Fri, Aug 8th, 10:00 PM @ TCL CHINESE 6 THEATRE || #1
By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/18/2025 – Halfway Haunted tells the story of Jess, a girl living in a haunted house. The film begins with her rehearsing for a job interview, but it’s clear that she’s been grappling with some mental health issues. As she stares up at the ceiling, blood suddenly drips onto her hand. She closes her eyes; when she opens them again, everything seems normal. However, the fridge shakes and then opens to reveal a head inside. Is she hallucinating?
A beer bottle rises and falls, shattering on the floor just as the doorbell rings. It’s her new landlord, who has come to serve eviction papers. This young, inconsiderate landlord, Stephanie, asks Jess, played by Hannan Younis, to sign some papers stating that she is being evicted. She instructs Jess to avoid using the term “eviction.” In addition to her unemployment and the challenges of living in a haunted house, Jess is now facing eviction.
The ghost, portrayed by Kristian Bruun, then appears to Jess and proposes a deal: they could scare the landlord away. Initially, she refuses, but the film takes a comedic turn rather than a terrifying one, and I found myself instantly captivated. The next day, Jess wakes up very late and rushes downstairs to confront the ghost, mistakenly assuming he had turned off the power. She realizes instead that it was her awful landlord who had done it. Before leaving the previous day, Jess mentioned that she was behind on utilities; it’s presumed that her rent is extremely low, given the unlivable conditions of the haunted house.
The unpleasant landlord reappears, ringing the doorbell to get Jess to sign the eviction papers, believing that disconnecting her utilities will motivate her to leave. Jess eventually agrees to work with the ghost to scare off the landlord and tells him she’s ready to proceed. The ghost’s bright idea is to possess her in order to frighten Stephanie played by Sugar Lyn Beard. Initially revolted by the notion, Jess becomes more receptive to the idea.
While possessed, Jess delves into the ghost’s subconscious and discovers that he’s a serial killer who did not commit suicide as he had claimed. She fights off the possession just in time to prevent him from killing the landlord. Together, they uncover the burial site where the ghost has hidden his victims’ remains. To secure her free housing, Jess blackmails the landlord into reaching out to the media, demanding that she tear down the haunted house. The film concludes with the landlord’s agreement.
Halfway Haunted is both funny and engaging, with excellent performances from the cast. It also sheds light on real-life issues surrounding gentrification and out-of-touch millennial landlords. Directed by Samuel Rudykoff and written by Bryn Pottie and Samuel Rudykoff, **Halfway Haunted** will be screened at this year’s 2025 Hollyshorts Film Festival in Hollywood, California. https://www.hollyshorts.com/
