Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most important people in Hollywood. As the creator of "Yellowstone," in addition to being pretty much the only writer on that showhe managed to create a full-fledged TV empire that extended beyond his hit Westerns. There are spin-offs, as well as other hit shows like The King of Tulsa, Lioness and Landman, all of which stem from Sheridan's mind. However, the director had relatively humble beginnings behind the camera - his feature directorial debut is a horror flick that you'd be forgiven for not being aware of.

The movie in question is called "The Big One" and was released in 2012. It's an ultra-low-budget, not-at-all-highly-regarded film in the "torture porn" subgenre that became popular for lack of a better term in the early 2000s. thanks in no small part to the success of the Saw franchise.. For those who have seen The Ugly, it is not considered memorable. Still, it's an important part of Sheridan's filmography.

In a 2017 interview with Rotten tomatoesSheridan talked a bit about Ville during the press tour for his thriller Wind River. That movie is is considered high and, although technically not true, Sheridan considers it his feature debut. Here's what he had to say about it at the time:

“I would say (Wind River) is my feature debut. A friend of mine raised - I don't know what he raised - 20 grand or something, and he gave his friends and he wrote this bad horror movie, which I told him no He was supposed to direct and produce, and he started and he got mad , called her and said, "Can you help me?" I said, "Yeah, I'll try."

"Ville" was written by Eric Beck and Rob Kowsaluk. The film focuses on a group of strangers who find themselves locked in a house. Unsure why they are there or who is behind it, they are soon enlightened by a video that advises them there is a way out. After all, they must endure excruciating pain and torture to gain their freedom. While it's not a carbon copy, it should sound familiar to anyone who's seen even one Saw movie. It's also a cousin to other contemporary films like Hostel and The Collector.

For all the successes Sheridan enjoyed, Vile is considered his worst film to datebut it's also clearly not representative of what he was capable of as a filmmaker. Speaking further in the same interview, he explained that he saw his role in the film as more assisting than directing. However, what he learned on that set helped him later down the road:

"I kept the ship straight, and they set off, they trimmed, and they did what they did. I think it is generous of you to call me director. I think he was trying to say thank you, in a way. It was a great opportunity to point a camera and learn a few lessons that actually came in handy for Wind River.

What's interesting is that, in the realm of horror, it feels like no movie ever really dies. To that end, this film has found some semblance of an audience over the years. Vile even got a Blu-ray release, which you can pick up on Amazon. Not that getting a Blu-ray release is a prize these days, but it's more than a lot of other low-budget straight-to-video horror movies are offered. Having Sheridan's name attached certainly doesn't hurt, but that's why we remember movies like Duel, which served as Steven Spielberg's feature directorial debut. Without his name attached, would we still be talking about it?

I'm certainly not suggesting that these films are in the same space, but merely pointing out that the name of a great director can help certain films live on in the public consciousness rather than disappear entirely as they might without the director attached. Either way, it's fascinating to look at this as the beginning of Sheridan's directorial career with the benefit of hindsight.

"Vile" is streaming now on Tubi.