Below is an archive of past films and filmmakers featured at the Detroit International Festival of Darkness. Click the links to view the films online, where available.
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Festival of Darkness 4 – September 27th 2025
Redford Theatre – Detroit
“All Souls Day” – Brett Joseph Lawrence (2024 Michigan 17:22)
No one deserves to be forgotten.
“Hainschatten” – Daniel Wolters (2025 Germany 2:59)
1541: A miller is afraid of the forest and what lurks out there.
“The Super” – Daniel Merino Villavicencio (2024 New York 4:09)
The story of a brutal killer and the person he fears most.
“The Good, The Bad and The Bloodthirsty : The Four Horsemen” – John Kalning (2025 California 5:48)
Four Native American vampires ride into an Old West town to reclaim their legacy in this action-packed gothic western.
“The Bezoar” – Laure-Elie Chenier-Moreau (2024 France 17:25)
After losing her mother, Anna discovers a hairy monster in her home and has to live with this strange creature without losing her footing.
“Him” – Matthias Couquet (2024 France 10:26)
François is meeting his friend Pierre who claims to be followed by a stranger that watches him from a distance.
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“Baba Yaga’s Beastiary Episode 1- LIKHO!” – Tamara Finlay (2025 Michigan 3:43)
Famed witch of Slavic folklore Baba Yaga invites us into her hut on a chicken’s leg to tell us about the demon Likho, and how to keep it at bay.
“The Rabbit” – Dylan Hamar (2025 Idaho 10:08)
In the desolate wilderness, a desperate hunter steals a freshly killed rabbit, only to be stalked by a vengeful spirit demanding retribution for its theft.
“Deadcast” – Tamar Reynolds, Justin Reder (2024 Michigan 5:00)
Jacoby “JJ” Jenkins goes on a nightly walk while listening to a true crime podcast. Unbeknownst to JJ, he is being targeted by a killer as the podcast story becomes eerily familiar.
“For The Billionth Time Today” – Jack Chisik (2024 Michigan 38:16)
Driving recklessly away from a nightmarish encounter, a young man deeply rooted in his own self loathing loses his grip on reality and is confronted by his childhood demon.
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Festival of Darkness 3 – September 28th 2024
Redford Theatre – Detroit
“The Dance of the Nain Rouge” – Eric Millikin (2023 Michigan 3:00)
An experimental decolonial Detroit demonology deepfake dream dance documentary, based on the legend of the Nain Rouge (“Red Dwarf”) of Detroit.
“Re:” – Matthew Jarjosa (2021 Michigan 2:45)
An experimental animated horror short.
“Blind Spot” – Jon Clark (2023 Michigan 9:13)
After a tragic car accident, Jennifer struggles to find absolution and understand the mysterious presence in her house.
“Döppleganger” – Quentin Marié (2024 France 5:00)
On the way to his home, Marc hears a strange sound in a narrow Parisian street… But between his next encounter, what do we know? And who can we trust?
“Match” – Victor Basallote (2023 Spain 8:00)
Rachel, a restless insomniac, stumbles upon Zalir through a dating app, an entity determined to intertwine their fates.
“Night Feeding” – Sarah K Reimers (2023 California 5:37)
Exhaustion and sleep-deprivation begin to take their toll on a new mother, who struggles through the strange, dark stillness of the 4am feeding.
“Transylvanie” – Rodrigue Huart (2023 France 15:00)
Ewa, a 10-year-old girl, is an odd, lonely child and for good reason: she’s convinced of being a vampire.
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“The Hungering” – Alyson Phillips (2023 Michigan 1:49)
Zombies in today’s world in rural Michigan.
“Manticora” – Samuel Télot (2024 France 5:20)
Deep within the woods, a young lady remembers the rules given by her mother. Words which only had but one purpose: to protect her from facing the beast.
“Everything That Rises” – Jon Curtis, Dillon Norton (2024 Michigan 24:44)
In 1945 war-torn Poland, a man finds himself stuck in hiding as time slowly ticks away. Outside the walls of his hidden room, the sounds of a chaotic world haunt his dreams.
“Late Sleeper” – Peter Morris Hardy (2023 Georgia 3:35)
Nightmares don’t always come at night.
“Mildred’s Exotic Meat Emporium” – Zalika Jasmine English (2024 United Kingdom 4:57)
After some time apart, Annie jumps at the opportunity to work at her aunt Mildred’s butcher store.
“Spider” – Austin Torres (2024 Michigan 6:43)
Blake gets attacked by a large spider while house-sitting for her scientist uncle.
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Festival of Darkness 2 – October 7st 2023
The Narthex – Detroit
“La Nueva (The Newcomer)” – Ivan Villamel (2022 Spain 15:00)
Maria is the new teacher who arrives at an old religious school and an unexpected event will turn the classroom into hell.
“Poppet” – Dan Raymond (2021 Michigan 03:36)
A short film about the horrors of those who hold grudges for the smallest of actions.
“Firstborn” – Thomas Butcher (2022 Michigan 10:08)
A decision made in a moment of despair leads to further agony down the wooded path. In this dark twist of an old fairy tale, love is only a reason for the darkness to prevail.
“Decorator” – Ramil Muradov, Nadir Aliyev (2019 Azerbaijan 06:09)
No matter what the answer to the question is, the true answer can only be known by the one who came up with the question.
“The Traveller” – Carter Ferguson (2023 United Kingdom 11:00)
All salesman Elliot wants to do is get back to his family, but on Christmas Eve, an ancient evil has other plans.
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“The Legend of Morrow Road” – Tim Shechmeister (2023 Michigan 15:30)
Two young women perform a dare at a legendary Michigan bridge, where a woman froze to death while searching for her lost child.
“SKINWALKER” – Daimein Parmelee (2023 Michigan 01:34)
A teenager left alone while his mother is out of town realizes an eerie discovery…
“IVI ELV” – Luigi Scarpa (2022 Italy 11:31)
A man regains consciousness somewhere unknown and claustrophobic. Dazed and confused, he begins to wander its dark corridors, but a series of visions will force him to deal with a far worse reality…
“SMRT Services” – Jeff Vande Zande (2023 Michigan 02:09)
It was the strangest ride share service he’d ever experienced.
“The Way Back” – Michelle Blumenau (2022 Michigan 10:17)
A man wakes up and meets two strangers trapped inside a room with no windows, a locked door, a timer and a gaping hole in the floor.
“The Final Blink” – Ronny Strehmann (2022 Germany 02:57)
When a mere blink is about to seal your fate.
“Unwelcome” – David Mair (2023 Minnesota 04:03)
While running from the police, a criminal seeks refuge by breaking into a home.
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Festival of Darkness 1 – October 1st 2022
The Narthex – Detroit
“Dark Hallway” – Eric Winick (2022 New York 1:30)
A nightmare set in a hallway.
“ATRIUM” – Alako Myles (2020 Australia 5:41)
An individual loses themself from a vast, natural landscape into increasingly darkened and claustrophobic environments, eventually leading to a point of realization.
“A Machine For Boredom” – Marc Cartwright (2020 California 3:14)
Isolation drives a man to rethink his position within a capitalistic society.
“teleVision Quest” – Terence Cover (2016 Michigan 4:50)
An experimental short about apathy, obsession and television.
“Luccica” – Jesse McAnally (2020 Michigan 10:30)
In this modern opera, a couple eagerly enter their married lives by renovating an old Victorian they hope will become their home.
“Respirations” – Rémi Tournier (2022 France 4:47)
In a burning world, wrecked by pollution, a survivor is heading toward his final destination.
“Trail” – Maxwell Seiler (2022 New Jersey 13:55)
A bird-watching trip turns into a nightmare as an entity stalks through the forest.
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“Gnaw” – Rosalee Yagihara (2022 Canada 7:10)
As romantic tensions consume Cote and her girlfriend, a pesky hangnail triggers a downward spiral into obsession.
“Phonetrip” – Miriam Muraca (2022 Italy 1:25)
A young girl’s nightmare trip into the social networks’ world. How many likes do we need to log out, once we’ve logged in?
“The Culling” – Cuyle Carvin (2022 Georgia 8:00)
Amidst a global extinction event, two survivors seek to find help while contemplating what went wrong.
“Witchy Woman” – Martin Malinov (2022 Bulgaria 4:14)
She has been receiving nasty looks her whole life and her dark, twisted mind runs free as her nightmare imaginations come to life.
“Negative Space” – Jake Weber, Heather Irvine (2019 Michigan 7:56)
The demeanor of a solitary man begins to erode after a toy he’s ordered arrives at his home.
“In the Dark” – Roman Duneshenko (2022 Russian Federation 5:00)
A manifesto against the authorities that restrict the freedom of a person and punish for their desires.
“Extended Warranty” – Thomas Angeletti (2022 United States 2:31)
“The Witching Hour” – Abigail Brenker (2022 New York 3:53)
A woman is haunted during the night by a spirit in her home.
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