We are super excited and honored to share our official selections for the 2025 Dark Matter Film Festival. Thanks to everyone who submitted! We were overwhelmed by the level of talent!
Features:
Between Two Waves (Courtney Sposato, Mark Sposato)
United States
After her mother’s death, Cass Milligan returns home for the first time in years, only to find the house isn’t done with her. She’s convinced it’s haunted. Her twin brother thinks she’s unraveling. As buried memories surface, they must uncover the truth before the past swallows her whole.
The Mystic (Michael Rutkowski)
United States
A mystic detective and his estranged sister come together to investigate an old New England town that has a haunted and horrific past.
Atoman (Anouar Moatassim)
Deep in the Atlas Mountains, archaeologists discover the lost city of Atlantis and a powerful Astrolabe capable of catastrophic events. The ruthless gang leader Chinoui attacks to seize it, killing everyone in his way. Hacker Hakim, arrested for cybercrimes, joins the cybercrime unit and uncovers that banker David Lockham, with Chinoui’s help, plans to use the Astrolabe for world domination. Hakim learns he is a descendant of the Atlanteans with superhuman abilities. To save the world, he must become the hero to us all, “ATOMAN.”
Don’t Let Them Out (Lila McLaughlin)
United States
A broke, struggling woman journeys to a desert property she’s inherited in hopes of selling it to pay off her crippling debts, erase her past mistakes and start a fresh new chapter. But soon after arriving to the property, she’s thrust into a harrowing nightmare, uncovering sinister tales about her family’s horrifying history and witnessing terrifying events that question her safety and sanity. Feeling haunted and hunted, she’s ultimately lured into a desperate scavenger hunt down a perilous rabbit hole. Realizing, she didn’t just inherit the family property, but also their past sins and terror.
The Strange Dark (Chris Messineo)
United States
Edgar believes he can see the future, but his wife thinks he’s mad, his daughter thinks he’s strange, and the agents from double star accounting will stop at nothing to get their data back.
The Behemoth (Kai Edmund Bogatzki)
Germany
Ryan and Rebecca are on holiday in the mountains. They check into an Airbnb flat that belongs to Christine. Suddenly, a mysterious sect called “The Servants of Blood”, led by their priest Malek, appears in the mountain village. Their goal is to revive an ancient god through which humanity will die out and “The Servants of Blood” will come to eternal life.
American Deadbolt (Bryan Redding)
United States
In the aftermath of a horrific 4th of July attack, a group of five desperate people find themselves trapped in the back room of a restaurant. But as they fight to keep alive they soon discover that their greatest threat may actually be locked in the room with them.
Quiet After Supper (Francis Tejada)
United States
Tristan Weathers, a serial killer in Los Angeles, receives a surprise visit from his childhood friend, Abby, who stumbles upon artifacts that tells the story of each of his victims which leads Abby to confront a horrifying truth.
Catch a Killer (Teddy Grennan)
United States
CATCH A KILLER is a neo-noir thriller featuring Otto and Lex, a pair of star-crossed lovers, who do the right thing but make the wrong decision and it costs them everything. When Otto’s derailed on his way to becoming the city’s youngest detective, he stays in the police business as a bioremediation specialist cleaning up after a serial killer. With an uncanny knowledge of horror films and his natural born instincts, Otto and Lex crack the code to where the killer is going to strike next…now they just gotta catch him.
Under My Skin (Jonas Larson, Caleb Marks)
United States
After the death of their father, two brothers return to clean out their childhood home. While there with their wives, they must encounter parts of their past and present that haunt them.
Shorts:
The Musical Spider (Henry Moore Selder)
Sweden
Based on a comic by Philippe Forester. The phone rings in the office of private detective Buksvansing. As the caller, Plattenberg, tells the PI his story, the images unfold. Plattenberg lives with his wife and their deformed kid, Lillen, who is only a living head. Mrs Plattenberg is driving him crazy with her piano recitals to a spider. Drunk one night, Plattenberg kills the spider, sending his wife into a catatonic state. But secretly, Lillen is plotting his revenge.
Dead Tooth (Romane Eilahtan)
France
Tara has a dental appointment to fix a dead tooth. But one unexpected event after another turns this endless day into hell. Will Tara find a way to smile again and at what costs?
Coleoptere (Martin Gouzou)
France
This free and contemporary interpretation of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” Grégoire Samsa is a solitary building caretaker who undergoes a dramatic physical and psychological transformation while seeking love and acceptance.
We Don’t Know Our Neighbors (Noura bint Hussam .B Al-Saud)
Saudi Arabia
Cousins break into an abandoned mansion for a game. The screams echoing down the halls seem like their own harmless fun, but after unlocking doors, they find out the cries don’t belong to them. What began as a game turns into a desperate flight from a family secret that belongs closed away in this mansion.
In the Shadows (Jérémy Barlozzo)
France
As night falls, Alice and Clément run breathlessly. In the heart of an oppressive nature, something mysterious is stalking them. They have only two certainties: what is pursuing them is aggressive, and it sees in the dark…
Dance! (Poorya Dehghan)
Iran
Dance” is a short film about an Israeli officer who in order to escape a patrol goes to an abandoned house in Gaza However, the spirits of those killed in the house are waiting for him.
Familiar (Julien Homère)
France
Elodie wakes up in the middle of the night, alone in the marital bed. Getting up to look for her husband, she comes face to face with his black silhouette at the end of the bedroom corridor. He has the same voice as her husband, speaks like her husband but… Is this her husband ?
Chop Chop (Rohit Relan)
United States
In this absurdist breakup fairytale, a couple navigates the quiet collapse of their love through ritualized cooking and emotional restraint. As unspoken tensions rise, a single kitchen accident becomes the clearest expression of everything left unsaid.
Dormant (Niels Bourgonje)
Netherlands
A man cares for his comatose wife at home. After a transgression, he fears something sinister has awakened in her.
Mr. Mittens (Glenn Maxwell)
United States
Mr. Mittens lived with a loving family until one day they decided to neuter him, leaving him with no choice but to get revenge on every person involved in the removal of his testicles.
Attempted Murder (Gavin J. Konop)
United States
A SERIAL KILLER WHO SUCKS AT KILLING — When a demented social outcast, Daniel, becomes the protégé of an infamous slasher called THE JACK-O’-LANTERN KILLER, his aspirations spiral as he finds himself hindered by his own clumsiness and stupidity.
Cheat Meal (Drew Bierut)
United States
Suspicious that his girlfriend is cheating on him with her new personal trainer, Owen decides to take matters into his own hands. What he discovers is far more difficult to digest.
Chocolate Chip (Josh Deepan)
United States
A brazen mortgage advisor, Lee, pays a house visit to a downtrodden farm owner, Deidre, to coerce her to sell the property or face repossession. Little does Lee know that Deidre is harboring a terrifying secret.
Aly (Kevin L Lee)
United States
Tonight might be the night Michael and Aly take their relationship to the next level. But Aly has a secret.
Uncontrol (Manon de Reeper)
United States
A woman deep in the throes of psychosis has to face her inner demon.
Jordan Just Needs to Relax (Neil Davis)
United States
Max takes his depressed best friend Jordan for a weekend away at his secluded cabin to relax and remind him that his talks of doom, gloom, and the end of the world are all in his head — or are they?
Hazelbeth (Graham Hastings)
United States
An obsessive conductor prepares for his next concert as a mysterious object unravels his fate.
The Coder (William Gaillard Crouse)
United States
In the midst of a catastrophic software crisis at a crypto startup, CTO Mary must race against time to save her company — and her sanity.
One for the Road (Daniel Carsenty)
United States
When a stranger ambles into a roadside diner in the dead of night, two innocent Samaritans prove no good deed goes unpunished. Based on a story by Stephen King.
3 to die (Mitch Yapko, Allen Rueckert)
United States
In 1994, Sean, Charley and Willa head to the arcade looking for the hottest new game. Unfortunately, what they find is hot as Hell…
Slush (Ashley George)
United States
Frankie reunites with her toxic community and must tap into her dark side to survive unscathed.
Breathe (Mitch Yapko)
United States
When Marvin comes home from work one day, he discovers that not everything is as it was when he left – it seems that the air outside isn’t for everyone anymore.
The Tall Dark Man (Taylor Phillips)
United States
At her wits’ end, Natalie turns to local legend and summons a mythical hit man known only as The Tall Dark Man to dispatch with her blackmailing ex. When the murder goes horribly awry, she becomes the target of the very evil she summoned.
The Path (Patrick Guera)
United States
A child is stalked by a man on an isolated path.
The Ride (Slava Denisov)
United States
A ’76 Plymouth reflects on its journey, witnessing decades of human life, capturing moments of freedom, temptation, and redemption as it changes hands from one owner to the next.
Spool (Mike Manning)
United States
Two sisters struggle with their father’s cognitive decline while investigating a mysterious hole in his house that seemingly has no bottom.
The Showffeür (Taylor Martin)
United States
2 couples are kidnapped by a mysterious rideshare driver and taken to the country to attend his sadistic birthday party.
Like Me (Ashley Lauren Thomas)
United States
A young woman discovers the dangers of attempting to cut her own bangs.
The Vanity (Megan Rosati)
United States
In the near future, a young couple makes their living as influencers for a new social media platform: THE VANITY. But when THE VANITY upgrades to AI, the horrific visions it shows forces them to decide what matters most: their online following, or each other.
Focal Point (Raphael Buisson)
United States
In a dystopian future, a grieving scientist discovers Earth exists within a single neuron. He launches a desperate quest across space and time to find his son.
Radiochrome (Ryan Alexander Alexander)
United States
1983. While monitoring a shapeshifting alien sent to spy for the Soviets, two FBI agents debate what truly separates human beings from extraterrestrials that perfectly imitate them.
Constant (Danny Ratcliff)
United States
Constant follows Bailee from childhood through motherhood, chronicling her lifelong relationship with an AI companion.
Seeing Thingz- Question Who (De Ville)
France
Androids and humans are working at a plant but poesy got created
Clayman (Bryan Wesley Lewandowski)
United States
After a struggling artist sculpts a man’s head from clay, he soon finds that it has come to life and is stalking him.
Everything is Possible (Olly Blackburn)
United States
When everything is possible, your chatbot is real
Melynie Duckfliss Presents (Olly Blackburn)
United States, United Kingdom
A foodfluencer foodfluents in a surprising way
One For Wendy (Pablo Torroella)
One for Wendy by French 79