a filmmaker that inspires you to work with him? Eric, what is it about Christian as a filmmaker?

C: We met while we were both working at BuzzFeed. Eric and I didn’t hit it off right away. His ever-positive attitude grated against my quiet and brooding demeanor. However, I noticed he was always going on auditions for various TV and theater projects. One day he asked me to read with him as he practiced. He was incredible—and even more impressive was his ability to take any note I offered and execute it perfectly. I knew pretty early on that I’d want to work with him if I had the chance.

E: Christian and I both met at BuzzFeed. I was really inspired by the type of content he was creating when I first started working there. I reached out to collaborate immediately. Christian obviously ignored me at first because I was just a 20 year old kid who’s been making videos for a week and was already creating chaos in the office. After being partnered on a few projects Christian and I realized that we worked really well together. I was proud of everything we produced and the videos would get millions of views. We also realized that we both dreamed of making movies and wanted to focus on traditional media. After a while we both left BuzzFeed and started pursuing our dreams. What inspires me about Christian’s filmmaking is his ability to envision a project, describe it, and then no matter what obstacles come his way he is able to execute on the original vision. I also really gravitate towards the stories that he is trying to tell. Every idea he comes up with speaks to me on a personal level. 

What inspired you to create this horror short, UNSUBSCRIBE?

C: Well, the box office stunt was the initial idea. As soon as we had the logistics locked down, I started to think around the physical parameters of filming during a pandemic and decided we’d do a horror film over Zoom. I’d just rewatched Hitchcock’s Rear Window and thought, “what would Zoom meeting participants do if they witnessed a crime in someone’s video frame?” The plot for Unsubscribe was really born out of that idea. Once we cast the film, I wrote the screenplay around the actor’s availability. 

E: I always check Box Office Mojo to see what the top movies are and how they are doing at the box office. I kept checking the app at the start of Covid and realized that there were almost no movies playing and the ones that were, we’re making very little money. That’s when I pitched Christian the idea to try and make the #1 box office movie in America. Christian and I quickly realized that this was more than just as stunt. It was actually an opportunity for us to take fate into our own hands and creatively break into Hollywood.

You shot a horror short over zoom, bought out a theater, and managed to get your film #1 in the box office. How did this idea come about?

C: Eric had the initial idea. He called me in early May 2020 asking how he could make one of his YouTube videos become the number one movie in America. Box office numbers were so low at that point. I explained a concept independent filmmakers sometimes use called “four walling” where the filmmaker rents out a theater for a flat fee and then keeps 100% of the profits. I told Eric if we rented out a theater for a tiny fee (keep in mind, theaters were all closed) we’d be able to purchase the tickets ourselves and have the money funnel right back into our own pockets. It was an insane idea. Even more insane: it worked.

E: Christian introduced me to the concept of “four wall distribution.” But as soon as we figured out how to make this work, I started casting the film and locked in people like Charlie Tahan (Ozark), Zack Kornfeld (The Try Guys), Michelle Khare, Thomas Brag (Yes Theory), etc. I thought it would be hard to lock people in since I was just calling them and saying “hey, do you wanna be in the #1 box office movie in America? I promise it’ll work. I don’t have a script but you should do it.” Most people agreed because I guess they had nothing better to do during peak Covid. 

Eric, since this was initially your idea, what was your reaction to reading Christian’s script for the first time?

E: I was blown away when I first read the script. I couldn’t believe Christian wrote it in a single day. I thought it was really fun and since the idea was originally created for my YouTube channel I thought the story would be really entertaining for people who consume a lot of YouTube.

Were you surprised how viral this went? Getting a segment with CBS? How do you feel about being highlighted in that capacity?

C: We were hoping people would notice, but neither of us expected the international buzz the stunt garnered. Every major news outlet in the world reached out to us. We were in hundreds of publications in countries all over the world. The highlight was CBS Saturday Morning—it’s a show I’ve watched every week since I was a kid so it was a real honor to be included.

E: We were very surprised by how viral it went. Until the day that the story got picked up by every news network we had no idea if this would actually work. It felt incredible. We spent months working on the stunt and people noticed and loved the idea. It was a wholesome story about two guys who are just trying to make their filmmaking dreams come try by creatively sneaking into an extremely competitive industry. We got attention from some really influential people and even got funding to make an actual feature, which we have been working on ever since.

Was there a learning curve to shooting this entire film over zoom?

C: It’s not easy to shoot a movie over Zoom. Acting is all about reacting and it’s near impossible to do it well when everyone has varying internet speeds and your acting partner is on a 3-second delay, but we figured out a way to work through each scene. One of my favorite parts of making the film was figuring out how to use computer lighting in a suspenseful way. Some of the scariest moments of the film were achieved solely by using the light given off by computer screens.

E: There were definitely a lot of challenges when it came to filming on zoom. Everyone has internet problems that ruin takes and people have to act with a delay. It’s not the same acting over zoom as it is to actually be in the room with actors and directors. Luckily, Christian handled it so well and was able to shoot everything quickly so that we didn’t waste too much of anyone’s time.

Were there moments of doubt that this whole process wouldn’t work out?

C: There were a few days between Eric and I getting the number one spot on the box office charts and the rest of the world finding out. We definitely had a moment where we thought we did all that work for nothing. But then someone from my local Patch wrote something up based on a Facebook post I’d written and shortly after that I received a call from the Washington Post. By the next morning, it was quite literally everywhere.

Eric had this to say about his moments of doubt:

“There were so many moments of doubt throughout this entire process, but we both picked up each others spirits whenever the other was doubtful.”

Eric Tabach

Can you walk me through the process of qualifying your film for the Oscars? How did you feel when you got that final call from the theater that you could show the film in time to qualify?

C: When Eric and I were doing the interview with CBS Saturday Morning, the interviewer joked that we should go for an Oscar next. A light bulb went off. We figured, if festivals and theaters are all closed, the number of qualifying films will be pretty close to zero. If we could find a way to qualify, we’d have a shot at a nomination.  Traditionally, to qualify you need to either win an Oscar-qualifying festival or get a seven-day run in NYC or LA. Due to the pandemic, the Academy added Atlanta, Miami, and Chicago to that list of cities. I called every theater in those cities to see if they’d let us screen at their cinema but everyone was rightfully closed. With just days before the deadline, Chicago’s Music Box Theater agreed to let us screen Unsubscribe. Turns out, I was wrong though. There were quite a few short films that also qualified and our film didn’t make the list of nominees. 

E: I was so relieved when we finally screened the movie at a qualifying theater. I’m also glad Christian and I got to go on a little 24 hour vacation in Chicago. It was good bonding. I always wanted to do a video at BuzzFeed with Christian called “surprising my co-worker with a couples retreat”…it never happened…but maybe one day. After everything was done we actually qualified for the Oscars, which is insane. We didn’t get nominated, but that’s okay. You’ll see me and Christian on that stage soon.

What’s next for you both? Is there anything else YOU’D like to promote?

C: The point of producing Unsubscribe was to get people’s attention and to hopefully make a feature film. That’s exactly what happened. A prominent indie producer saw Unsubscribe and loved it. At first, they were interested in us producing a feature-length version of the film. Instead, I pitched them an original psychological thriller that we’d be able to film during the pandemic. They greenlit the film off my pitch, and then Eric and I got back to work. We just recently locked the film—Dashcam—which will be my feature-length directorial debut and we expect the film to be released later this year.

E: I’m acting in projects here and there but I’m just excited to make more movies with Christian. 

Since you came up with this idea, do you have any advice for any writers/ filmmakers that might be struggling to “make it” or stay inspired?

C: It’s easier said than done, but my advice to writers and filmmakers struggling to stay inspired would be to get out of your own head and do the thing. I’m also guilty of saying things like “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t have the money” but my experience with Unsubscribe taught me those excuses were just that—excuses. We did the thing for literally $0 and I woke up earlier or stayed up later than normal to get it done. We produced our feature Dashcam in the same way. A small team worked nights and weekends to accomplish something incredible. It’s daunting to look at a behemoth project like a film and decide to take it on. But in reality, it’s just a bunch of small tasks that you can easily get through if you give it a few minutes of your day, every day. 

E: My advice to writers/ filmmakers that might be struggling to “make it” or stay inspired is to try and really focus on living life. I don’t think you can force creativity. I think you have to pay attention to the world around you and let ideas come naturally. It’s also very okay to be uninspired. Take that time to figure out what inspires you. I would also recommend a book that Christian introduced me to called “The Artist’s Way.” It changed my life. It’s a 12-week creativity course designed for people to work through and gain artistic inspiration.

The Killer Shorts Contest hopes those who submit, finalists, and winners are able to make a career from their short horror scripts. Eric Tabach had an idea to make something #1 in the Box Office during quarantine. Through the process of “four-walling”, he along with Christian, was able to make that a reality. They found a path to take their career into their own hands, from writing the short script in a day to utilizing our current form of communication, Zoom, to their benefit.

Make sure to check out Unsubscribe on Vimeo, and look out for their upcoming feature Dashcam.

Christian Nilsson’s Website.

Christian Nilsson on Twitter.

Eric Tabach on YouTube.

Eric Tabach on Twitter.

For more on screenwriting, visit The Screenwriters Network and join the discord server to network with over 6000 screenwriters.

Images provided by Christian Nilsson.

Featured Image created by Ieva Berzina.