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Barry Miller on Turning Personal Experience into STEVEN
Before the Credits - introduces emerging filmmakers and creators before the industry knows their names exploring the projects they are building, the experiences behind them, and what they need to take the next step.
This edition features Barry Miller, a New Jersey-based, WGAE-registered screenwriter and former actor whose horror screenplay STEVEN grew from an early fascination with Halloween into an original story shaped in part by experiences from his own life.
Barry began writing in seventh grade, inspired by Sylvester Stallone. Years later, what initially started as an idea connected to the world of Michael Myers evolved into something much more personal and entirely his own.
1. What was the first idea or moment that led to this project?
STEVEN originally started as a prequel to the 1978 Halloween. I wrote it with Michael Myers in mind, but once I finished the screenplay, I realized I couldn't realistically sell it because I didn't own the rights.
So I decided to take what I had and turn it into my own original story. I began pulling elements from my own life into several scenes and moved completely away from Michael Myers. Once I did that, everything clicked. The story became its own thing, and the writing came naturally.
2. What is the main idea or emotion you hope audiences will take away from the story?
I want audiences to feel the fear of being lied to, but also the guilt that comes from knowing something is wrong and choosing not to act.
Sometimes the consequences of that decision don't end with you. What you ignore today can affect another person's life in ways you never expected. That burden and the consequences that follow are at the heart of STEVEN.
3. What part of the project do you feel really sets it apart from other similar stories?
The fact that parts of it could actually happen.
Certain scenes in STEVEN are rooted in things that happened to me personally. I built fictional elements around those experiences, but the emotional core of those scenes is real.
And no, I wasn't the fire kid. That part didn't happen. Laughs.
4. Was there a point during development when your original idea changed significantly? If so, what caused that change?
Absolutely. The biggest change came when I had to decide whether there was any realistic future for the screenplay while it was still connected to Michael Myers.
I even wrote to John Carpenter hoping to get his approval, but I never received a response. Eventually I told myself to forget it. I didn't want to build a project around rights I didn't control or spend my time dealing with potential legal issues.
That decision pushed me to create my own characters and my own story. Looking back, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to STEVEN because that's when it really became mine.
5. If you received the support you needed tomorrow to move the project one major step forward, what would that next step be?
Finding the right producer.
I'm looking for someone who understands contained horror, practical effects, and what can realistically be achieved on an 18-day SAG Ultra Low Budget shoot.
The screenplay is locked at 100 pages, the production is designed around practical effects rather than VFX, and I've thought seriously about how the film could actually be made rather than simply writing something and hoping someone figures it out later.
I'm ready to move forward when the right producer comes aboard.
6. What does your production timeline look like? When would you realistically want to begin shooting?
The story needs the right seasonal look, so ideally we would shoot during fall or winter, but without snow.
Fall 2027 is a realistic target, although if the right opportunity, producer, and financing came together earlier, I'd be ready to move sooner.
7. What makes you confident that this project could reach or resonate with its intended audience today?
Bullying and the consequences of ignoring what young people are going through are still very real issues.
STEVEN takes those ideas into horror, but underneath the genre elements there is something I think many families can recognize: what can happen when warning signs are missed, when someone keeps being pushed, and when the people around them don't realize the damage being done until it's too late.
It's a horror story, but there's a message underneath it. If the film makes someone think more carefully about what a child might be experiencing behind closed doors, then the story has done something beyond simply frightening an audience.
8. If someone discovers you and your project for the first time through this interview, what is the one thing you would like them to remember?
I'm a self-taught screenwriter, so creating something with real meaning feels like a feat beyond words.
If you discover me and STEVEN for the first time here, I want you to remember this: STEVEN is proof that one small spark can have infinite consequences — in the story and in real life.
FilmPlatforms gave my dream a spark.
This project is what happened next.
About Barry Miller
Barry Fredrick Miller is a New Jersey-based, WGAE-registered screenwriter (Registration No. 1347110) who began writing in seventh grade after being inspired by Sylvester Stallone.Before focusing on screenwriting, Miller worked as an actor and appeared as a prison guard in Wild Out, as an extra in War of the Worlds, Creed II, and In the Weeds, as well as in Sega Dreamcast NFL 2K1 and Eagle commercials.
His current screenplay, STEVEN, is an original contained horror project combining fictional genre storytelling with elements inspired by personal experiences.
Project: STEVEN
Genre: Horror
Screenplay: 100 pages — locked
Production approach: Contained production / practical effects / no VFX
Target shoot: 18-day SAG Ultra Low Budget production
Target period: Fall 2027, or earlier if production and financing are secured
Currently seeking: Producer / production partners
Contact Barry Miller:
outlawtorn35@gmail.com
