Goofy Horror Comedy Haunted Heist (FANTASTIC) Goes Through the Motions

Title: Haunted Heist

First Non-Festival Release: TBD

Director: Lil Rel Howery

Writer: Carl Reid

Runtime: 90 Minutes

Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Lil Rel Howery, Andrew Bachelor, Karlous Miller

Where to Watch: Check out where to find it here

This film’s review was written after its screening at the Fantastic Film Festival in 2025.

After serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit, T (Karlous Miller) is given the opportunity to make some money upon release. The object of desire? A very rare and valuable knife made from a jawbone, tucked away in a dilapidated mansion. He decides to get his old high school friend group together to help out and split the pot between them. Influencer Shari (Tiffany Haddish), former CEO Ellis (Andrew Bachelor), and down-on-his-luck Ron (Lil Rel Howery) are given the invite. Once they get there, however, they find that there’s more to the estate than they are prepared to find.

Haunted Heist is a mixed bag of laughs that fails to capture the initial momentum once it attempts to inject horror into the story.

A great first act sets up the premise of Haunted Heist while introducing the audience to its fun cast of would-be thieves. Stylistic introductions to the cast set the scene for a wild and fun movie. Memorable, thanks to its bombastic comedy, Haunted Heist knows how to tell a good joke at its character’s expense. Taking its time to shape the characters and their relationship to one another, Haunted Heist understands how to extract comedy from each of their situations. Once the group fully reunites, the action takes a sharp nosedive into mediocrity.

By the time the mysterious ghosts appear in the decrepit mansion, Haunted Heist struggles to maintain the momentum of its setup, both in mystery and comedy. The jokes get stale, the story gets predictable, and the scares are non-existent. Caught in the purgatorial loop of its second act, Haunted Heist seems genuinely confused on where to go once the antagonists are introduced. This lull in the action begins compounding the longer it takes to find direction. More desperate and bigger swings are made until the crew makes it to the final confrontation. Without meaningfully facing off against the evil, the third act transpires in a way that is incredibly unearned and uninteresting. Once cornered, it’s difficult to write a story out of a block and Haunted Heist demonstrates this magnificently in how circular and boring it gets.

The cast does a good job of making their relationships feel authentic while still remaining true to the archetypes they occupy. Each character falls into familiar roles of a stereotypical friend group with mixed results. This gets potentiated by the fact that each friend has their own failure that is currently holding them back in life. Centering their humanity, while also throwing in an extra jab or two, the flaws make the group more interesting, even if most of the reveals lead nowhere. The comedic energy flows freely between the cast, giving credence to their decades-spanning friendship. The standout, however, is of course, Tiffany Haddish. Her portrayal of Shari leans heavily into her cockiness and ambition while also demonstrating her work ethic. Without Haddish’s comedic timing, much of the fun of Haunted Heist turns limp.

Solid production values allow the mansion to feel both lived in and abandoned. The illustrious property, humbled only by time, makes for an excellent setting for a haunted house caper. Long, sweeping hallways, secret rooms, and ceremonial spaces project the wealthy aesthetic while cobwebs and dust show how much is lost to time. Its impressive optics add to both the overall atmosphere and the believability of the house’s secrets.

Horror comedies are tough, and Haunted Heist has a balance of jokes that land and those that don’t. Unfortunately, its lack of solid horror makes it hard to root for when its fails to land even the most basic joke or scare. Its affable cast and fun premise earn it plenty of goodwill, especially as the comedy dulls the closer it inches towards its finale. If goofy horror comedies are up your alley, Haunted Heist might be up to the task.

Overall Score? 5/10