BIO​

Nicholas Matthews is a director of photography whose work explores beauty and violence. His technical and visual choices serve the emotional rhythm of the story, from lighting, color, and composition to camera movement and texture. He believes in crafting images that are both tactile and atmospheric, where shadows are not merely dark, but expressive and lyrical.

​

His latest film, RIVER had its world premiere as the opening night film of TIFF’s 2026 Midnight Madness. The survival slasher unites Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe for director Joshua Giuliano’s debut feature.

He recently finished production on KATE MIGHT DIE, a surreal dramedy, starring Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, and Anthony Ramos. The film marks his third collaboration with director Mercedes Bryce Morgan.

His projects include SAW X (Lionsgate - 2023), which received the franchise’s best reviews and grossed over $110 million; erotic thriller BONE LAKE (Bleecker Street - 2024), which earned the Audience Award at the 2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival; MOB LAND, which stars John Travolta and Stephen Dorff (Lionsgate - 2023); SPOONFUL OF SUGAR (Shudder - 2022); and CUCK (Gravitas Ventures - 2019). His work has screened across the world at festivals including Cannes, Sitges Film Festival, and Fantastic Fest. Matthews worked alongside horror legend Dan Myrick, co-director and co-writer of The Blair Witch Project, on the horror anthology BLACK VEIL (2021).

Raised in the American South in a religious milieu that banned movie theaters, Matthews nonetheless fell in love with the art of filmmaking.