Table of Contents
Ria Pavia calls They Haunt Him a "delicious blend of humor, humanity, and horror" β light horror, to be clear. Written and produced by Spencer Paysinger and Dane Morck of the CW's All American, the film follows fourteen-year-old Theo and his best friends Maya and Sammy, who run a failing skate vlog until they break into a haunted mansion and strike a deal with Wade, a lonely teenage ghost. Wade performs for the camera, they help him cross over, and everyone goes viral. But Theo keeps filming long after the deal is done.
What drew Pavia in was the wholesome tone underneath the premise β teenagers "yearning for more than their surroundings offer," testing boundaries, faltering, and finding their way back to each other. It is her third invitation to screen at HollyShorts, and, by her own account, she is just as hyped as the first time.
Key Takeaways
- A skate-vlog ghost story that lands in HollyShorts' comedy block β Pavia's own term for it is "wholesome horror."
- When the secured location fell through on Day One, the crew pivoted to a nearby elementary school and found a better set, plus a herd of goats.
- The film cemented Pavia's commitment to telling stories through the eyes of youth β her next project is written from a fourteen-year-old's frame of reference.
Pavia spoke about happy accidents, the shot she orchestrated "just because," and why trust became the operative word on set.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
They Haunt Him is a delicious blend of humor, humanity, and horror. LIGHT horror, to be clear. When I read the script by Spencer Paysinger and Dane Morck of TV's All American, I was drawn to its wholesome tone. I appreciate that the teens in our piece are yearning for more than their surroundings offer and work together to attempt to make their marks. Along their journey, they test boundaries. They falter.
I'm honored that β in They Haunt Him β it's youth who shine a light on universal themes of friendship, trust and loyalty. After all, as Ram Dass said, "We are all just walking each other home."
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
We had some significant hurdles during filming, including suddenly losing our location after the entire cast and crew arrived. On Day One. That location comprised five dialogue-filled scenes with both interior and exterior shots, over the course of our first day. On a tight schedule. With minors.
So the hardest decision was shifting our entire first day to different sites within a new location β and keeping everyone calm about this huge pivot. But our stellar crew did not let it deter them. Everyone rallied and we quickly secured a new location when the elementary school that was only supposed to be for crew parking welcomed us to shoot in and around their grounds. In a happy-accident kind of way, it was even better than what we'd originally secured. And there were GOATS! Behind the school. Who doesn't love goats? They're my new favorite background actors.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
We shot a good deal of the film on location at a historic mansion that felt like an actual haunted house. There was this super old but cool mailbox that looked like a birdhouse. I was drawn to this eerie, intriguing sight when we scouted the location. I orchestrated a special shot for one of the characters to look through the little wooden door into the historic box β just because.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
TRUST was the operative word on this production. There were so many detours and snafus that I embraced the spirit of the phrase "happy accidents" β and reframed every "OH NO" with "TRUST." We had assembled a capable and passionate group of creatives, all focused on a collective mission. I let go β while staying intensely engaged β and magic ensued.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
I hope our film invites audiences to reflect on the importance of loyalty versus popularity. Longevity versus immediate gratification. And how vital human connection is to our lives.
How has this film shaped or shifted the kinds of stories you want to tell next?
This project truly cemented my desire to tell stories through the lens of our youth. Too often, I have found their POV to be discounted or trivialized. We have so much to learn from younger generations. They Haunt Him inspired me to write, produce and direct my next project from a fourteen-year-old's frame of reference. It was the ideal shift, in terms of storytelling.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, one of the world's premier short film festivals?
As both Director and Producer, this is a huge honor β the festival received over 7,000 submissions and accepted 430 films. I am humbled and HYPED. They Haunt Him marks my third time being invited to screen a project at this stellar festival, and I am just as excited, if not more, as the first time. I like to think of the film as "wholesome horror," which feels like a boundary push in itself. It's screening in a comedy block at HollyShorts, again straddling genres. I love that for us. Next, we're just starting our festival run, so I envision us bopping around various festivals in the states and screening overseas. I've had two other projects at Cannes, so I'd love to land over there as well. And They Haunt Him also screams β pun intended β as a proof of concept, so a limited series or feature would be a natural next step.
Main Cast & Crew
- Alkaio Thiele (Disney's Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, The Amazing World of Gumball)
- Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Zoe Saldana's daughter in James Cameron's Avatar franchise, Grey's Anatomy)
- Tim Johnson Jr. (High Potential, Everybody Still Hates Chris)
- Israel Johnson (Bunk'd, Bel-Air, Raven's Home)
- Written and Produced by Spencer Paysinger & Dane Morck of CW's All American
- Directed and Produced by Ria Pavia (Grown-ish, General Hospital)
- Cinematographer and Producer β Robert Arnold (Reasonable Doubt)
Filmmaker Opportunities
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