Q&A: David Kerr on The Slasher Nurse

The killer came from a photo shoot for a band album. The nurse costume, the mask, the whole look clicked immediately, and David Kerr never let it go. From a no-budget 2017 shoot to a crowdfunded feature with horror legends, The Slasher Nurse is the rare slasher built from genuine obsession with the genre rather than commercial instinct.

Kerr, who directs, produces, writes, and put in years of crowdfunding work to get this made, wanted something specific: a female masked killer with the same mythic weight as Michael Myers or Jason. “There aren’t a whole lot of masked slashers like Michael Myers or Jason that are women,” he said. “I wanted to do something different by making a badass ruthless female killer.”

The wound that drives everything

The film opens on a prank gone wrong. One person ends up dead, another institutionalized. Twenty years pass. Kerr drew on films like Prom Night to shape what that backstory would do to a person. “By being institutionalized, our killer was abandoned and continuously experienced abuse at the hospital,” he explained. “All those things combined would be enough to eventually break someone.” The result is a killer who doesn’t just want blood. She wants the specific people who were there that night, and she’s had two decades to think about it.

Horror and comedy, never at the same time

Kerr grew up loving comedies as much as slashers, and he built a clear rule into the filmmaking: when the nurse is killing, there is no comedy. Full stop. “We want to scare people,” he said. “But anytime she’s not killing, there’s always an opportunity for comedy as long as it doesn’t feel out of place.” Viewers have flagged the bar scene, the kills, the twist, and yes, a duck, as standout moments. The tonal whiplash is intentional. You never know which mode the film is about to enter.

Casting for chemistry, not just credits

The cast includes horror icons Felissa Rose, Diana Prince, Jim Krut, and Brian Bremer. Kerr calls them “a nice Easter egg” for genre fans, and they bring seasoned performances that anchor the film. But he spent just as much energy on the newcomers. “The newer cast are the backbone of the film,” he said. “We spend a lot of time casting because we want to work with people who have great chemistry with one another.” Even the characters you’re supposed to root against needed to be watchable. “You want people who the audience will cheer when they are killed, but you don’t want someone so obnoxious that the audience can’t stand to see on the screen.”

Practical FX as a point of pride

The original 2017 Slasher Nurse was Kerr’s first film, made with basically nothing. The remake exists because the nurse character deserved better production. Through crowdfunding, the team rebuilt the story from scratch while keeping the core of what worked. The biggest upgrade, by far, was the practical effects. FX artist Amber Fulcher, who also plays the nurse herself on screen, brings a personal touch that Kerr credits directly. “Any time we hear people say that our special FX rival what studio films can do, it’s a huge honor,” he said. They prioritize the FX above almost everything else, and it shows.

What to know before you press play

Kerr is straightforward about what The Slasher Nurse is: “It’s not a big studio film. We don’t have the budget they do, so our film isn’t flawless.” But he’s also clear about what it delivers. “Slasher films don’t have to be flawless. They should be gritty, cheesy, bloody, and even fun, and I believe we deliver on that.” If you like the genre, that’s the pitch. It’s made by someone who loves slashers, for people who love slashers.

Horror

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Streaming now on Relay.