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| Filmmaker Jonna Lutz >>> |
For Columbus-born filmmaker Jonna Lutz, the spark for storytelling began in the classroom.
“When we would watch documentaries,” she recalls, “I always wondered, ‘How did they make this?’ My dad also introduced me to a lot of his favorite films growing up, and I found myself fascinated by movies more and more until I decided I wanted to pursue filmmaking.”
When Lutz paired it with her love of visual storytelling with a newfound passion for writing, she saw cinema not just as entertainment, but as a calling—one she’s been chasing ever since.
Finding comfort, creativity, and community in the horror genre
That path led directly into the shadows of horror, a genre Lutz says feels as natural to her as breathing.“Growing up, my mom and I always watched spooky shows and movies,” she says. “Mom would always recall her time living in a haunted house. I think that’s where it really started.”
Later came the internet’s “golden age of creepypastas,” when Lutz would stay up late reading terrifying stories or watching horror game playthroughs on YouTube.
“I would scare myself,” Lutz laughs, “but I couldn’t put them down.”
Horror soon became less of a fear and more a fascination. She found comfort and connection in the genre.
“Horror has always been a kind of safe haven for the oddballs of the world,” she says. “The community is so welcoming and unique.”
Jonna Lutz poses in front of the Athena theater where her sophomore year film, On Air, plays alongside graduate projects
Exploring fear at the edge of the frontier
Lutz loves the genre because the visuals, tones and themes are things she loves putting her own spin on. You can see that in her latest project, Country of Ghosts, a Western with a vampiric twist that explores “the untapped eeriness of the wild west.” 
It’s also her Capstone project as a film student at Ohio University.
As she gears up for production, Lutz sat down with us to talk about her influences, her love of the genre, and how she’s redefining what it means to be a horror storyteller.
Jonna Lutz directs a scene from her film Where's the Beef?
5 horrific questions with Jonna Lutz
No. 1: What gives you chills? What do you think makes a movie truly scary?
What makes a movie truly scary is if it explores the unknown, or things that we can’t bear to imagine. I like to put myself in a character’s shoes. If I have no idea how I would escape, then that movie is extra terrifying to me.
No. 2: Which horror film has scared you the most — and why?
Probably Lake Mungo. Mainly because of that terrifying cell-phone footage scene. You watch the playback and you can’t quite make out what it is, but once you come to the horrifying realization, it’s too late! I still can’t look at that clip without getting freaked out about its implications.
No. 3: Which filmmakers, writers, or creators inspire your work?A lot of my early works have been inspired by Puppet Combo, a horror game creator. They have a distinct retro and uncanny feel to them that I adore.
No. 4: Why do you think people love being scared?Watching scary films is another form of thrill-seeking, and it satisfies our innate morbid curiosity. Rather than hopping on rollercoasters or skydiving, horror films provide the same adrenaline, but from the comfort of our couch or a theater seat.
That has a special appeal to the audience and allows us to explore the dark and morbid from a safe distance.
No. 5: If you could turn any non-horror movie or book into a horror story, what would it be — and how would you make it terrifying?
A Batman film from the perspective of a criminal would be terrifying. Imagine you’re being tracked down by a masked vigilante that hides in the shadows, never pulling his punches.
If it were my film, I would have a group of criminals be the main characters, and one by one they are inevitably hunted down by Batman, who you rarely see.
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