Horror, Music & Liminal Spaces

In this episode of Discover the Terror, we sit down with Camilla, a DC-raised horror writer, producer, and musician behind the trap-metal project Heckraiser. Camilla talks about growing up as an outsider, discovering horror at a young age, and how fear, suffering, and moral grayness shape both her screenwriting and music.

We explore her journey from the DC area to Los Angeles film school, her love of disturbing imagery and liminal spaces, and how horror icons like Saw and Friday the 13th influenced her storytelling. Camilla also breaks down her upcoming horror feature The Vial, a cult-island survival story inspired by Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and Midsommar.

This episode dives deep into horror ethics, “torture porn” discourse, trap metal aesthetics, and why art that makes us uncomfortable can be deeply cathartic.

• Horror storytelling & moral ambiguity
• Growing up alternative in the DC area
• Liminal spaces, empty malls, and analog dread
• Horror influences: Saw, Midsommar, Hereditary
• Trap metal, Ghostemane, and horror-inspired music
• Writing horror films and getting scripts made
• Why creators must keep making—even when it’s bad

01:12 – Meeting Camilla & “Who Are You?” as a Loaded Question

03:05 – Growing Up in DC vs LA Creative Culture

06:40 – Feeling Like an Outsider & DC’s “Proper” Image

10:15 – Early Music Roots & No-TV Childhood

13:02 – Childhood Horror Fascination & the “Bloody Babies”

17:30 – Private School, Class Divide & Embracing Darkness

22:10 – Outsider Characters & Horror Storytelling

26:05 – Amanda Young (Saw) & Moral Gray Horror Characters

32:40 – Suffering, Empathy & Why Horror Hits Hard

36:55 – Are There Limits to Horror?

41:20 – Terrifier, Extremity & Viewer Responsibility

46:10 – Horror’s Influence on Music & Trap Metal

50:25 – Heckraiser Project & Musical Influences

55:40 – Genre Blending, Art as Expression & Filmmaking

1:01:20 – Writing Horror Films & Script Development

1:05:45 – “The Vial” Explained (Cult Island Horror)

1:12:30 – Liminal Spaces & Analog Photography

1:18:10 – Empty Malls, Backrooms & Pandemic Liminality

1:23:45 – Using Liminality in Music & Screenwriting

1:27:50 – Advice for Creators: Just Keep Making

1:30:10 – Final Thoughts & Outro

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