From Tales from the Crypt to Telling His Own- Alan Katz’s Joyful Rebellion

Episode Summary

What happens when the secret holding you back is one you’ve been keeping from yourself? In this raw, unguarded conversation, writer–producer Alan Katz (HBO’s Tales from the Crypt) traces the arc from early Hollywood wins to a two-decade spiral—then the moment truth became non-negotiable. We dig into the creative birth of the Crypt Keeper, how Tales helped change HBO’s culture, and the studio politics that turned a thriving franchise into the feature fiasco Bordello of Blood. Alan shares the near-suicide that forced him to confront a childhood trauma, the mood-stabilizer that “put the darkness in a box,” and how telling the truth—to himself first—unlocked a second act.

Today, he runs Costard & Touchstone Productions and makes story podcasts as activism: How NOT to Make a Movie, The Donor: A DNA Horror Story, The Hall Closet, and Just the Photographer. This episode is a masterclass in creative integrity, personal recovery, and building work that answers to your soul—not the system.

Show Notes & Chapters

• [00:00] “The truth will set you free” — telling your story to yourself first

• [03:00] Early wins, New York to LA, and meeting producer Gil Adler

• [08:00] Tales from the Crypt: franchise building and the birth of the Crypt Keeper

• [16:30] “It’s not TV, it’s HBO” — culture shift and creative freedom

• [19:30] Feature deal at Universal; Demon Knight lands, Dead Easy dies

• [22:00] The Bordello of Blood pivot: impossible timelines, miscasting, and studio politics

• [31:00] Fallout: a burned-out crew, shelved integrity, and a friendship broken

• [33:00] Two decades of depression and the secret underneath it

• [34:30] Mood stabilizer, therapy, and the moment the rage “clicked off”

• [35:30] Naming childhood abuse; why truth changes everything

• [37:00] Podcasting as catharsis: How NOT to Make a Movie reunites old partners

• [41:00] Owning IP and flipping the Hollywood dynamic

• [44:00] The slate: The Donor, The Hall Closet, Just the Photographer

• [56:00] “How to Live Bullshit Free”: purpose, bliss, and helping others

Resources

• Costard & Touchstone Productions: Home

• Podcasts: How NOT to Make a Movie • The Donor: A DNA Horror Story • The Hall Closet • Just the Photographer

• Blog/Book: How to Live Bullshit Free (in progress)