
Directing
Michael J. Epstein
Known for
Directing
Credits
100 titles
Michael J. Epstein is a Los Angeles filmmaker known for social-satire-horror Clickbait (2019), 70s-Euro-vampire Blood of the Tribades (2016), psychotronic-sci-fi Magnetic (2015), and the avant-mystery Ten (2014). He often co-writes, co-directs, and co-produces with his wife, Sophia Cacciola, with their production company, Launch Over.
Known for
NRFinal Transmissions is an upcoming six-episode analog horror anthology series that features six short, found-footage films, set to be created using analog technology and VHS tapes to evoke a '90s television aesthetic.
Final Transmissions
2026
4.0A group of criminals on the run in a cold, winter forest find themselves caught in the middle of an ancient feud between the monsters that rule the day and the creatures that rule the night.
Backwoods Blood Feud
2025
4.0A group of college friends head to a remote cabin for the weekend when a mysterious earthquake unleashes a horde of bloodthirsty, subterranean dinosaurs.
Dinogore
2020
NRJoker Lopez is betrayed by his gang and left to die behind a pizza shop. A voodoo curse brings him back as a small demonic pizza creature. After killing his crew, he hunts the teens who ignored his pleas, turning a house party into a night of bloody chaos.
The Killer Pizza Man
—
4.8While searching for Nazi documents in an Austrian farmhouse, a team of experts uncovers a hidden secret buried in its bowels. American expatriate Gunner S. Holbrook becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, and as his sanity wanes, he must confront an insatiable evil.
Solvent
2024
When one old man is fed up with the crime in his city, he enlists his grandchildren and takes matters into his own hands.
Our Man Funk
—
Film credits
2020s · 25 titles
NRFinal Transmissions is an upcoming six-episode analog horror anthology series that features six short, found-footage films, set to be created using analog technology and VHS tapes to evoke a '90s television aesthetic.
Final Transmissions
2026
4.0A group of college friends head to a remote cabin for the weekend when a mysterious earthquake unleashes a horde of bloodthirsty, subterranean dinosaurs.
Dinogore
2020
4.8While searching for Nazi documents in an Austrian farmhouse, a team of experts uncovers a hidden secret buried in its bowels. American expatriate Gunner S. Holbrook becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, and as his sanity wanes, he must confront an insatiable evil.
Solvent
2024
NRA wannabe monster hunter helps a bloodthirsty gang of vampire chicks expand their business by creating a new app to turn their victims into customers.
OnlyFangs
2025
4.07 Sins is divided into seven segments, each one unique in its voice, acting, story, and style. While the seven deadly sins are cemented in Catholic Theology and are always the same, the interpretation by any single person is always different, and this assemblage is no exception. This film uses the themes within its subtext and introduces, and then wildly perverts, the punishments associated with the 7 Deadly Sins. The overall atmosphere is one of uneasiness that, in addition to a fair amount of disturbing visuals, is amplified by its pulse-pounding soundtrack.
7 Sins
2020
5.9A young nurse begins her shift at an old city hospital. After a strange apparition one of the oldest nurse tells her that a patient, Mr. Moore, entered the hospital a few years ago. His body was completely burned after a fire. Mr. Moore was operated urgently by the doctors. But no one wanted to assist him. The pain and drugs had driven him mad... One night one of the nurses went to his room but his bed was empty ... Nothing was heard from him anymore. A bell interrupts the story. The call comes from Mr. Moore´s room…
The Devil's Tail
2021
5.7In 1970, Mikey and William both portrayed football cannibal Smash-Mouth in the influential cult hit, End Zone 2. Now, 50 years later, only one can wear the mask.
The Once and Future Smash
2022
NRHacking at Leaves documents artist and hazmat-suit aficionado Johannes Grenzfurthner as he attempts to come to terms with the United States' colonial past, Navajo tribal history, and the hacker movement. The story hones in on a small tinker space in Durango, Colorado, that made significant contributions to worldwide COVID relief efforts. But things go awry when Uncle Sam interferes with the film's production.
Hacking at Leaves
2024
4.0When a gang of satanic strippers kidnap an innocent young couple, a horrifying scenario ensues. Brides Of Satan is an Action Exploitation Horror film.
Brides of Satan
2020
2.0A scientist with nefarious intentions seeks to dominate the world using his vast expertise in robotics.
Robot Dracula
2026
NRDuring a slumber party on Halloween, the Pillow Fright girls are sucked back through time into a 1970's Halloween special where, with the help of some new friends, they must host the show in order to save Halloween and make their way back through time.
The Pillow Fright Halloween Special
2024
NRA mysterious figure adorned in a sinister goose mask delves into a collection of horrifying tales, each more terrifying than the last. Mother Goose promises a rollercoaster ride of terror, featuring a variety of spine-tingling stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Mother Goose's Scary Tales
2024
NRA mysterious figure adorned in a sinister goose mask delves into a collection of horrifying tales, each more terrifying than the last. Mother Goose promises a rollercoaster ride of terror, featuring a variety of spine-tingling stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Mother Goose's Scary Tales
2024
NRAfter being apprehended by police during a big banana heist (and, you know, all the murders from the first film), the Psycho Ape! is put on trial for his crimes and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Psycho Ape!! Part II: The Wrath of Kong
2024
NRDetermined to create the ultimate pandemic film, Stephen (who apparently has never heard of an exquisite corpse) brings a team of filmmakers together, believing he has created a brand new genre of filmmaking, they recruit 20 of their friends to each shoot a segment of the film. A lot goes wrong! Michael convinces the team he can program an AI better than Amazon. Bob wasn't invited. Kate has regrets.
The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins
2021
A woman and her questionable veterinarian search across dimensions to kill God in order to save Blanche the dog.
I Thought His Name Was Blarche
2021
4.0Voodoo deity transforms burlesque dancer into a "Valentine Vampire." Blood only whets her appetite--she must eat her victim's beating hearts. A bloody fun horror/comedy by director Richard Elfman, music by Danny Elfman and Ego Plum.
Bloody Bridget
2023
NRAn anthology film that tells the tales of eight hapless souls infected with a monstrous sexually transmitted parasite that holds eldritch powers over its host’s mind.
Fat Fleshy Fingers
2023
NRSalomé: Do Not Dance, My Daughter
Salomé: Do Not Dance, My Daughter
2022
NRJack suffers from relentless ringing in his ears that slowly isolates him from the world around him. As the noise grows unbearable and medical help fails, he takes a horrifying step to reclaim silence, with devastating consequences.
The Ringing
2026
Micro-budget filmmakers
Micro-Budget Marauders: Micro-Budget Mentality
2021
6.8Voices...HORRIFIC Content...Right Here In The Holiday Of Horrors.
Happy Horror Days
2020
Third film in the documentary series that looks at low-budget filmmaking.
Micro-Budget Marauders 3: Marketing and Distribution
2020
NRIt's a sequel to a movie
Bite School 2
2025
NRWhen Penny’s aunt—a legendary aerobics instructor from the neon-lit, spandex-clad 80s—suddenly passes away under bizarre circumstances, Penny and her friends decide to clean out her retro home. But between the leg warmers and workout tapes, they uncover a cursed article of sportswear that brings an ancient evil to life. As the demon starts possessing Penny, her friends find themselves in a high-energy battle that demands exercise and EXORCISM!
Spandexorcist
2025
2010s · 26 titles
7.4On December 31st, the Earth will be destroyed. Everything you know will become nothing. Maybe it already has.
Magnetic
2015
3.8For this anthology movie, producers Vestra Pictures assigned international directors with a phobia and set them to work making a horror short about it.
A Taste of Phobia
2018
NRSUGAR OFF THE BUTTON is a short film about being in love. This film was my wedding gift to my husband, Douglas Burgdorff. With selected writing by Ruth Krauss from 1954, and shot on 16mm by Kansas Bowling.
Sugar Off The Button
2019
4.5A college student who will do just about anything for Internet fame is kidnapped by a fan, and her reluctant roommate is the only one who can save her.
Clickbait
2019
NRAn anachronistic public access TV channel plays host to a self-help guru with one goal — to scare viewers out of whatever addiction may be plaguing them. Using his trademarked "Eight Step Action Plan," he covers topics ranging from sex to gluttony, each of them glitching into a terrifying tale of addiction gone wrong. Eight international directors take on these stories, presenting horrifying shorts focused on the darkest and most surreal side of addiction.
I Am an Addict
2019
6.8Puppets! Pixels! Anime! Live action! Stock footage! Lumpennerd Johannes Grenzfurthner gives an ideotaining cinematic revue about important political concepts. Everyone is talking about freedom! Privacy! Identity! Resistance! The Market! The Left! But, yikes, Johannes can't tolerate ignorant and topically abusive comments on the "Internet" anymore! Supported by writer Ishan Raval, in this film, Johannes explains, re-evaluates, and sometimes sacrifices political golden calves of discourse. Not to be used with false consciousness or silicone-based lubricant.
Glossary of Broken Dreams
2018
8.0Bring Us Your Women is an international anthology dedicated to women and the pursuit of divinity and freedom. The project seeks to tell existing and re-imagined stories of historic and mythical individuals, each presenting a message of humanity that transcends gender and religion.
Bring Us Your Women
2015
5.7Three women going to a three day metal festival in the desert find something disturbing in the freezer of their isolated vacation rental.
What Metal Girls Are Into
2017
NRHorror Anthology "60 second short films that will scar you for a lifetime"
60 Seconds 2 Die: 60 Seconds to Die 2
2018
1.0Blake is captain of the football team and destined for a career in the pro leagues - that is if he passes his chemistry class. But destiny has a way of tackling the toughest of players when demons invade his college and begin to enslave the student body. A divine angel descends to give Blake an invincible suit of super football pads and send him out to battle the forces of evil. Unfortunately, the suit is missing one vital piece - the jock strap. In order to get it back, Blake must descend into the underworld and face the guardians of doom known as The Chainsaw Maidens from Hell. And he's got to do all this while studying for a chemistry quiz.
Chainsaw Maidens from Hell
2016
5.1Exploitation anthology from the twisted minds of established and up and coming directors from across the globe.
Grindsploitation
2016
NRA documentary about the making of Blood of the Tribades
The Blood Is the Life
2016
NRA documentary about the making of Blood of the Tribades
The Blood Is the Life
2016
In the style of drive-in film and late-night horror television, comprised of two horror spoofs, MONSTER S-I-Z-E MONSTERS and Genuine Soil From Dracula's Castle. Of course, no b-horror schlock-fest is complete with a host! Darling Pet Munkee has got its very own, Dalya, Mistress of the Munkee to introduce this terrifying twosome!
Darling Pet Munkee Presents: Creature Double Feature
2012
4.9Ken is a man that won't change his ways. Addicted to food, and bad health in general, he is headed on a one way path to an early grave. Despite help from his friends, he does what he wants, until a chance encounter that might just give him the motivation he needs. Fat is a funny, and dramatic look at food addiction. It is an unflinching story based on Mark Phinney's own experiences and writings on the subject.
Fat
2013
A Trip - is a behind-the-scenes feature giving an inside look into the making of TEN.
A Trip to Spektor Island: Behind-the-Scenes of TEN
2014
No synopsis available yet.
Behind the Force: Making the Streets Run Red
2018
3.6Ten women spend the night in a supposedly haunted mansion on Spektor Island in December 1972. Crazy superstitions don't stop them from raiding the wine cellar and throwing a party, at least until the first murder.
Ten
2014
Magnetostatic Systems Training Video No. 108: The Making of Magnetic
Magnetostatic Systems Training Video No. 108: The Making of Magnetic
2016
3.52 Die For is a horror anthology of short horror films from cult underground indie horror filmmakers from across the globe. This fast paced horror compendium of short horror films won't give you time to catch your breath, your heart will race, you will sweat uncontrollably, and you will be shocked to death. An anthology of horror stories helmed by more than 20 directors from the dark depths of horror's underground. What would you do if you only had two minutes to live? ...find out in 2 Die For.
2 Die For
2018
The band fights space dolphins!
The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library: Amylee
2013
NR'Swipe Right' is a musical comedy set in the era of internet dating over the course of one night in New York City.
Swipe Right
2017
NRWould you still love me if...? A couple explores a series of transformations to see if they would still love each other under unique circumstances, including if one was out of time sync, a fish, a Vulcan, or a log. This light-hearted short satires Twin Peaks, Star Trek, Blade Runner, and more...
For the Love of Metamorphosis
2015
NRA science experiment gone horribly right.
Half-Cocked
2019
An affable oddball comes home one day to find his house ransacked and his most prized possession missing. Two police officers bring him in for questioning and his day goes from bad to worse.
Merde
2019
NRA carefully planned Halloween party takes a dark turn when the guests discover Ouija is more than just a game.
Planchette
2015
1970s · 1 titles
Undated · 7 titles
NRJoker Lopez is betrayed by his gang and left to die behind a pizza shop. A voodoo curse brings him back as a small demonic pizza creature. After killing his crew, he hunts the teens who ignored his pleas, turning a house party into a night of bloody chaos.
The Killer Pizza Man
—
When one old man is fed up with the crime in his city, he enlists his grandchildren and takes matters into his own hands.
Our Man Funk
—
The microwave is back!
Microwave Massacre 2: Undead Leftovers!
—
What does the future hold? A germaphobic man wakes up in a mysterious, sterile room with no memory of how he got there, only to embark on a surreal journey through fragmented memories, existential confrontations, and haunting revelations that force him to confront his deepest fears, regrets, and the fragile nature of life itself.
All for Tomorrow
—
Directed by James Balsamo
Padre Morte
—
When Sophie, a well-known internet lifestyle video blogger, posts a video searching for a "man who's not an idiot" after a break-up a month before Christmas, the video goes viral and her life is comically up-heaved into many hilarious situations. She ultimately meets Danny, a struggling stand-up comic and actor. Will the two find love deep in the heart of the craziness of Los Angeles? Find out in the edgy romantic comedy that centers itself around the most wonderful time of the year.
An LA Christmas Story
—
Directed by Matt Stuertz
Wake Not the Dead
—
Behind the camera
NRFinal Transmissions is an upcoming six-episode analog horror anthology series that features six short, found-footage films, set to be created using analog technology and VHS tapes to evoke a '90s television aesthetic.
Final Transmissions
2026
NRFinal Transmissions is an upcoming six-episode analog horror anthology series that features six short, found-footage films, set to be created using analog technology and VHS tapes to evoke a '90s television aesthetic.
Final Transmissions
2026
NRFinal Transmissions is an upcoming six-episode analog horror anthology series that features six short, found-footage films, set to be created using analog technology and VHS tapes to evoke a '90s television aesthetic.
Final Transmissions
2026
4.0A group of criminals on the run in a cold, winter forest find themselves caught in the middle of an ancient feud between the monsters that rule the day and the creatures that rule the night.
Backwoods Blood Feud
2025
When one old man is fed up with the crime in his city, he enlists his grandchildren and takes matters into his own hands.
Our Man Funk
—
4.07 Sins is divided into seven segments, each one unique in its voice, acting, story, and style. While the seven deadly sins are cemented in Catholic Theology and are always the same, the interpretation by any single person is always different, and this assemblage is no exception. This film uses the themes within its subtext and introduces, and then wildly perverts, the punishments associated with the 7 Deadly Sins. The overall atmosphere is one of uneasiness that, in addition to a fair amount of disturbing visuals, is amplified by its pulse-pounding soundtrack.
7 Sins
2020
4.07 Sins is divided into seven segments, each one unique in its voice, acting, story, and style. While the seven deadly sins are cemented in Catholic Theology and are always the same, the interpretation by any single person is always different, and this assemblage is no exception. This film uses the themes within its subtext and introduces, and then wildly perverts, the punishments associated with the 7 Deadly Sins. The overall atmosphere is one of uneasiness that, in addition to a fair amount of disturbing visuals, is amplified by its pulse-pounding soundtrack.
7 Sins
2020
4.4A vampire named Bathor turned an entire village to vampires, stuck around long enough to teach them to survive, and then promised to return in 2000 years after conquering the rest of the continent. The only problem with this plan is that the vampires, although immortal, have only a limited capacity for memory. As time passes, they forget their utopian society and led by the totalitarian zealot Grando, become paranoid, superstitious fundamentalists, splitting their society by race and gender lines, seeking to destroy those who are deemed sinful. Long-forgotten lovers Élisabeth and Fantine find that, with the help of those who were banished in the past, it is their fate to piece together the past and help preserve the little that remains before Bathor’s impending return.
Blood of the Tribades
2016
4.4A vampire named Bathor turned an entire village to vampires, stuck around long enough to teach them to survive, and then promised to return in 2000 years after conquering the rest of the continent. The only problem with this plan is that the vampires, although immortal, have only a limited capacity for memory. As time passes, they forget their utopian society and led by the totalitarian zealot Grando, become paranoid, superstitious fundamentalists, splitting their society by race and gender lines, seeking to destroy those who are deemed sinful. Long-forgotten lovers Élisabeth and Fantine find that, with the help of those who were banished in the past, it is their fate to piece together the past and help preserve the little that remains before Bathor’s impending return.
Blood of the Tribades
2016
4.4A vampire named Bathor turned an entire village to vampires, stuck around long enough to teach them to survive, and then promised to return in 2000 years after conquering the rest of the continent. The only problem with this plan is that the vampires, although immortal, have only a limited capacity for memory. As time passes, they forget their utopian society and led by the totalitarian zealot Grando, become paranoid, superstitious fundamentalists, splitting their society by race and gender lines, seeking to destroy those who are deemed sinful. Long-forgotten lovers Élisabeth and Fantine find that, with the help of those who were banished in the past, it is their fate to piece together the past and help preserve the little that remains before Bathor’s impending return.
Blood of the Tribades
2016
NRAn interview with Bill Weeden about The Once and Future Smash
Open Wide
2024
7.4On December 31st, the Earth will be destroyed. Everything you know will become nothing. Maybe it already has.
Magnetic
2015
7.4On December 31st, the Earth will be destroyed. Everything you know will become nothing. Maybe it already has.
Magnetic
2015
7.4On December 31st, the Earth will be destroyed. Everything you know will become nothing. Maybe it already has.
Magnetic
2015
5.7In 1970, Mikey and William both portrayed football cannibal Smash-Mouth in the influential cult hit, End Zone 2. Now, 50 years later, only one can wear the mask.
The Once and Future Smash
2022
5.7In 1970, Mikey and William both portrayed football cannibal Smash-Mouth in the influential cult hit, End Zone 2. Now, 50 years later, only one can wear the mask.
The Once and Future Smash
2022
5.7In 1970, Mikey and William both portrayed football cannibal Smash-Mouth in the influential cult hit, End Zone 2. Now, 50 years later, only one can wear the mask.
The Once and Future Smash
2022
3.8For this anthology movie, producers Vestra Pictures assigned international directors with a phobia and set them to work making a horror short about it.
A Taste of Phobia
2018
3.8For this anthology movie, producers Vestra Pictures assigned international directors with a phobia and set them to work making a horror short about it.
A Taste of Phobia
2018
7.0Horror Anthology "60 second short films that will scar you for a lifetime"
60 Seconds to Die
2017
Documentary interview with Suzy Amis
The Ballad of Little Jo - interview with Suzy Amis
2023
4.5A college student who will do just about anything for Internet fame is kidnapped by a fan, and her reluctant roommate is the only one who can save her.
Clickbait
2019
4.5A college student who will do just about anything for Internet fame is kidnapped by a fan, and her reluctant roommate is the only one who can save her.
Clickbait
2019
4.5A college student who will do just about anything for Internet fame is kidnapped by a fan, and her reluctant roommate is the only one who can save her.
Clickbait
2019
NRAn anachronistic public access TV channel plays host to a self-help guru with one goal — to scare viewers out of whatever addiction may be plaguing them. Using his trademarked "Eight Step Action Plan," he covers topics ranging from sex to gluttony, each of them glitching into a terrifying tale of addiction gone wrong. Eight international directors take on these stories, presenting horrifying shorts focused on the darkest and most surreal side of addiction.
I Am an Addict
2019
2.5Horror exploitation anthology from twisted minds of filmmakers from across the globe.
Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels
2016
1.2Seven new tales of terror from the Heartland will rip your heart out.
American Terror Tales 3
2024
2.0A scientist with nefarious intentions seeks to dominate the world using his vast expertise in robotics.
Robot Dracula
2026
8.0Bring Us Your Women is an international anthology dedicated to women and the pursuit of divinity and freedom. The project seeks to tell existing and re-imagined stories of historic and mythical individuals, each presenting a message of humanity that transcends gender and religion.
Bring Us Your Women
2015
8.0Bring Us Your Women is an international anthology dedicated to women and the pursuit of divinity and freedom. The project seeks to tell existing and re-imagined stories of historic and mythical individuals, each presenting a message of humanity that transcends gender and religion.
Bring Us Your Women
2015
NRA cursed phone
The Dial Tone of Doom
2019
NRA cursed phone
The Dial Tone of Doom
2019
NRHorror Anthology "60 second short films that will scar you for a lifetime"
60 Seconds 2 Die: 60 Seconds to Die 2
2018
NRHorror Anthology "60 second short films that will scar you for a lifetime"
60 Seconds 2 Die: 60 Seconds to Die 2
2018
NRAfter being apprehended by police during a big banana heist (and, you know, all the murders from the first film), the Psycho Ape! is put on trial for his crimes and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Psycho Ape!! Part II: The Wrath of Kong
2024
NRDetermined to create the ultimate pandemic film, Stephen (who apparently has never heard of an exquisite corpse) brings a team of filmmakers together, believing he has created a brand new genre of filmmaking, they recruit 20 of their friends to each shoot a segment of the film. A lot goes wrong! Michael convinces the team he can program an AI better than Amazon. Bob wasn't invited. Kate has regrets.
The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins
2021
NRDetermined to create the ultimate pandemic film, Stephen (who apparently has never heard of an exquisite corpse) brings a team of filmmakers together, believing he has created a brand new genre of filmmaking, they recruit 20 of their friends to each shoot a segment of the film. A lot goes wrong! Michael convinces the team he can program an AI better than Amazon. Bob wasn't invited. Kate has regrets.
The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins
2021
NRDetermined to create the ultimate pandemic film, Stephen (who apparently has never heard of an exquisite corpse) brings a team of filmmakers together, believing he has created a brand new genre of filmmaking, they recruit 20 of their friends to each shoot a segment of the film. A lot goes wrong! Michael convinces the team he can program an AI better than Amazon. Bob wasn't invited. Kate has regrets.
The Transformations of the Transformations of the Drs. Jenkins
2021
A woman and her questionable veterinarian search across dimensions to kill God in order to save Blanche the dog.
I Thought His Name Was Blarche
2021
A woman and her questionable veterinarian search across dimensions to kill God in order to save Blanche the dog.
I Thought His Name Was Blarche
2021


