Interview by Paul Salfen
The Alamo Drafthouse at Fantastic Fest buzzed with anticipation as the curtain lifted—figuratively, at least—on Haunted Heist, the latest genre-bending comedy-horror flick that’s got audiences whispering about ghosts, heists, and heartfelt reunions. Directed by Lil Rel Howery and starring Tiffany Haddish alongside Brett Gelman and Ari Dayan, the film follows four estranged friends who reunite at a sprawling estate under the guise of a score: one plans to swipe a priceless antique. But when the house’s spectral residents crash the party, survival means facing old grudges amid poltergeist pandemonium. With no trailers or posters in sight, the secrecy only amped up the intrigue during a lively conversation with AMFM Magazine’s Paul Salfen.
From the jump, the vibe was electric. “We’re so excited to be here to talk about Haunted Heist,” Salfen kicked off, acknowledging the crowd’s feverish energy. “You guys have been so excited about this movie. There’s no trailers, no poster. What in the world are we getting into?” Haddish, ever the spark plug, leaned into the mystery with a grin: “You get into a whole lot of fun. Fear and fun.”
Howery, making his directorial debut, emphasized the film’s deliberate blend of scares and chuckles. “It’s going to be a fun game,” he teased, careful not to spoil too much. “It’s fun to… make sure it’s actually funny. A lot of horror films [are scary], so for us to have to be intentional about that… yeah.” The cast echoed the sentiment, recounting a set alive with improvisation and boundary-pushing hilarity. “We had a blast with all these amazing victims,” Gelman shared, hinting at the film’s chaotic ensemble dynamics. Dayan added, “I remember when we met first about it and then you were like, ‘I want this. Like, it’s really important for me that… you bring back freedom in comedy.’ And I felt that that was like… the spirit of the whole shoot.”
Sex scenes? Ghosts? Why not both? The panel devolved into gleeful chaos when Haddish dropped a “Our characters are, like, very sexual.” Howery piled on: “Everybody really was just going for it… There’s a lot of laugh-out-loud moments.” In a film where haunted houses host heists, it seems the spirits aren’t the only things getting frisky.
The group stressed how the genre mashup serves as timely escapism. “I don’t know of a time where the country needed a lot more like this,” Salfen noted. Haddish agreed: “This is the perfect time for a movie like this… I hope this film gives people the proper [break]… especially with some great horror films… that have come out recently. This seems like that would be really fun to… do your lab and give you some more, but in fear, love and fear.”
For aspiring filmmakers and actors, Haddish’s advice was pure fire: “If somebody wanted to follow in my footsteps, I would tell them, walk next to my footsteps, don’t follow ’em because it’s irritating. It’s not easy. It’s easier to follow your own path… Don’t make the same mistakes and you got your own set of mistakes you’re going to make. So just focus on your journey.” Howery urged authenticity over algorithms: “Don’t try and make a math equation… What hits always is what’s new. And there’s no equation to that at all. So just go… with your gut.” Gelman kept it real: “Be yourself. Don’t like BFM. You going to fuck up? You going to fail. You just get back up and keep on fucking that.” Dayan wrapped it with a call to arms: “The only thing you should take seriously is learning the business… But the hard part is still being fully open and just have fun.”
The conversation veered into “Hail Mary” moments—those career Hail Marys that paid off against all odds, courtesy of Salfen’s co-host Drew Pearson tying it to the 50th anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys’ legendary pass. Haddish talked about her Fashion Week gamble two years prior: “Kathy Hilton, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton… begged me to walk in my show… I was like, ‘No, I’m never gonna go back to the show again.'” She did it anyway—for $100,000 to charity—and the backlash from “Black Twitter” calling her an “embarrassment” flipped into praise. “Regular Twitter is like, ‘Oh, she just took the stick out of Fashion Week… She’s bringing joy back.'” The payoff? Gigs with Marchesa and Oscar de la Renta, channeling her late grandma’s modeling legacy. “That was my Hail Mary… I could have ruined me.”
With Fantastic Fest 2025 in full swing, Haunted Heist promises to be the feel-good fright fest we didn’t know we needed.
