Eat Your Heart Out

I first met Oregon-based filmmaker Taylor Morden when he was directing the documentary, “The Last Blockbuster,” and he interviewed me about my deep and abiding love of physical media. Since then, Morden has been busy. Among other projects, he has made “Unstuffed” (a documentary about Build-a-Bear), “Getting Lost” (a doc focused on the cultural footprint of “Lost”) and “Bampire,” a horror/comedy about vampire deer.

Taylor Morden directing on set of “Eat Your Heart Out.” Credit: Maceo Banyan

Coming up next for the tireless filmmaker is the biggest swing of his career yet: “Eat Your Heart Out,” a bloody musical comedy that follows two best friends who have to take on a small town overrun by zombies. A few months ago, The Hollywood Reporter announced the film’s wonderful cast, including Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Brian Austin Green (“Beverly Hills 90210”), Steve Agee (“Peacemaker”), Brendan Sexton III (“Empire Records”), Rob Huebel (“The Other Guys”) and Breanna Yde (TV’s “School of Rock”). Reading that, I knew it was time for the Source to check in with the filmmaker who, since “The Last Blockbuster,” has left Bend for Eugene.

I was lucky enough to watch some early footage of “Eat Your Heart Out,” which is currently in post-production. While I’m under embargo and can’t share specific details, I can say the film looks like an absolutely madcap, high-energy blast of fun and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the finished product. Morden describes the film as a “ punk rock pizza Delorean zombie flick,” and I certainly can’t find a better way to describe what I saw.

Recently, I had a chance to chat with Morden about the movie, some of the differences in making films in Bend versus Eugene and how he blends his passions for music and filmmaking

The Source: I wanted to start by asking you what the initial inspiration for the film was.

Taylor Morden: 100%. It started as a short I wrote in 2018. I think the original concept was for one of the BendFilm 48-hour things.

TS: Have you always wanted to synthesize your music with filmmaking? I know you’ve produced and performed songs for each of your films already.

TM: I think it’s more of a ‘write what you know’ situation, this being my first feature as a writer. I’ve spent my entire adult life in bands, so it’s the type of relationship dynamic I am most familiar with.

TS: You’ve got some great actors in the film, like comedy legends Steve Agee and Rob Huebel, icons like Tania Raymonde, Brian Austin Greene and Brendon Sexton III, as well as really interesting up-and-comers like Emily Kimball and Breanna Yde. What were some of the unique challenges of getting this cast together? Were there any actors that you wrote the script with in mind?

TM: First off, I adore our cast. We were so fortunate to get to work with so many amazing actors. When Emily (Claire) and I were writing the script, we had no delusions that we would be able to cast such amazing people, so it was dangerous to write with anyone in mind. We had recently done a documentary about “Lost” and met Tania Raymonde on that project. She also attended the premiere of that doc and we chatted a bit at the after-party about the state of the industry and she just seemed super cool, so I kept her in mind as someone I’d love to work with in the future if at all possible. I did have her in mind for our lead character while we were writing, but again, I assumed it was such a long shot that it was silly to think that would ever happen.

TS: Right.

TM: Then, when we had a finished script, I sent it to her and to my surprise, she loved it! And we were off to the races. She was the one who signed on first — not just to star in it but as an executive producer and brought in the amazing casting team at Spark Casting. They were instrumental in helping us find all the amazing actors who make this movie what it is. The biggest challenge was the musicianship of some of the lead roles. Tania had to learn to play the bass for this part.

TS: Have you found that filmmaking in Eugene is easier than filmmaking in Bend?

TM: Easier? No. But there is a more active and supportive film community in Eugene and the University recently started up its film program again, so there are more young people who are excited to get into filmmaking. Bend has fewer weather issues, which came up a lot during our production. But Bend also has fewer resources in terms of cast, crew, locations (aside from outdoor vistas and video stores), catering, etc. I think making indie films anywhere is difficult. The trick is finding the right people to do it with. So if your people are in Bend, then Bend is the best place to do it.

TS: What advice would you give a filmmaker launching their first feature.

TM: Advice is tricky, because every project is different. I’d say to spend more time and energy on preproduction than you think you need. Try to build a schedule that doesn’t burn people out. Don’t skimp on insurance, food or sound. And most importantly, try hard to remember to stop for a moment and look around in the middle of it all and remember why you’re there and how cool it is to be making a f*cking movie!

TS: Are you planning on doing any sort of follow-up with “The Last Blockbuster”? Do you see making another film there eventually?

TM: I don’t have any plans for a follow-up, but the doc is being re-released on DVD and on new digital platforms all the time and we just did an all-new commentary track for it and a short 5-minute follow-up doc. As long as the store is still there, I’ll be coming back there as often as I can and putting the movies we make on the shelves.

TS: Do you have a different process for songwriting than you do screenwriting? Can you talk a little bit about the different muscles that flex?

TM: There’s a lot of similarities for me between writing music and writing movies. Songs tend to pop into my head when I least expect it. Then I have to figure out how to play those songs. Movies are more of a process of me having the germ of an idea and then trying to watch the story play out in front of me and write it down as it goes along. Both end up being collaborative and iterative in their own way.

TS: Are you looking for a theatrical release or a streaming release? Physical media copies?

TM: We are hoping for all three. Currently getting it ready to submit to festivals and hoping to be shopping it around over the next several months. We’ve already picked out the sparkly pink VHS tapes it will be released on!

This article appears in the Source September 10, 2026.