Lil Rel Howery Talks ‘Haunted Heist,’ Comedy And Building His Own Lane

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 21: Lil Rel Howery attends the 53rd Annie Awards astatine Royce Hall connected February 21, 2026 successful Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

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Lil Rel Howery has been successful the crippled for astir 2 decades, and he’s spent that clip making a beardown lawsuit that being funny is conscionable the beginning. His early drama credits day backmost to 2007, but Howery has ne'er been contented to enactment successful 1 lane, moving from stand-up into television, film, penning and producing on the way. For plentifulness of moviegoers, his breakout arsenic TSA supplier Rod Williams successful Get Out made him intolerable to forget—a domiciled that turned him into the friend everybody wanted successful their group chat during a scary movie.

Now, pinch Haunted Heist, his characteristic directorial debut, Howery is stepping down the camera while besides starring successful and executive producing the scary comedy. For him, directing doesn’t consciousness for illustration a profession pivot truthful overmuch arsenic the earthy adjacent move. After astir 2 decades successful Hollywood, he’s learned that longevity intends knowing really to do much than 1 thing. Directing isn’t a caller guidance truthful overmuch arsenic different portion of the toolkit he’s been building each along.

Lil Rel Howery Found His First Love In Horror

Howery’s emotion for filmmaking started agelong earlier he was making movies. He grew up watching horror, pinch Michael Myers among his favourite icons, on pinch the early A Nightmare connected Elm Street films and Halloween. But the original It really sewage him.

When the tv adjustment aired, Howery remembers it becoming a full-on taste moment, pinch kids showing up to schoolhouse the adjacent time comparing notes astir who was scared, who was terrified and who was decidedly not sleeping pinch their feet hanging disconnected the bed. At the time, clowns were expected to mean happiness. Birthday parties. Balloons. Somebody handing you a cupcake. Then Pennywise showed up and ruined the full concept. “It was an event,” Howery recalls.

That emotion of cinema is besides why Howery takes the moviegoing acquisition earnestly — concessions included. Unlike the group who get pinch a purse afloat of snacks for illustration they’re preparing for a six-hour flight, Howery says he buys his nutrient astatine the theater. He gets location early and times his concession tally pinch the trailers because, dissimilar a batch of us, he really enjoys watching them. “I gain my pay,” he jokes.

It’s a mini detail, but it says a batch astir really genuinely Howery loves movies. He isn’t conscionable personification who makes them; he still approaches the theatre like an assemblage member. He respects the ritual. He wants his snacks. He wants to spot the trailers. He wants the full acquisition — nary shortcuts, nary sneaking successful contraband, conscionable vibes and a decently timed concession run.

Howery Turns Collaboration Into His Directing Philosophy

That aforesaid enthusiasm carried onto the group of Haunted Heist, wherever Howery took a hands-on attack to directing. He wasn’t conscionable directing and producing; he was besides rewriting the book and starring successful the movie.

He says he would return the book location each night, making adjustments based connected what the actors were bringing to the production. The extremity wasn’t simply to get done the pages. He wanted everyone connected group to consciousness “seen and heard,” peculiarly connected a lower-budget accumulation wherever each personification has to beryllium afloat invested successful making the movie work. “These are your collaborators,” he says.

That collaborative mindset carried into casting, too. Some of Howery’s longtime friends, including Tiffany Haddish, came into the movie done offers, but he still wanted auditions for respective different roles. Among them were Detroit comedians Tara Terry, Joe Blunt and Martini Harris.

Terry, who plays the grandmother, already opens for Howery connected the road, making her casting different illustration of his liking successful bringing group from his drama circle into the filmmaking family. Howery says he personally watches auditions, moreover erstwhile an character has only 1 line. “I’m a very proactive person,” he says.

Why Howery Let Detroit Become Part Of The Cast

Detroit wasn’t conscionable wherever Haunted Heist happened to shoot. Several of the producers unrecorded successful the city, but Howery says the locations yet helped seal the deal. The accumulation filmed astatine Berry Gordy’s first mansion and the Detroit Masonic Temple, while besides drafting connected section crews and talent.

For a movie astir a group of group making immoderate very questionable decisions, the metropolis brought plentifulness of characteristic to the frame. “Detroit conscionable has truthful overmuch characteristic for what we’re trying to do,” Howery says.

That was portion of the appeal. Howery wanted the metropolis to consciousness for illustration much than a backdrop — its architecture, group and power each helping style the personality of the movie.

How Howery Learned From the Greats, Then Got Personal

As a first-time director, Howery besides leaned connected filmmakers he admires. He calls himself a movie and tv nerd — a adjacent appraisal for personification who tin rattle disconnected Rob Reiner, John Singleton, Jordan Peele and Ryan Coogler arsenic influences without missing a beat. Ava DuVernay and Shawn Levy besides offered guidance arsenic he prepared for the project.

But studying different directors, Howery says, isn’t astir trying to go the adjacent type of personification else. You tin return the notes, study the greats and get a small inspiration. Eventually, though, you person to find what’s yours. “You person to fig retired what your ain style is and bring what you deliberation you tin do better.”

One of those instincts was making room for affectional vulnerability betwixt Black men. A segment betwixt Howery and Karlous Miller’s characters centers connected 2 friends confronting their relationship, apologizing and reconnecting. Howery wanted the infinitesimal to consciousness genuine, including the measurement the 2 friends embrace. Rather than the speedy dap aliases enarthrosis pat that often stands successful for affection betwixt Black men connected screen, he wanted them to really beryllium susceptible pinch each other.

It’s a mini moment, but an intentional one. Howery wanted to show Black men being unfastened pinch 1 different without the infinitesimal instantly becoming a joke aliases personification emotion the request to propulsion back. The relationship gets to beryllium tender. The emotion gets to beryllium there. And cipher has to apologize for it.

Friendship Keeps Howery Grounded Beyond The Spotlight

That taxable of relationship hits adjacent to location for Howery, too. He and Tiffany Haddish person been friends for astir 20 years, and pinch their birthdays only a mates of weeks apart, they’ve had plentifulness of reasons to celebrate.

Over the years, that has included trips to Hawaii pinch friends. But Howery remembers those getaways little for the personage facet than for the chance to simply bent out—hit the gym, walk the holidays together and, for a fewer days astatine least, conscionable beryllium regular people.

That’s the benignant of organization Howery seems to worth most: the group you tin laughter with, turn pinch and still telephone erstwhile the cameras are off. He’s built his profession alongside comedians he came up with, stayed adjacent to the group who helped him on the measurement and now looks for ways to bring much group into the circle.

From Breaking Through To Opening Doors With Howery

That committedness to organization extends beyond Haunted Heist and into Howery’s activity successful comedy. He is entering the 3rd twelvemonth of the What’s Funny? Comedy Festival, which he created to springiness Black and Brown comedians a bigger platform.

After experiencing show circuits wherever comedians of colour could sometimes consciousness relegated to abstracted aliases secondary showcases, Howery wanted to build thing different: a abstraction wherever comedians could show up arsenic themselves without having to h2o down their style aliases explicate why their drama works.

The show is besides Howery’s measurement of giving backmost to stand-up, the creation shape he credits pinch changing his life. He says he and his partner, Knowledge Beckom, person funded the show retired of pocket, and this year’s programming will see a master people and an grant for Bill Bellamy. “I want to make judge we springiness flowers to group who paved the way,” he says.

For Howery, giving backmost intends honoring the group who came earlier him while making room for those coming next. He knows what it intends to use from personification other opening a door. Now, he’s focused connected making judge location are much doors to locomotion through.

How Independent Filmmakers Are Taking Back Control

That belief successful creating caller opportunities besides shapes really Howery thinks astir independent film.

Haunted Heist reached astir 390 theaters done nonstop relationships pinch exhibitors, pinch Howery describing a 50/50 divided pinch theatre owners arsenic an important portion of the deal. He sees the statement arsenic proof that filmmakers tin build stronger relationships pinch theaters without ever having to spell done a awesome studio. He credits supplier Variance Films for being consenting to put successful the filmmakers and their vision.

Howery believes location is an appetite for independent movies, peculiarly erstwhile filmmakers are consenting to return risks. “I conscionable deliberation you get hungrier filmmakers erstwhile it’s not balloon budgets,” he says.

That hunger is portion of what makes Haunted Heist meaningful to him. The movie’s occurrence isn’t simply astir getting 1 movie into theaters; it’s astir proving location are different ways to get movies successful beforehand of audiences—and that filmmakers tin build those paths without waiting for a awesome workplace to unfastened the door.

A Movie Fan’s Next Chapter Behind The Camera

That willingness to build extracurricular the accepted strategy is accordant pinch Howery’s larger profession philosophy. He still loves performing and acting, but says he has go much selective astir his on-camera work. These days, writing, producing and directing consciousness little for illustration abstracted jobs and much for illustration different parts of the aforesaid imaginative process.

Jonathan Simon, a writer and head astatine 369 Curated, sees being a multi-hyphenate arsenic a measurement to return power of the stories being told. “I deliberation we person the expertise to bring a position and nuance to stories that get overlooked regularly,” he says. He believes specificity is simply a strength, peculiarly successful representation: “For truthful long, Black characters person been seen done personification else’s lens, truthful location is powerfulness successful being capable to power really we are represented.” As a imaginative moving crossed aggregate disciplines, Simon adds, “Each facet has made maine amended astatine the others. These days, you deterioration aggregate hats because you person to.”

Directing, successful particular, is the portion he’s astir excited to support exploring. But he’s besides very overmuch a movie fan—even erstwhile his ain sanction is successful the credits.

Howery saw Haunted Heist successful theaters and says he’s watched it respective times astatine location since its release, conscionable arsenic he has pinch different films he’s made. It’s a fitting item for personification who spent years loving movies earlier he ever started making them. After each the activity that goes into getting a movie from book to screen, Howery still wants to do what he’s ever done: beryllium down, get his snacks and watch the movie.

More Than One Title, One Vision For Howery

Howery’s profession has ever been astir being multidimensional. But pinch Haunted Heist, he’s taking that thought a measurement further. He isn’t simply looking for different lane successful Hollywood; he’s making much room for himself, his collaborators and the group coming down him.

He’s directing. He’s producing. He’s mentoring. He’s creating opportunities. But underneath it all, the ngo hasn’t changed: make group laugh, show bully stories and support uncovering caller ways to do both.

Maybe that’s the existent evolution. He isn’t reinventing himself truthful overmuch arsenic expanding what Lil Rel Howery tin be. The comedian is still there. The character is still there. Now there’s a head successful the mix, too. And if his profession has taught him anything, it’s that there’s nary logic to extremity astatine 1 title erstwhile you tin build a profession that holds them all.