UNCSA filmmakers turn their love of horror into a killer podcast
Horror has long been a boys’ club, according to filmmaking alumni Becky Bruner (M.F.A. ’25). That’s where she and fellow alumna Sahiti Satish (M.F.A. ’25) come in. Together with colleagues from their Creative Producing cohort at UNCSA — Adam Heilbrunn, Spencer Stringer and Jamo Filston — they’ve created a love letter to the horror genre that brings women to the forefront: the “Final Girls’ Guide” podcast.
“Sahiti and I came up with ‘Final Girls’ Guide’ because we were constantly being undermined or not taken seriously,” Bruner says. “We realized there was this gap — no one was really speaking to or for Gen Z women who love horror.” Through their podcast, the duo hopes to build a community and highlight how smart, emotional and socially aware horror can be.
But deciding to start a podcast is one thing, actually summoning one into existence (with cinematic flair and killer production value) is a whole different monster.
The haunting begins
Becky Bruner and Sahiti Satish record an episode of "Final Girls' Guide"
Bruner was raised by horror. She grew up as a kid obsessed with the macabre, gravitating to films like “Poltergeist,” “The Ring,” and even “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” “Horror helped me process emotions and make sense of the world in a way that other genres didn’t,” she says. “It’s never just about a guy in a mask killing teenagers, it’s a mirror.”
For Satish, horror came from real life. “Horror for me was a reflection of how I started seeing the world as I grew up — the injustices, the cruelty, but also sometimes the hope that emerges in the end,” she says. “I didn’t choose the horror life; it grabbed me by the ankles from under my bed.”
When the two began their graduate studies in the School of Filmmaking, it didn’t take long for their shared love for horror to take center stage. They soon became the conservatory’s go-to experts in the genre, joined by creative producers Heilbrunn, Stringer and Filston. No matter what other genre they tried to focus on, horror always crept back in.
It lives!
In their second year at UNCSA, Bruner and Satish took a podcasting class with Filmmaking faculty member Pooja Gupta. They’d already trained in production and storytelling, and Gupta’s class was the final spark — the pair were ready to bring “Final Girls’ Guide” to life.
"Final Girls' Guide" director of photography Jamo Filston with associate producers Spencer Stringer and Adam Heilbrunn.
The project was extracurricular but deeply rooted in UNCSA connections. Bruner and Satish hosted and produced the series; Stringer and Heilbrunn served as associate producers; Filston was director of photography; and Composition for Film and Visual Media student Adam Summey composed a “truly iconic” intro and outro score.
Then UNCSA alumna Bernice Miller came to the rescue with a key contribution — her studio at Robinhood Productions in Winston-Salem.
“We wanted it to be cinematic and polished, but we had almost accepted that we would just have to record audio-only or film on iPhones at home,” recalls Satish. “That was until we met Bernice. She was so gracious, and when we saw her beautiful studio, we finally saw the full vision of our podcast.”
After countless sleepless nights, technical hurdles and a few jump scares, “Final Girls’ Guide” premiered its pilot episode, “Dying Alone,” in February 2025. Six episodes later — with titles ranging from “Slashstick Comedy” to “There Might Be a Ghost in Our Studio” — the first season wrapped just in time for Bruner and Satish to graduate.
The return of the Final Girls
Both creators have since moved to Los Angeles, carving out their paths in the industry. Bruner is working freelance as a producer and associate producer on a mix of commercials and proof-of-concept projects, including a horror short titled “Goldie,” about a clown desperate to reclaim the spotlight. Satish has been working on commercials and short films and freelancing as a social media producer, all while developing an international co-production with collaborators in India and London.
But don’t fear, Final Girls’ Guide isn’t a one-season haunt. “Now that we’ve made the big move to L.A., we’ve started connecting with so many amazing horror filmmakers and fans out here,” Satish says. “Season 2 is all about expanding that community, and we’re gearing up for some really exciting interviews with up-and-coming filmmakers who are ready to make their mark on the genre.
Our generation is ready to say: it’s time to stop giving every award to the next five-hour prestige drama. Let’s let the horror shine.
Becky Bruner
“Our generation is ready to say: it’s time to stop giving every award to the next five-hour prestige drama,” Bruner adds. “Let’s let the horror shine.”
Need something spooky to tide you over? The Final Girls recommend three frightful flicks: “Gonjiam Haunted Asylum” (2018), “Cat People” (1942), and “The Monkey” (2025).
You can find Final Girls’ Guide — and maybe a few nightmares — wherever you stream your podcasts.
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October 31, 2025