We Watch Shudder presents
DARKEST DAY OF HORROR MOVIE MARATHON II
Saturday, October 3, 2026 - 11AM to 11PM
The Historic Fargo Theatre
314 North Broadway, Fargo, ND

Darkest Day of Horror Movie Marathon began life as Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival in the summer of 2025. Created and produced by JD Provorse and Michelle Roller of horror movie podcast We Watch Shudder, the goal was simply to bring a celebration of independent horror to the Fargo area.

Year one was planned as a stripped down event, the short you hope to develop into a feature. We had no guests, panels, or awards. It was one day, one screen, twelve hours of short and feature length independent horror movies. We really enjoyed that a lot, and it was plenty of work already, so we decided to move ahead with that format permanently.

In that first year, we programmed five features, including the Estonian horror comedy musical Chainsaws Were Singing from Dark Star Pictures, and Rachel Cain's debut feature Somnium from Yellow Veil Pictures, which premiered on Shudder in 2026. We were also proud to screen the Lovecraftian horror feature Saint Drogo from "unapologetically gay" collective Monster Makeup, as we strive to ensure a diverse array of voices in our selections.

We are excited to make Darkest Day of Horror Movie Marathon II even more of a success than our first year for horror fans in the area. Filmmaker submissions are open now through FilmFreeway, and tickets go on sale June 1!

Rules & Terms

- Submissions will be considered from any style or subgenre of horror.
- Submissions from female/queer/POC filmmakers are encouraged.
- Submissions containing suspected A.I. content will not be selected.
- Submissions from 60 - 90 minutes without credits are FEATURES.
- Submissions from 30 - 60 minutes without credits are LONG SHORTS.
- Submissions from 5 - 30 minutes without credits are SHORT SHORTS.
- Films less than 5 or more than 90 minutes without credits are ineligible.
- Films must be available in DCP format for the event if selected.

A NOTE ON CONTENT: While we respect every filmmaker's freedom of expression, Darkest Day of Horror Movie Marathon is not interested in films that contain, in our opinion, especially cruel or exploitational bigotry, sexual assault, or child abuse. We welcome heavy subject matter, but we care about how it is handled. If you aren't certain your film meets this standard, please do not submit it.