Back in the fall of 2016, something awful happened in downtown Hamilton.

To tell you exactly what would ruin things, but safe to say it includes a happy couple moving into an idyllic new home on a suburban street, and the tendrils of evil unfurling from a house next door.

That's the basic premise of Isabelle — a new film from Stoney Creek director Rob Heydon, which was largely filmed at three houses near Queen and Main in the city's downtown core.

Now, the movie is gearing up for an opening in Toronto at the Carlton Cinema this Friday, with a video on demand release coming to iTunes, Google Play and Amazon next month, and plans for Netflix later this summer. Isabelle should also appear at the Playhouse Cinema and the Westdale Theatre in Hamilton come August.

Amanda Crew stars as a grieving mother in the new horror film "Isabelle." (The Wanting Film)

The film follows the same path as many well worn horror tropes — and at its core, it's an examination of the emotional state people reach when they endure trauma, Heydon told CBC News.

"It really heightens the audience's connection with the actors and what they're going through if they've felt something similar," he said.

The film stars Amanda Crew (of Silicon Valley and The Age of Adaline) and Adam Brody (of StartUp and Chips) as a couple expecting a child who are moving into new home — which naturally, happens to be situated next to unspeakable evil. Shockingly, things do not go well for them.

Zoe Belkin plays the somewhat demonic Isabelle. (The Wanting Film)

The script was written by Donald Martin, who says he was influenced by horror classics like Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist.

"Rosemary's Baby isn't a story about Satan. It's about a marriage," Martin said in a statement. "The Exorcist isn't a story about a possession. It's about a mother and a daughter. These stories are firmly rooted in reality."

Heydon, like many others in the industry at the moment, is also heralding Hamilton as a great place to film.

That sentiment should only ramp up since city officials and a new studio group announced plans to build a massive film and TV hub on the Barton-Tiffany Lands in central Hamilton last week.

"Isabelle" will open in Toronto at the Carlton Cinema this Friday, with a video on demand release coming to iTunes, Google Play and Amazon next month. (The Wanting Film)

Executives say Hamilton is prized for tax incentives, but also for the city's wide range of locales in which to film.

During a single day of shooting on Isabelle, the crew was able to hit three different locations — something that would be almost impossible in Toronto, Heydon said.

"To do something like that in Toronto would be a logistical nightmare," he said.

"Filming in Hamilton was such a great experience."

adam.carter@cbc.ca