About
The Dark Room is a horror film competition presented by The State Theatre of Modesto and produced by Andrew Fischer Wong. This is a one-time spin off event by the team behind the Modesto 48 Hour Film Competition.
The competition runs from August 14th through September 18th, 2026, with the top 16 films screening at a special premiere event at the State Theatre on October 3rd, 2026.
How It Works
Filmmakers may participate at their leisure and only pay a $30 submission fee when they turn in a completed film. Submission can be made anytime in the competition window. The deadline for submission is September 18th, 9pm. Anything submitted afterwards will not be in contention for screening.
On August 14th at 6pm, we will announce the competition’s required elements on our Instagram page, @M48Hour. From that moment, the clock starts.
Every film must incorporate three required elements revealed at kickoff: a required line of dialogue, a required prop, and a required shot. Every film must also be 7 minutes or shorter in order to qualify for screening.
The Judges
A panel of anonymous judges will independently score each submitted film. Their scores are averaged, and the 16 highest-scoring films earn a spot in the premiere screening. The top 16 is not announced beforehand. You’ll have to show up on October 3rd to find out if you made it. Now that’s scary!
The Premiere
The Dark Room premiere is a costume party! Come as whatever you’d like, the more creative, the better. We’ll have a photo area, a live audience, and 16 short horror films made right here in the Central Valley.
One audience choice award will be given on the night, chosen by vote from the crowd.
Content
The Dark Room permits R-rated content. Horror is the genre, and we understand that the genre often comes with gore and intense language and situations. That said, the following are not permitted: explicit nudity, hate speech, and any content depicting explicit harm to minors or animals. Films containing graphic depiction of those elements will be disqualified from screening consideration. This is not a family-friendly event but we still want to hold our community to a level of consideration.
Follow Along
All competition announcements, including the required elements revealed on August 14th, will go out via Instagram: @M48Hour. Follow us there to make sure you don’t miss the kick off post!
For questions please DM us @M48Hour on Instagram.
The Dark Room Film Competition is a spin-off event of the Modesto 48 Hour Film Competition, produced by Andrew Fischer Wong of Re:Told Productions. ReToldProductions.com