"A Southern Haunting" — Feature Film

STARZ Original · Also on: Prime Video, Apple TV

Filmed in DES MOINES, IA

Overview

"A Southern Haunting" is a STARZ Original feature, also available on Prime Video and Apple TV. Written and directed by M.J. Anderson and T. Huff and starring Imani Hakim, Laya DeLeon Hayes, and Tarik Lowe, it follows an ex-slave family who receive forty acres and must battle man and myth to uncover the truth behind their land. The film was originally titled "40," after the broken post-Civil War promise of forty acres and a mule.

The Challenge

It's framed as a horror film, but at its heart it's a family story: a father raising two sons and two daughters after losing their mother, while confronting the racism of the era. Telling it meant surviving the indie-film crucible — October snow, weather and location problems, equipment setbacks, a low budget, and a small team where everyone wore many hats. And the film had to convince audiences that Iowa was the American South.

The Idea

Beautiful, but haunted. Rather than outright horror, we aimed for an elevated thriller — an environment open to spiritual presences. Iowa's fall color, old homes, barns, and rural exteriors became the South, lit and framed to feel both lovely and quietly unsettling.

The Craft

To protect a historical home from equipment damage and to beat the weather, we built a multi-level interior of the house as a set, in four stages, inside a studio. When the film ran out of budget mid-post with story gaps remaining, Jacob stepped in and offered Luminary as a full production partner — handling reshoots, editing, VFX, coloring, and sound design to carry the film to completion. The original score is by composer Kostas Christides. A sales company later retitled the film "A Southern Haunting" and found its home at STARZ.

Working with the team

Jacob was brought on by an Iowa producer, initially as cinematographer only. The tight-knit team that formed through the production's challenges is what got the film finished — and Luminary's expanded role grew out of a simple commitment to see the story through.

- Released as a STARZ Original, with additional distribution on Prime Video and Apple TV.
- The project reignited Jacob's feature-directing ambition, now carried forward through 1846 Studios.
Cinematographer and Film Editor: Jacob Moyer. Luminary Creative served as production partner for reshoots, VFX, coloring, and sound design. Brought to life with our trusted team of craftspeople — art direction, wardrobe, hair and makeup, production design, lighting, and grip — who help us build every project alongside our clients.

LET’S WORK TOGETHER

Have a story that needs to be seen through to the end? Let's make them dream with their eyes open.

START A PROJECT

MORE WORK

Mediacom — "Blockbuster"

An internet offer, shot like a summer feature film.

Lonestar — "Just the Rain"

A father, a daughter, and the rain that brings her back.

Golden Rule — "Times Change"

Sixty seconds about coming home. No discounts, no hard sell.