There's horror, and then there's rent.
In Halfway Haunted, the newest short from Toronto filmmaker Sam Rudykoff, the scariest thing in the apartment isn't the ghost—it's the lease renewal. Premiering at the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival this August, the film arrives with a sharp hook and sharper teeth: a broke tenant teams up with the ghost haunting her unit to fight off the corporate landlord trying to raze their home.
You don't need a séance to feel this one.
Rudykoff—last seen on the circuit with his award-winning Cruise—doesn't settle for another “elevated horror” rehash. He aims at the jugular of real-world anxiety: gentrification, mass eviction, and the weaponized smile of redevelopment. But he does it with wit, clarity, and most importantly, restraint. This isn't a Twitter thread turned into a screenplay. This is genre filmmaking with a pulse.
What sets Halfway Haunted apart—aside from its wicked sense of humor—is the role reversal at its core. For once, the ghost isn't an intruder. He's a collaborator. Kristian Bruun plays the deadpan specter like a spectral union rep—bone-dry, unbothered, and oddly helpful. Hannan Younis, as Jess, the embattled tenant, grounds the story in raw fatigue. She's not fighting the supernatural—she's fighting property management.
And the real monster? Sugar Lyn Beard delivers a performance that's more chilling than any exorcism. She plays the sunny, sociopathic face of late-stage capitalism with unnerving cheer. Her smile is what you see on city banners when your neighborhood's about to vanish.
Produced by Mark Delottinville (Big Pig Co.) and shot by longtime Rudykoff collaborator Peter Schnobb, the film keeps things lean and well-lit—choosing honest texture over cheap mood. You can smell the must in the air. You can hear the neighbors who aren't there anymore.
It's this attention to place—and loss of place—that makes the film work. Halfway Haunted doesn't posture or preach. It plays. And in playing, it stings. Because for all the spectral hijinks, what lingers is the quiet truth: in today's market, a ghost is less frightening than a landlord.
The film will make its world premiere at HollyShorts 2025, running August 8–17 at TCL Chinese Theatres in Los Angeles. With buzz already building off the trailer and promo stills, don't be surprised if this genre-bending short finds its way onto more festival lineups soon.
Until then, consider this: when eviction comes knocking, would you rather deal with the undead—or a development firm named after a tree?
Easy call.
Premiere Info:
Halfway Haunted – Official Selection, 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival
Dates: August 8–17, 2025
Location: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA
Oscar-qualifying status: Confirmed
