Breakups Turn Bloody in ‘Half-O-Ween’ Slasher Comedy

Halloween may still be six months away, but the knives are already out in Half-O-Ween, a new horror-comedy short gearing up to shoot in Los Angeles this summer. Helmed by director Stephen Wolfe and penned by Mike McPherson, the upcoming film is set to blend social awkwardness, relationship drama and blood-soaked chaos into one twisted treat for horror fans.

Described as Ghost World with a body count, Half-O-Ween takes place in the emotionally volatile aftermath of a young couple’s break-up. Horror obsessive Cam White is blindsided when her normie boyfriend Jeremy calls it quits. Unfortunately for both of them, their apartment has become the epicentre of a suburban nightmare, thanks to two meddling landlords and news of a serial killer on the loose. With no safe way out, the former couple must navigate emotional fallout, close quarters, and rising paranoia – all while trying to figure out whether the real danger is outside their door or inside it.

Leading the cast is Lestonja Diaz, alongside Tim Robinson, Sara Gaston, and Joe Grisaffi. The line-up also includes indie horror regulars Joshua Kennedy and Josh Spiegel, with Xavier Flores stepping into the blood-soaked shoes of the deranged killer Eddie Mangas. Special effects will come courtesy of genre favourites Ryan and Salina Ward of Little Shop of Gore FX, whose recent work includes Terrifier 3. With them on board, audiences can expect kills that are both grotesque and memorable, dialling up the gore without skimping on detail.

The production comes from Hawthorne House Films and Barton Ct. Productions, both of whom have quietly built reputations for turning out lean, mean horror shorts with flair and bite. Producers Tim Robinson and P.J. Starks are back together following previous collaborations on Dracula’s Coffin and 13 Slays Till X-Mas, and the tone here looks similarly irreverent. Where previous shorts leaned into holiday horror or vampire lore, Half-O-Ween aims for a collision of millennial malaise and slasher tropes, wrapped in a tightly packed, apartment-set pressure cooker.

The film promises big personality, especially with its claustrophobic setting and a dynamic four-person showdown that blends sitcom tension with midnight movie mayhem.

Filming begins in Los Angeles this summer, with a trailer already available to give horror lovers a taste of the twisted humour and practical carnage to come.

Half-O-Ween trailer