Turning a viral short film
into a feature film

OPEN DOOR

The short film is only the beginning. Say you'll watch the full movie to unlock three clues, including page one of the screenplay.

Yes, I'll watch this movieWatch the short film
33.2M+views and counting*
18.3MFacebook6.8MYT Shorts4.3MTikTok1MThreads1MX403KYouTube
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As featured in
“Viral ‘Open Door’ Short to Be Adapted Into Feature, Earns Six-Figure Development Deal”
“Obsession and Backrooms inspired a new wave of YouTube horror films coming to cinemas soon”
“‘Open Door’ YouTube Short to Get Feature Adaptation After ‘Obsession,’ ‘Backrooms’ Success”
The short film

This started it all.

Millions of views and counting. Watch it, then help us make the feature film.

There’s more to this story. Want it?Yes, I'll watch this movie
The internet can't stop talking about it
“This felt like a full entire movie. Better than most horror movies.”@straightoutofafrica5196“I forgot it wasn't a whole movie!”@theuppitymillennial“Looks like the work of M. Night Shyamalan or Jordan Peele.”@hostileempath“This short is better than 95% of 2025 movies.”@quatnews“OH MAN THE SUSPENSE!!! I NEARLY THREW UP!!!”@retrocarstyle“What BEAUTIFUL sound design.”@obiflowkenobi“I remember seeing this on YouTube — to this day it's so captivating and beautifully shot. Truly inspirational.”u/Kago_13“I didn't realize I was holding my breath.”@santiaourconic“Welp, looks like I'll be taking the stairs from now on.”@butterfliedunicorn“This indie looks better than anything released in the past year. 🙏”@alyssaparks“Negative numbers?!? Oh nahhhhsss 😂😂”@phatkakes“They entered a parallel dimension to eldritch horrors.”@tibane9511“Either aliens, purgatory, or the lady was a contract demon…”@morrisrobinson2025“I heard the whispered word JUDGED — that's why he said “close the door.””@sandstew2697“8 + 3 = 11 = a gate… passing through a gateway.”@amberroy1123“This is so layered — we automatically fear the unknown.”@howaboutac“Blown away. Wow.”u/hmyers8“SOMEBODY GET THIS TEAM THE MONEY TO MAKE THIS A FEATURE.”@miahwhitmore7873“A short film????? I was searching everywhere for this movie.”@endy“Put all of your money into this. This is gold!”@kennythetalker“It needs to be a movie asap!!”@tomekarice6794“I swear to all the gods, Kevin — if you don't make this a feature film…”@heatherercse“There is nothing that could have compelled me to open the door.”@ashleytommyp“Would've started repenting so fast 😭”@chaneldiamond“Not me screaming “lay on the floor” when they started to drop 😂”@cute_n_catchy“I don't need this at four in the morning 🤣”@themichaelbshow“That little short is better than some movies I've seen. Keep 'em coming.”@nannettebowes1035“Incredible acting and camera work — you had me on the edge of my seat.”@l_arise_l“Better than most horror movies — and it was only a minute long.”@skemzytk“I'd give this one hundred thumbs up if YouTube allowed it.”@rickyblaze8263“Don't recast the guy — breakout star potential.”@soulora_“Felt like an elevator creepypasta. You cooked.”@mani.matterz“Brilliant! My heart just stopped for a second 💀”u/williamthe_great“This was far scarier than Pennywise.”@premiumdiamonds“The elevator starts going UP before it drops. Is it genius? ABSOLUTELY.”@queent305“I've been thinking about theories every spare minute since. Bravo!”@ingralee“A powerful moment of solidarity. Loved this. More please!”@christopherpericolosi“This has to be made a movie. I'd love to see where they go with this.”@tyescott3561“I NEED THE FULL MOVIE NOW!! And 3 SEQUELS!!!!”@moccchhhi“Sir, where is the rest of this marvelous movie?”@imusaadam“Can you pitch this to Warner Bros, Tyler Perry, Jordan Peele, NETFLIX?????”@neiahabroad“OMG, we need a 2-hour movie.”@caninesitter“Not me searching the internet for the full movie 😂”@quellvalentine1338“So they went down to the IT department?”@wadewatts“Would've kept the door closed when I saw -83.”@philip“Jesus woulda got sicka me calling for Him from floor to floor!!! 😭😂”@lolo4sho“I would've thrown myself into the darkness so quick — getting chased is too stressful 😭”@sia_bia“This is amazing — but that cliffhanger, HOW DARE YOU DO THAT.”@surgethetenrec67“The tear when he says “close the door”?!?! What a shot — a great short on all levels.”@dragonslayer“Felt like some multimillion-dollar psychological thriller. Keep up the great work.”@thearchdapex“Please point me to the director of this film. It's f***ing brilliant.”@joshuasarlo“My heart hasn't pounded that hard in a long while! “CLOSE. THE. DOOR.””@s.mcnuttkaryn“Genius. A masterpiece under two minutes — two rock-solid actors.”@snakes“They're not seeing the same thing at the end. 😳”@marjvaaals“She pretended to be on the phone — but it was just the lock screen.”@tiffany“Is there a reason we can't see the time on her phone, or am I overanalyzing?”@atiya“Me and him said “close the door” at the same time 😂 Where's the rest? I'm invested!”@kiaradominique“We don't open doors at -83. And I need the rest of this terrifying tale.”@eeyorelov“The tear at the end really sold it. I need a full movie.”@artofpisces88“The team who did this should be making movies in Hollywood!!!”@markspencer5248“If the elevator ever starts going into the negatives, my soul is going back upstairs lol”@therealpatcha“This short film has lived in the back corner of my mind since July 7, 2025. I'm so excited for this!!”@kweeen.j“When death was imminent, they held hands. They knew nothing about each other — but they were all they had.”@beezuz“-83rd floor is literally hell 😭”@keeks“That door opened, I heard the whispers, and I said “oh nah, they in hell” 😂”@afrojack2000ify“The fact that they KNOW they're in hell is scarier than anything.”@bre“They died in that elevator — they just don't know it 🤷🏽‍♂️”@lito2265““H” is the 8th letter. Then three letters for “ell.” 💀”@sam
The demand so far

Find your people.

Light up your city to bring the feature film to life.

Loading the map…
10,123 of 15,000
founding moviegoers since 6.8.26

Milestones reached: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000. Next goal: 15,000.

67% of the way there
Clues and page 1 on signup.

Where demand is

  1. 1New York City, NY335
  2. 2Atlanta, GA289
  3. 3Baltimore–Washington, MD–DC188
  4. 4Dallas–Fort Worth, TX162
  5. 5Chicago, IL156
  6. 6Los Angeles, CA143
  7. 7Houston, TX134
  8. 8Detroit, MI129
  9. 9Philadelphia, PA112
  10. 10Tampa, FL91
  11. 30Columbus, OH42

Beyond the USSouth Africa 310 · United Kingdom 276 · Canada 224 · Philippines 196 · India 138

Latest moviegoers

  • Bradley W. from Laughton · 2h ago
  • Thalia from Jacksonville · 3h ago
  • Ali B. from Darmstadt · 6h ago
  • Nemo from Nigeria · 7h ago
  • Traevon from Houston · 22h ago
  • Angella from Land O Lakes · 1d ago
The clues so far
Clue #1

Mailed to the first 1,000 names. Open one yourself. Why we sent them (3 min)

Clue #2
An old television, switched off, waiting to play the OPEN DOOR clue #2 videoYours on signup

182 frames, and something hidden in them. Add your name and it’s in your inbox.

Clue #3
A blurred page of the OPEN DOOR feature screenplay: clue #3, for the list onlyScreenplay

10,000 names opened page one of the screenplay. Add your name and read it. Page 2 opens at 15,000.

Step through the door

Put yourself on the map.

You came here to find out what’s beyond the door. Good, that’s what this is. Clues, frames, and pieces of the feature go to the names on this map first. And every name is hard evidence for the people who green-light movies. Thirty seconds, no money.

Three clues open the moment you’re in, including page one of the screenplay.

You'll be #10,124.

Free. There's nothing to buy. We'll email you updates about OPEN DOOR and related news. Next: your name and ZIP put your dot on the map.

As featured in
“Obsession and Backrooms inspired a new wave of YouTube horror films coming to cinemas soon”
“‘Open Door’ YouTube Short to Get Feature Adaptation After ‘Obsession,’ ‘Backrooms’ Success”
“Could Kevin Cate’s ‘Open Door’ be the next ‘Backrooms’-type hit?”
“Viral YouTube short lands Hollywood movie deal after Backrooms and Obsession success”
“‘Open Door’: Watch the Viral YouTube Short Being Adapted Into a Feature!”
The roadmap

From short film to feature.

Every step between a viral short and opening weekend, and exactly where we are right now.

  1. The Short Film

    Done

    It all started with the short, a self-funded film made to prove this story deserved a bigger canvas. If you're here, you've probably seen it. If not, this is where to start.

    Watch the short

  2. The Screenplay

    Done

    The feature-length script is finished: months of writing and rewriting to turn a short story into a full film. It's the blueprint everything else gets built on.

    Add your name. Say you'll watch it

  3. Development Funding

    Done

    Before a feature can be budgeted or pitched, the early work has to be paid for. We've raised six figures in development funding, covering producing, legal, and screenplay costs that turn an idea into something financiers can actually evaluate. Real money is already behind this film.

    Add your name. Back a film that's already moving

  4. Budgeting

    Done

    Every shot, location, and crew member has a price tag. That work is done. We now know exactly what it takes to bring OPEN DOOR to the screen, line by line. A real budget is what turns a script into something financiers can say yes to.

  5. Financing

    We're here

    We funded the short ourselves to prove the story, but a full feature is a far bigger lift. Budget in hand, we're taking OPEN DOOR to financiers and executive producers right now to raise what it takes to actually shoot it. Nothing moves them like an audience that's already proven it's there.

    Add your name. Demand is what gets films financed

  6. Casting

    Finding the right faces for these characters: auditions, callbacks, and the occasional lightning-strike moment when you know you've found the one.

    Who would you cast? Tell us

  7. Pre-Production

    The calm before the storm. Locations get scouted, sets get built, schedules get locked. A thousand tiny decisions so that when the cameras roll, everything's ready.

    Join the list for behind-the-scenes updates

  8. Principal Photography

    The shoot. A few weeks of long days and big swings: the actual film getting captured frame by frame.

    Follow along on set

  9. Post-Production

    Editing, VFX, sound, music, color: the phase where a pile of footage becomes a movie, shaping the final film you'll eventually see.

    Be the first to see the trailer

  10. Distribution

    Festivals, theaters, streaming: getting OPEN DOOR in front of the audience that's been waiting. This is where it pays off: every name on this list is proof people are ready to watch.

    See it opening weekend
Creators are talking

The big accounts are watching.

From the set

Behind the film.

The crew lighting and filming a scene on the OPEN DOOR set
The full OPEN DOOR cast and crew gathered in the elevator
The two leads in character beneath the boom mic
The OPEN DOOR slate on set, directed by Kevin Cate
Questions & theories

Frequently asked.

Where can I watch the OPEN DOOR short film?

It's right here on this page, plus most social media. Highly recommend watching it in 4K on YouTube.

Watch in 4K on YouTube
How many people have watched OPEN DOOR?

Millions. The running total at the top of this page is a floor, not a ceiling. Some platforms count more than one post: on Facebook alone the film has been watched over 18.3M times across two posts (435K + 17.9M). And OPEN DOOR gets ripped and reposted constantly on accounts we don't control: we've confirmed a single TikTok repost with over a million views and another on X with 380K+. We count what we can verify; the real number is higher, and climbing every day.

▶ Facebook post (17.9M)▶ Facebook post (435K)▶ The 1M+ TikTok repostThe 380K+ repost on X
Is there a full-length / feature version of OPEN DOOR?

On paper, yes. The screenplay by writer/director Kevin Cate and Charles Spano is finished and ready to go into pre-production. We are asking for your commitment to make sure it happens. We started counting names on June 8, 2026.

Add your name
What is OPEN DOOR about?

That's the (few) million dollar question. Can't wait to share it with you.

What happens at the end? What does it mean?

There are thousands of theories in the comments on YouTube and TikTok. Some closer than others. The feature film is where we open the door all the way. Add your name to help us get there.

Add your name
Who are the actors in OPEN DOOR?

OPEN DOOR stars Sean Anthony Baker and Mia Matthews.

Who wrote, directed, and produced the OPEN DOOR short film?

The OPEN DOOR short film was written and directed by Kevin Cate, and produced by Daniel Faber at Skysound Productions and Clinging Vine Films, a CATECOMM company.

More about Kevin Cate
The short looks like a million bucks, and I want to hire your crew for another project. Who are they?

We're glad you noticed. This is the full team behind the OPEN DOOR short. If you've got a project, this is who you'd want. Tell them OPEN DOOR sent you.

Production & Edit

Camera

Lighting & Grip

Sound & Post

Art & Design

  • Production Design Andrew O'Connor
  • Art Direction Alex Gilliam
  • Lead Builder Rashad "Syx" Lambert-Smith
  • Set Builders Jeffrey Hawthorne & Ryan Renoud
  • Hair & Makeup Kaylee Swisher

Crew

Studio & Music

See the full crew on IMDb
Will Sean and Mia be in the feature?

Submit your name and then read the P.S. in the welcome email.

Add your name
When will the feature come out?

There's no date. If we get all of our funding and casting done soon, we could film it in 2026 and get it out as soon as 2027.

I missed the first 1,000. Did I miss the letter?

The first 1,000 names got a letter from DAPP in the mail. That rung has closed, and you can watch the whole thousand of them go out. You haven't missed the clues, though: the video clue unlocked back at 2,000 names and page one of the screenplay at 10,000, and both open the moment you add your name. Every 5,000 names after that opens another page. Sharing your link is the fastest way to get there, and to get the feature made.

▶ Watch the 1,000 letters go outAdd your name
Does this cost anything?

No. We're not raising money here. We're proving demand. Adding your name is free, there's nothing to buy, and we'll never ask you for a card. The only thing we want is your name on the list.

Add your name
How can I help make the feature happen?

Add your name, share your link.

Add your name