October is the time for all things spooky and what’s scarier than the housing crisis? That’s the idea behind a short film being shown at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, which started Wednesday.
Halfway Haunted is a short film written by Sam Rudykoff that dials in on the life of a freelance editor who is living not only below the poverty line, but with a ghost.
Rudykoff said he chose the housing crisis as the backdrop of his spooky short film because the world is full of worse things than ghosts.
“I’d probably rather deal with a ghost than, ya know, bad wiring or a sudden eviction,” he said, “Real life housing issues have just gotten so bad, that something like a little supernatural spooking just doesn’t really rate anymore,”
The main character, Jess, is being evicted because her new landlord plans to bulldoze her house and build upscale condos. She falls victim to the gentrification of her neighborhood and due to her income status, she can’t afford any other housing in her city.
This is the reality for millions of Americans right now. Gentrification of cities often increases housing costs and leads to displacement of low-income residents who can no longer afford to live there.
Halfway Haunted tackles this intense subject and adds dark humor through a troublesome ghost. Ultimately, Jess teams up with him to try and save them both.
The Santa Fe International Film Festival runs Oct. 15-20 this year. Halfway Haunted screens Friday evening at 8:15 p.m. in Santa Fe.