Written by Zahra El-Amin – [republished with permission]
Some questions should never be answered. Some roles never quite let you go.
For genre veteran D.C. Douglas—best known as the voice of Resident Evil’s Wesker in 9 games, the twisted Pa Kettle of Z Nation, and a satirical standout in Aquarium of the Dead—his latest foray into on-camera evil may be his most quietly terrifying yet. In What Did You Do?, the upcoming psychological thriller from writer-turned-director Stephen Romano, Douglas plays Reggie, an enigmatic Texas boss pulling strings from the shadows of a brutal moral nightmare.
“I saw the audition sides and it was twelve pages of just two men verbally wrestling,” Douglas recalls. “The dialogue was just so damn good. Reggie is one mind-fuck of a character.” He sent in his audition… and couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Usually I let auditions go, but this one stayed with me for days.”
Shot entirely on location across Texas and transferred to 35mm for that grime-coated analog finish, What Did You Do? marks the directorial debut of Stephen Romano—a cult figure best known for his horror work on Masters of Horror, the psychedelic multimedia graphic novel Shock Festival, and his acclaimed novel Resurrection Express. A lifelong cinephile and genre purist, Romano financed the film himself, blending practical sets, a youthful crew, and bubblegum pop tracks from his own father’s vintage radio days into something both nostalgic and deeply unnerving.
“Stephen is the complete opposite of what you’d expect,” says Douglas. “With his horror resume, you’d think he’d be this sullen dude, but he’s got this Paul Giamatti energy and a heart of gold. A sensitive, caring artist juggling a thousand things on set—and somehow nailing every moment.”
The film’s narrative is sparse but searing: In a remote Texas safe house, a war-haunted ex-soldier named Alice (Jonathan Stoddard) is hired to oversee the prolonged torture of a bound and mysterious man named Jack (Brian Villalobos). As the relationship between captor and captive grows darkly intimate, identities begin to unravel. Secrets ooze to the surface. And from a distance, Reggie—Douglas’s character—watches it all unfold, orchestrating what may be one long, cruel game.
D.C. Douglas as “Reggie”
“It was a delicious actor experience,” Douglas says. “Reggie doesn’t need to prove anything. He owns Austin. It’s generational power, so he can sit back, play mind games, and move his chess pieces.”
In an inspired turn, horror icon Caroline Williams (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 fame) returns to her gritty Southern roots with a pivotal cameo. “That was a brilliant experience,” Williams recently shared. “This is a serious actor piece. A kind of Tarantino-esque neo-noir. Stephen is doing everything on this movie—writing, directing, producing, editing. The only thing he didn’t do was make my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
Caroline Williams as “Donna”
The film also features Ashton Leigh (Big Shark, Quail Hollow) as Marion, the woman caught in the emotional crossfire between violence and vulnerability.
And while What Did You Do? is drenched in retro textures and bubblegum nostalgia, the themes are painfully contemporary—guilt, trauma, performative power. “I think this film is going to garner a good following,” Douglas says. “It gives you all the puzzle pieces, but you’ve got to assemble the damn thing yourself. The second time you watch it, scenes that seemed simple the first time are suddenly tragic as hell.”
Romano, ever the hands-on auteur, is cutting the film himself, inspired by George Romero’s DIY work on Dawn of the Dead. And he’s not pulling any punches. “There’s some truly evil stuff in this movie,” Romano teases. “But we don’t throw gore at the screen—at least not right away. We let it simmer. It’s a vibe piece. It’s about loneliness, guilt, and what you’ll do when your soul’s already gone.”
Stephen Romano, writer/director “What Did You Do?”
Currently in post-production, What Did You Do? is targeting a 2026 festival run. A teaser trailer is expected later this year. In the meantime, Douglas, as always, remains open to wherever his career wanders next. “I don’t force things,” he tells me. “I’m open to the next adventure.”
We’re just glad his adventures keep leading him deeper into the shadows.
