It’s a classic setup for a scary story: home alone, a dark and stormy night, a sudden knock at the door. And directors Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell know how to milk every drop of that spooky tension in You’ll Never Find Me.

The film stars Brendan Rock and Jordan Cowan, two actors who previously worked with Allen and Bell on their short The Recordist, which was wrapping up post-production as You’ll Never Find Me started to take shape. Allen and Bell told THS they knew pretty much from the beginning that Rock and Cowan would be the right leads to carry their feature directorial debut.

“We knew that they were both really strong theater actors,” explained Bell. “We knew they could handle a dialogue-heavy script, and that a play-like structure to the film would help us keep the story contained and keep the budget achievable. Having them in mind the whole time really helped give direction to the story.”

The horror thriller introduces us to Patrick, a strange and lonely resident, who lives in a mobile home at the back of an isolated trailer park. During a violent storm, a mysterious young woman appears at his door seeking shelter from the elements. When he lets her into his home, the audience is soon left wondering about each of their motives.

Bell and Allen both describe themselves as big horror fans, and loved getting to transform the constraints of low-budget filmmaking into opportunities to build tension and suspense in their feature.

“It sounds messed up, but our relaxing thing is watching creepy thrillers,” Allen said. “[Horror] is just the most interesting genre to play in, really. The best acting and writing is happening in horror right now.”

Check out our full interview with Allen and Bell below to learn more about their love for the horror genre – particularly the work of Mike Flanagan – what scares them, and how they bring fear to life on screen.

You’ll Never Find Me is streaming now on Shudder.