• Exclusives
  • News

Exclusive news, teaser and poster: Horror/comedy short “HALF-O-WEEN”

The project is intended to launch a feature-film version.

Hawthorne House Films and Barton Ct. Productions’ HALF-O-WEEN is set to shoot in the Los Angeles area this summer, and P.J. Starks (NEW FEARS EVE), who’s producing with Tim Robinson, sent over the teaser trailer and poster seen below. Directed by Stephen Wolfe (DOLL FACTORY) and written by Mike McPherson (10/31 PART 2), the satirical slasher short stars Lestonja Diaz, Robinson, Sara Gaston, Joe Grisaffi, Joshua Kennedy, Josh Spiegel, Matt Baca and Xavier Flores as murderous maniac Eddie Mangas. Special effects will be created by Ryan and Salina Ward of Little Shop of Gore FX (TERRIFIER 3). According to the official synopsis, the movie “blends the irreverent humor of GHOST WORLD with the bloody kills of the HALLOWEEN franchise, leaning on its richly detailed ensemble cast. Leading the quartet is Cam White, a horror fanatic and recluse, whose only companion, a normie boyfriend named Jeremy, just broke up with her. In the immediate aftermath of their ugly breakup, their landlords arrive with news of an escaped serial killer. Winnie, nosy and overbearing, insists her husband, the prideful and sleazy Vern, will protect them. But as the night winds on with the foursome cooped up together in Sam’s tiny living space, she begins to wonder whether she ought to take her chances.”

“Fans of classic slashers and those who appreciate more unconventional, boundary-pushing horror in the vein of A24 and Neon will find plenty to love here,” Wolfe tells us. “At its core, this is a character-driven, emotionally charged story–but it’s all wrapped in a darkly comedic, bloodsoaked slasher that both honors tradition and subverts expectations.” Adds Starks, “I’ve known Stephen for years and he’s a very talented filmmaker that I’ve worked with before. HALF-O-WEEN has the same irreverent sensibilities as his previous work. The script is funny and dark and shocking in the right ways. It’ll be great to see what he and Tim do with this next genre outing. As a true lover of slashers, I’m excited to be part of it.”

Read More

Ad Space
Get The Grim Reader.
Rue Morgue's free newsletter.
Editor's notes.
Cultural insight.
Curated horror across film, books, music, and art.
First looks.
Select previews.
No algorithms.
Join Free

In Print Since 1997

Issue 231

Rue Morgue #231 Jul/Aug 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #231 – Summer Slasher Issue FEATURES Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA guts the slasher formula from the inside out, turning it into a romance about the horror of becoming who you were always meant to be. Plus! GILLIAN ANDERSON and HANNAH EINBINDER unpack Schoenbrun’s radical dismemberment of…

Issue 230

Rue Morgue #230 May/Jun 2026 – RARE

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #230 FEATURES Filmmaker Curry Barker transforms a simple wish into a spiralling nightmare of love, possession, and bloodshed in his breakout feature OBSESSION. Plus: The story of Barker’s found-footage shocker MILK & SERIAL, which turned a micro-budget experiment into a viral horror breakout. Hollywood made it a monster. History tells a different…

Issue 229

Rue Morgue #229 Mar/Apr 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #229! FEATURES A nerve-shredding found-footage thriller built around sound, UNDERTONE signals the arrival of a terrifying new voice in Canada’s booming independent horror scene. Plus! Meet the new breed of independent Canadian horror filmmakers behind DREAM EATER, SWEETNESS, HANGASHORE, THE LAND OF NOD and THE CURSE OF GHOST ISLAND. Part post-punk, part…

Issue 228

Rue Morgue #228 Jan/Feb 2026

Plus

Inside Rue Morgue #228! FEATURES He fascinated audiences in 2001 with the French period martial arts horror film BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF. Then he followed it up in 2006 by bringing the eerie world of SILENT HILL to cinematic life. Now, visionary director CHRISTOPHE GANS unleashes his latest nightmare with RETURN TO SILENT HILL. Plus!…