Craig Layton

Craig — Writer / Director / Producer

Craig is a Nova Scotia writer, director and producer whose work spans horror, dark comedy and socially conscious storytelling. His films are driven by visual storytelling, psychological unease, dark humour and a strong sense of atmosphere, with a particular interest in creating emotion and meaning through what audiences see and feel rather than through exposition.

Craig is the creator of StabbyTimeTV, an independent horror brand that developed an audience through original genre comedy, horror shorts and character-driven content. His work with StabbyTimeTV earned him a Silver Bolo Award from Shudder, recognizing his contribution to independent horror and the genre community.

His film and television work includes Horror Inc., for which Craig served as writer, director and producer. The horror-comedy won Best Foreign Film at the First Cut Horror Film Festival, giving the project international festival recognition.

Craig’s earlier short film Dress Up demonstrates another side of his filmmaking. The film explores gender identity, gender expression and the experience of growing up outside traditional expectations of gender, approaching these themes through the perspective and emotional world of childhood. Rather than treating gender diversity as a social issue to be explained, the film explores the complexity of self-expression, identity and the freedom to be seen for who you are.

Across his work, Craig is drawn to stories about identity, belonging, isolation and the forces that shape how people understand themselves. Even within horror, his interest is rarely limited to the monster or supernatural threat. He looks for the emotional idea underneath the genre — memory, identity, family, loss, fear and the possibility of being erased or forgotten.

Craig is currently developing original feature-length horror projects, including Ravenshade, a supernatural psychological horror film set against the landscape and cultural history of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The project combines atmospheric supernatural horror with Gaelic language and culture, exploring memory, identity and the terrifying possibility of being forgotten.

His filmmaking style is strongly visual and atmospheric. Craig uses fractured action, silence, environmental details, unsettling imagery and escalating dread to place audiences inside the experience of his characters. His goal is to create films that are visually distinctive, emotionally grounded and unapologetically genre-driven.

Based in Nova Scotia, Craig is committed to developing and producing original cinema in Atlantic Canada, creating opportunities for local filmmakers and crew while building genre stories that can connect with audiences beyond the region.

StabbyTimeTV Inc. is a Nova Scotia-based independent production company focused on horror, dark comedy and original genre entertainment. Founded by Craig Layton, the company develops and produces distinctive, visually driven stories designed to entertain, unsettle and connect with horror audiences. Its work includes award-winning film and digital content, with a focus on original voices and Atlantic Canadian talent.