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“From creepy dolls to unborn children, unexplained invasions to creatures that stalk the night, unsolved mysteries to serial murders, Tales From The Void draws from a wide spectrum of horror sub-genres with each episode paying homage to a classic and cult films from the eighties and nineties.“

Tales From The Void is a horror anthology series with six episodes, each lasting about 20-30 minutes. It brings to life some of the most chilling and viral stories from Reddit’s NoSleep community, which boasts 18 million readers and writers.

Drawing inspiration from shows like Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, Tales From The Void explores the darker aspects of the human mind and the terrifying things people can do when pushed to their limits. Each episode unfolds in a self-contained setting with seemingly ordinary people, gradually revealing character flaws or external forces that lead to a shocking, horrific twist.

Phew! As an avid fan of the the NoSleep SubReddit and podcast, I was overjoyed to hear that these incredible stories were about to grace our small screens. Jumping from the paperback (and in this case forum) page to the screen is a dream a lot of writers have, and it’s a dream that most times, goes unfilfilled.

I got to sit down with Tales from the Void series creator Francesco Loschiavo on his hope to not only spolight and give back to the horror literary community but to spark that dream all horror creators have – getting the chance to make something scary.

Mo Moshaty: As an avid follower of the NoSleep Reddit myself, there is so much to mine for story there. What inspired you to tackle this?

Francesco Loschiavo: I started reading NoSleep around 2013, a bit late since it kicked off in 2011, but it quickly became part of my nightly routine. Some nights, the stories were so creepy I couldn’t even sleep, which fits perfectly with the forum’s name. At the time, I was producing short films and had just wrapped my first horror feature. I’d always wanted to get into writing and directing, and then I saw companies picking up NoSleep stories for TV. But they were mostly going for the longer ones, and I thought, “What about the amazing short stories?”

So, I started reaching out to the writers and talked to my writing partner, John, about adapting these stories. When we wrote the first script, I realized we could really expand the worlds and add new characters—it was a lot of fun. By 2015, we had it all written, but I felt like I wasn’t doing the community justice. So, I spent the next two years reading over 1,500 stories—every top-upvoted and award-winning one.

We narrowed it down to four or five dozen that we thought were perfect for screen adaptations. I’ve always loved stuff like Goosebumps and Tales from the Crypt, and while there’s a lot of anthology horror out there, I felt like there was something missing—a short-form, 20-30 minute creepy story format. That’s when I realized this project could fill that gap.

MM: What was it like to take those 1500 and get to the handful that you have in the coming season?

FL: I think the biggest challenge was figuring out how to approach the series, so we looked at a few things. First, I wanted each episode to focus on a different horror subgenre. Horror is really diverse, and even though it often gets grouped into one category, there are so many subgenres within it. We knew we needed to make sure there was variety in the types of stories we were telling.
Another key thing for us was making sure we had social commentary in every episode, kind of like The Twilight Zone. In some episodes, the commentary is more obvious, while in others it’s a bit more subtle or metaphorical. We really focused on injecting themes into each story. So we asked ourselves: is there room for theme, is it a subgenre we haven’t touched yet, and does the story have a strong ending?

We called it the “gut punch” ending—each episode needed to have a big twist at the end, staying true to the original NoSleep style of short, slow-burn stories with a payoff. As we combed through the subreddit, we looked for stories that offered something unique, tackled a new subgenre, had a strong twist, and had room to build characters or themes. Some stories were already rich with themes, and others, like “Pro-Life,” we built the characters around the core idea to elevate the story further.

MM: It’s really interesting how the whole NoSleep Reddit community came together. You’ve got everyday people, not necessarily industry veterans or horror elites, creating these amazing stories. These aren’t people with extensive filmmaking backgrounds or years of scriptwriting experience—they’re just grinding out some really great short-form fiction, which is what I love to write myself.
But then you have incredible directors attached to this project—people like Joe Lynch, Maritte Lee Go, and The Adams Family. How do you balance having such top-tier talent while still keeping that NoSleep feel? How do you make sure the writer’s original voice and style stays intact, while letting these talented directors put their unique spin on it?

FL: I think it was all about finding something that resonated with the directors, which is why we went broad with the subgenres. We wrote and locked all the scripts before choosing directors. My main formula was simple: does this story have something fresh I haven’t seen before? Is it just straight-up awesome? That was my barometer for every story in the series, along with injecting themes and different subgenres to keep things diverse.

For the directors, we matched them with stories they connected with. Maritte was really drawn to the “Pro-Life” story, which we adapted into Carry. She pitched us her personal experiences and things that happened to friends that she wanted to weave into the story, making it feel super authentic. Joe Lynch was excited about tackling sci-fi with The Black Square, a nice challenge since he’s done a lot of horror and Lovecraftian stuff. And after seeing Hellbender and The Deeper You Dig, I knew the Addams Family were the perfect fit to bring a dark, magical forest to life. They have a great eye for making incredible things happen on a budget, especially in nature.

As for the “new” directors, I did three episodes myself, and I consider myself one of those! It was amazing to alternate between directing and learning from pros like Joe and Maritte. It was kind of like a boot camp for me, and I got so much out of it.
In terms of balancing things, we tried to stay true to the heart of the original stories but elevate them with a more cinematic touch. Some NoSleep stories take place in just one room, so we had to think bigger and bring them to life outside of that. One cool thing we did is include the original writers at the end of each episode, interviewed by David Cummings as an extension for Screambox. We really wanted to show the variety of people who contribute to NoSleep, from professionals like Matt, who’s a video game world builder, and Rebecca Klingel, who’s written for The Haunting of Hill House, to someone like Grayson, who posted three stories online as a teen and had a huge impact. His story about abortion resonated with so many women, even though it wasn’t from his own experience. It just shows that anyone can post on NoSleep and make a real connection.

MM: I love that sentiment—it should be stitched on a tapestry somewhere. The horror community is huge, and it’s the only genre with 40+ subgenres. It’s so expansive, unlike drama or comedy, which don’t have the same reach. Even psychological thrillers eventually cross over into horror the more they push the boundaries.
What really stands out to me is how you’re not just uplifting the horror community, but also shining a spotlight on the writers. That kind of recognition doesn’t usually happen, especially in horror, and it’s so important.

FL: Their ideas are so important, right? For me, if people like the show, I’d love for this to be a kind of boot camp for people who want to direct horror. It’s a project where you won’t get a ton of notes, and we were really lucky with Screambox—they let us lean into the dark, internet-style horror that’s harder to pull off in mainstream TV. My goal is to bring different subgenres and unique voices to the table each season. I want to give people who love horror the chance to do something cool that you don’t always get to do.

MM: I absolutely love that, and I’m so glad you’re working with The Adams family. I recently spoke with Toby Poser and John Adams for Hell Hole, and they definitely know how to set up a camera in the woods, especially with the intro to their newest film, which was such a fun departure from their usual style. How did you end up partnering with Screambox? What was the process like finding the right platform for the show?

FL: I’m not a big name, so there was a lot of risk involved on their end. Honestly, a big part of making this happen was Joe Lynch. He got the scripts early on and was really drawn to The Black Square. He was kind enough to offer his support. We came back to him after two years, and he really delivered on his promise. Joe played a huge role in getting this made.
As for Screambox, they believed in the idea from the start. They were the one platform we spoke to that really understood the size of the NoSleep community and its potential. Once they read the scripts, things moved quickly. They’ve been super supportive! It’s truly been the best partnership we could have hoped for. They believed in the vision and gave us the freedom to make it happen. We needed a couple of big names to make it work, which was fair, but I honestly can’t think of a better home for this project.

MM: Screambox has been doing really well in keeping that horror community feel alive which lends itself beautifully to this piece. Because it started off on Reddit, how important is it for you to maintain that level of horror community and oneness with the development production phases. Are there any plans to share on BTS shots on Reddit to create a cohesive piece?

FL: We’ve built a great relationship with the moderators, who previously posted and pinned our teaser trailer on the NoSleep subreddit. This exposure was invaluable and helped us secure financing by demonstrating public interest. We also partnered with the NoSleep Podcast, with David Cummings serving as an executive producer. He interviews the writers at the end of each episode. The NoSleep Podcast will be involved in additional promotional activities leading up to the release.

MM: This is fantastic! I really love how you’re maintaining a strong connection with both the podcast and the Reddit community. The NoSleep subreddit has been such a catalyst for so many writers. Many people have launched their careers by sharing their work there and then moving on to big presses and indie publishers. It’s wonderful to see how you’re supporting and elevating short-form writers, who often don’t get the same recognition as novelists.

FL: We’re really hoping it does well! For me, it’s all about shining a light on the horror literary community. I think it’s important to give back and highlight the amazing talent out there. Horror writing doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, so I’m excited to help spotlight these writers and support their growth.

Francesco Loschiavo is a Canadian Independent Filmmaker, Gotham Film & Media Institute Alumni, Met Film School Alumni, and founder of Envoi Entertainment. Francesco co-wrote and developed Tales From the Void, and has produced notable feature films including: Tear Us Apart (WIFF) and Refugee (DOC NYC) which was featured on BBC News and in the Guardian.

Tales from the Void will be showing at GRIMMFEST and you can get tix on this link.

Tales from the Void has an open submission for stories for a possible second season. Apply here!

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, lecturer and producer. As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and life long horror fan, Mo has lectured with Prairie View A&M Film & TV Program as a Keynote, BAFSS Horror Studies Sig  and The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Mo has partnered with horror giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival 2021 and 2022 with Nyx Horror Collective and her literary work “Love the Sinner” was published with Brigid’s Gate Press in July of 2023 and her two volume collection, “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment will be published with Tenebrous Press in 2025. 
Mo is the creator and Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine and the Founder of Mourning Manor Media.