The Filmmaker Behind “Yellowstone” Has a Past He’d Prefer You Skip

These days, Taylor Sheridan is one of Hollywood’s most respected creators. He’s the powerhouse behind gritty dramas like Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, and Tulsa King, with a growing empire of film and TV projects under his belt. But long before he was redefining modern Westerns, Sheridan had a much less glamorous credit — one that he’s since distanced himself from entirely.

Back in 2011, Sheridan was credited as the director of a horror movie called “Vile.” However, he’s since made it clear that the credit doesn’t truly belong to him. In fact, Sheridan has publicly renounced any real connection to the project, calling his supposed directorial debut a mistake that taught him what not to do.

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“I Didn’t Really Direct It”

In a 2017 interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Sheridan explained how Vile came about — and how his name ended up attached to it. “A friend of mine raised — I don’t know what he raised — 20 grand or something, and cast his buddies, and wrote this bad horror movie, that I told him not to direct,” Sheridan said.

When his friend ran into trouble during filming, Sheridan stepped in to help salvage the project. “I kind of kept the ship pointed straight,” he admitted. Still, he considers calling himself the film’s director “generous.” Essentially, Sheridan oversaw just enough of the shoot to keep things from falling apart — but the creative control, he insists, was never his.

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A Movie Best Forgotten

Even horror fans may not remember Vile — and for good reason. The film was a cheap entry into the early 2010s torture horror trend popularized by Saw, filled with graphic violence, weak dialogue, and paper-thin storytelling. The plot follows a group of young travelers who are kidnapped and forced to endure extreme pain to fill vials attached to their necks — supposedly earning their freedom once the vials are full.

Critics and viewers alike panned the film for its amateur acting, clunky script, and overreliance on shock value. For Sheridan, who would go on to write the Oscar-nominated Sicario and the acclaimed Wind River, Vile represented a chapter he was quick to close.

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Lessons That Shaped His Real Debut

Despite his embarrassment over Vile, Sheridan admits the chaotic experience taught him valuable lessons about filmmaking. Six years later, he made what he considers his true directorial debut — Wind River (2017), a tense thriller starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen that earned critical acclaim for its atmosphere, emotional depth, and precision.

It’s a far cry from Vile’s gore-soaked confusion, and proof of just how far Sheridan’s vision and storytelling have evolved. In hindsight, his brief, reluctant stint in horror may have been the painful initiation that prepared him for greatness.