Fort Worth gets the horror movie treatment in new supernatural film ‘The Hem’
Not every filmmaker can say they filmed and premiered their movie at the same location, but Tyler Russell can.
In May, the Louisiana native turned Fort Worth local shot his new horror film “The Hem” in seven days around Cowtown. Southside Preservation Hall served as the main filming hub, with additional photography captured at the Stockyards.
Around five months later on Oct. 1, Russell returned to the hall to premiere the film at Weird Wednesday, a monthly film-centric event.
“My last movie came out during Covid, so I did not have a single experience with people besides like my friends,” Russell told the Star-Telegram. “So, yeah, it was night and day.”
A few weeks after the big premiere, “The Hem” is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
The film follows a documentary crew that “investigates a haunted church on the verge of collapse with one condition: they must be out by dark.” “The Hem” stars Jeni Robins, Rani Alowairdi, Torren Davis, Savannah Rae Collins, Judd Lormand, George Hardy and Fort Worth film historian Ryan Bijan Jeri.
Russell is excited for folks to check it out and have good time with the no-frills, right down-the-middle horror picture.
“It’s not going to change your life. You’re not going to go call your family member that you’ve had problems with and fix it with them,” Russell said. “This is not that movie. This is purely entertainment here.”
Tyler Russell’s journey to Fort Worth
Russell’s filmmaking journey began in New Orleans, about 280 miles south of his hometown of Monroe, La.
During his time at film school, New Orleans saw a boom in film production, which spurred an influx in hiring. Russell recalls working on Sci-Fi Channel movies at only 18 years old.
“I had no idea what I was doing, but they were trying to get the tax incentives, so they were hiring everybody,” he said.
As he began to work on his own stuff, Russell said he grew tired of the scene in New Orleans, especially being the local guy having to show everybody around The Big Easy.
He packed his bags and made the move to Austin, where he lived for a few years. After the pandemic, Russell moved to Fort Worth to work on an outdoors television show.
For the past few years, he’s been a Fort Worth local and hopes to stay that way for a good while.
“I actually had never been to Fort Worth until I moved up here, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe I haven’t been here’,” Russell said. “This place is amazing.”
Tyler Russell on making ‘The Hem’
“The Hem” marks Russell’s fourth directorial effort and last since 2020’s “Cyst.”
That last movie was a horror comedy, which can be tough since the latter is subjective, Russell said. But most people understand horror, so he wanted to make something straight up.
There are plenty of horror subgenres out there, but Russell said he doesn’t want to make slasher movies or anything with blood and guts. He’s more interested in psychological and supernatural stories.
Those are the type of horror films he likes to watch, although Russell admits that despite his resume, he’s a scaredy-cat.
“I think it’s good to be the filmmaker that’s scared of stuff,” Russell said. “Because I feel like if you’re numb to it, then you don’t really understand what the audience goes through.”
For his supernatural tale, Russell turned to Southside Preservation Hall at 1519 Lipscomb St.
The film was shot in a section of the building that has been closed for decades, Russell said. While he added the supernatural elements, Russell admits that some of the hall workers have said they’ve heard kids running down the hallway and a preacher preaching.
All of that added to the flavor of the film, including the many items that were left in rooms throughout the building such as sewing machines and wedding dresses.
“I don’t want to be there at night ever,” Russell said. “I would say it’s probably haunted.”
What’s next for Tyler Russell after ‘The Hem’
With “The Hem” in the rearview, Russell is planning his next steps.
He wants to make a prequel to the film. Another idea is for something else Fort Worth-centric, but he’s not ready to discuss what that is just yet.
Russell will also continue running Howdy Films, his Fort Worth-based production company, which hopes to shoot two or three movies here locally next year.
As Russell holds his focus on Fort Worth, he said the film community around the city is bigger than people realize.
Folks want to work in this industry and make the city a major hub for production. The new film incentive bill is expected to bring more business to Texas.
However, Russell hopes productions do more than swoop in, grab the incentive and leave. For Fort Worth to succeed, people need to plant roots.
“I’ll be here,” Russell said. “I’ll see you around town.”
“The Hem” is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
