With her fascination for the horror genre, its dark twists and turns, and the unfathomable mystery of fear itself, Hayden Geiger reveals what really goes on behind the scenes in films that brought you your worst nightmares. Hayden has worked for Blumhouse Productions, the company that produced universally feared movies such as: Sinister, Insidious, and Paranormal Activity, and she dauntlessly hopes to one day open her very own New York based horror production company.
Name: Hayden Geiger (‘19)
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Major: Film & TV major, BEMT minor (Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology)
HC NYU: What sparked your interest in the horror genre specifically?
HG: When I was really young, I used to be scared of going to sleep because I didn’t like the idea that the world continued on when I was unconscious. The whole idea freaked me out. I would have my Dad come check on me when I was sleeping and write the time he came in on a whiteboard that I had. And eventually I began to think, “If everything scares me, I might as well read and explore about everything scary.” Soon enough, I became so intrigued with the concept of fear. At amusement parks, I would only go on the scary rides, and at bookstores I would only read the scary stories. My favorite thing was to tell scary stories to my friends. I saw how universal fear was, something that every person had, yet at the same time it was also something very intimate and personal to each person. In short, I fell in love with the genre.
HC NYU: Last summer, you worked at Blumhouse Productions, the leading production company in the horror industry that produced movies such as: The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious. How did you get this internship?
HG: As strange as it sounds, I’ve always seesawed between wanting to be a trauma surgeon and a film maker. Surprisingly, they’re actually more interconnected than you think. I guess the simplest connection between the two is that they both are rooted in gore. One job is more hands on while the other is just making movies about it!!
I was raised in Silicon Valley, where everyone aspired to be doctors, engineers, or computer scientists, so I never saw the possibility that I could actually pursue it as a real career. Once I realized that I could, I instantly knew that it had to be horror, and in that, I saw that Blumhouse was the best place to start. I had always said that when I graduated film school, I would try to get a job at Blumhouse, but I guess living in New York kind of gave me that “why wait?” mindset, so I decided to try to get a summer internship.
Blumhouse is in Los Angeles, and I knew a family friend who worked for SONY. So I reached out to him, longshot, and asked if he knew of anyone who could connect me to Blumhouse. And miraculously, he did. He connected me to the internship coordinator, and she sent me the application information. The process itself was very intense. I sent in my resume, answered questions, and then had a phone interview. After the interview, I was asked to send in a sample script coverage, where I had to read a script and summarize the plot, its strengths and weaknesses, and if I would ‘green light’ it to be made into a movie. After she reviewed my coverage, I had another phone interview. She ended up liking me, and brought me on the team.
HC NYU: That’s incredible. What kind of work did you do at Blumhouse?
HG: The whole process was so insane! I started my internship on June 1, drove myself down to Los Angeles, and subleased an apartment next to USC alone. At Blumhouse, I mainly worked on script coverage. One of the executives would assign us a script to read over and do coverage, eventually sending it off. We also did the stereotypical intern work, like fetching coffee– but for actors and directors who were visiting the office. The interns also had the opportunity to attend exclusive screenings at Blumhouse for movies that had never been released, or pre screenings of other horror movies scheduled to be released soon. I still remember on the second day of my internship, when the CEO and founder of Blumhouse Jason Blum bought all of the interns world premiere tickets to the Conjuring 2, where James Wan, one of my heros and director of the film, spoke.
It’s not too difficult to find people who appreciate the horror genre, but it’s rare to find people wanting to pursue it as a living. It’s a very different crowd. I will never forget walking into Jason Blum’s office; it was beyond creepy. He’s got baby dolls on stilts, a fake severed leg, giant axes. But I loved all of it. It was just so interesting to have a conversation with these people about the craft of horror.
HC NYU: Your dream is to own and operate a New York based horror movie production company. What do you envision this company to look like?
HG: I have always found the scariest thing in the world to be other people because they are unpredictable. I want the movies I make to be one thing: realistic. There is no doubt that a ghost movie like The Conjuring is up there on the list of the scariest movies of all time. But for me, there has always been a disconnect with ghost, vampire, or zombie movies. I might say, “Wow, this was a good movie!”, and I might jump, or get scared at the theater. But afterwards, I’m not phased. I’m not scared. And obviously, there are people out there who may think differently. However, for me, the goal of a horror movie is to make you think about it during someone’s regular, everyday life. There’s one movie called The Strangers that does a phenomenal job.
I want my company to be based in New York because most of the horror production companies are in Los Angeles. I also love New York, and don’t want to leave. My ideal company would be smaller, making it more intimate. There’s nothing better than working with friends.
HC NYU: What about The Strangers is so phenomenal to you?
HG: The Strangers is about a couple that goes back to the man’s old vacation home in a rural area. However, a man and two women in clown masks invade the home. The way they go about doing so is just so fascinating though–it is not typical. These three people simply start off outside the home, playfully throwing things at the window, knocking on the door, making noise, almost pranking or messing with the couple. They slowly infiltrate the house, but take their time in capturing the couple. It’s not until the end of the movie when things get gory.
At the end of the film, the woman desperately asks, “Why are you doing this?”, and they respond, “Because you were home.” It’s saying that they were victims of this torture because they simply answered the front door. It shows that sometimes you can’t do anything to defend yourself, and that at any given moment, you can be killed for the sheer entertainment of a psychopath. This is the model of the movies I want to make. There is not someone on this planet who can deny that another person has the capability to kill another person. I’ve always had a personal fascination with how the brains of serial killers are wired.
HC NYU: Do you ever get scared while watching horror films or working on projects?
HG: I’m not invincible. When I’m watching a horror movie in a theater, I’m going to jump and scream during the scary moments. But once it’s done, I’m over it. I think now I don’t find things scary, but more so, engrossing, drawing me in deeper. I look at horror films from more of a research, analytical based view, and I try to see as many as I can. It’s more like an educational viewing.
HC NYU: Aside from your interest in horror films and production, you are also involved in modeling. Can you tell us more?
HG: It’s something I’m currently dipping my feet in. I do a lot of photoshoots for friends and their portfolios. I started with a collective art company called CBC (Can’t Buy Cool), which was started by my boyfriend and a couple of his friends. CBC helps young artists get their work made, eventually showcasing it in these super cool art shows. CBC has a diverse array of sections such as: fashion, music, movies, comedy, and photography/modeling which is what I am a part of. I plan photoshoots, and I’m also in some of them myself. One of my goals in modeling is to break the mold of the stereotypical supermodel, and instead feature girls who are real.
HC NYU: What do you consider the key component to a great horror film?
HG: Honestly, the story is what makes it. Of course, realistic effects, costume, etc are crucial too. But at the end of the day, when you take the meat away, the spine of the horror movie is what makes it. If you don’t have an interesting plot, and solely rely on jump scares, is there even a point? There’s nothing to think about afterwards. And personally, I think that a tasteful use of gore is essential as well.
Short Answer:
Favorite Holiday: Halloween
If you produced a horror film, you would go to: an insane asylum
Biggest Pet Peeve: when people lie to my face
Favorite Movie (sorry, we had to): The Silence of the Lambs
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IG: @haydengeiger
Twitter: @haydengeiger
Website: www.haydengeiger.com