Meet actor, filmmaker, and producer Athena Murzda:
To start, please introduce yourself:
Hi, my name is Athena Murzda! I am an actor, filmmaker, and producer. I started my filmmaking career acting on “The Haunted World of CW” and quickly expanded into additional crew roles, finding a love for storytelling, showrunning and ultimately creation. In 2018 my wife, Dusty Austen, and I produced our first feature film, The Beast of Walton Street, on a shoestring budget and a dream. Shortly after, we founded our production studio Street Rat Studios with the intent to support and uplift other independent filmmakers in Ohio, ultimately creating a family network of reliable, passionate and talented creatives that would support one another. Since then, we’ve been steadily expanding our Street Rat family and getting involved with projects we genuinely believe in.
What is horror to you, what makes a work of art one in the horror genre?
To me, horror is deeply personal and serves as a meaning of connection for people across all nationalities. Everyone understands fear because everyone has felt afraid. I think horror is the most versatile genre of storytelling because it uses our shared human fears to bring people together. We are able to put ourselves in the shoes of characters we wouldn’t typically care about because we are also afraid of what they’re facing. We are able to connect with characters and other people in the theater over these fears that transcend our differences.
But horror is more than just fear—it is deeply political. It allows us to explore societal anxieties through metaphor, giving voice to the things we are too scared or too oppressed to say out loud. Every monster, ghost, and zombie can represent something larger in horror: fears about identity, oppression, or systemic failure. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 has become a landmark film for the queer community because Freddy, in that movie, is more than a slasher villain—he is the manifestation of Jesse’s struggle with his queerness. Pretty much every zombie movie ever, at its core, is about the ways in which our societal structures and government have failed us and left us to survive alone over the fear of actual zombies.
I think horror is the single most diverse and versatile genre. It can be in-your-face slashers, eerie and unsettling isolation movies, psychological torture and more I can’t even think of right now. But to me, a true work of horror will always try to bring audiences together, to disturb us together, challenge us together, and force us to look at and face our fears together.
What made you want to work in horror?
First and foremost, my love for horror movies. I was the kid that would supply the disturbing movies at slumber parties and force everyone to stay awake for them so we could all be traumatized together. As I grew older I fell in love with horror as a storytelling tool. The possibilities of what you can do are truly endless. As I got deeper into filmmaking, and was exposed to the quick cash-grab movies non-horror fans make for a quick buck, I became really passionate about making good horror movies. You can tell when a horror film was made by someone who doesn’t enjoy horror and sees no real value in it. I want to counteract those people in every way and make sure horror fans get quality films made by people who understand and care about them.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from my family and friends. Their constant encouragement and belief in me is the reason I can ignore my own self-doubts and keep keep creating anyway.
What would you like your legacy to be in the genre (or elsewhere)?
I want to leave behind a legacy of connection and authenticity. In my work, I want everything I make to feel as authentic as possible. This means it won’t connect with everyone audience-wise, but that’s okay. Because it’s not meant for everyone. I want the people who it is meant for to feel truly seen.
In terms of the film industry, I’d like to leave a legacy of connection. Since starting Street Rat Studios, it’s really been my goal to curate a group of passionate and trustworthy filmmakers that I can connect to one another for projects. It can be really hard to find filmmakers you click with, that run safe sets and make quality work. I want Street Rat Studios to grow into a hub for filmmakers, where they can come and connect with great, talented minds and know that their work, bodies and minds are safe with these people.
What is Women in Horror Month to you and why is it still important this many years later?
To me, Women in Horror Month is a celebration of the voices, creativity, and contributions of women in a genre that has historically been dominated by men—both behind the camera and in front of it. Horror has always reflected society’s fears, and women have played a crucial role in shaping those narratives, whether as final girls, scream queens, directors, writers, or special effects artists. It’s a time to acknowledge their impact and push for continued recognition in an industry that still struggles with gender representation.
Women in Horror Month is especially relevant right now with our political climate. The continued attempts to push society back to a time when women were seen and not heard is truly alarming. Being a woman has always come with a list of fears only other women will understand. Right now women are needed more than ever to tell their stories and shine a light on these fears so that we can expose them and root out the causes.
Who are some of the Women in Horror who you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
Heather Langenkamp, Sigourney Weaver, and Jennifer Tilly are all women who got me into horror and who I continue to look up to today.
Spooky Madison and Dusty Austen are huge inspirations to me currently. They’re always pushing me to do more and take up more space!
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
Street Rat Studios just released our first feature film, The Beast of Walton Street through ScreamTeam Releasing! It is currently available to buy on Blu-Ray and VHS for those collectors out there. It will be making its debut on streaming in the very near future. We are currently in post-production on a sci-fi thriller, Fiber Burn, which is going to be our biggest and most ambitious film yet filled with rocket racing, villainous robots and lesbian leads. Fiber Burn’s script just won two awards at HorrorHound ’25 for Best Plot and Best Concept! And lastly, we are in pre-production with FinalGhouls Films on a Buffy-esque vampire flick named What’s Wrong Wendy. Also featuring lesbians.
Where can readers keep up with you?
Follow Street Rat Studios to keep up with all our projects on instragram and threads @streetratstudiofilm.
You can follow me on instagram, threads, bluesky @athenamurzda.
To keep up with What’s Wrong Wendy, be sure to follow FinalGhoul Films as well @finalghoulfilms.
