First AI Horror Film Hackathon Launches
Don't Enter If You Have a Weak Stomach
"If You're Chicken, Don't Enter"
Last week, a reader DM'd us complaining that our internet cafe hackathons were always the same cycle: make games, play games, eat instant noodles — totally ignoring readers who don't game 😭
I asked what he usually does on his computer. He said watching movies, editing clips, cultivating his personal aesthetic and taste.
I lost it. Dude's an artsy type.
But it did remind us — AI video models are everywhere now, AI directors and AI screenwriters are collecting awards at Cannes. Not throwing an AI video competition would be a real oversight.
So on July 18, the third Internet Cafe Hackathon, a.k.a. the Horror Film Hackathon, will descend upon Nanshan District, Shenzhen.
Yes, our theme this time is "Horror." Partly because films like The Backrooms and Obsessed have been blowing up online lately. Partly because the direction of recent video product updates has been, well, a little horrifying itself.
You've got companies claiming they've built world models. Others claiming they serve embodied intelligence. And then there's our sponsor TapNow, claiming it's evolved into an operating system. The more you think about it, the creepier it gets.
So if you fancy yourself a horror film connoisseur or maker, welcome to this hackathon — several segments to choose from.
Oh, and we've got Bambu Lab printers, DJI drones, DJI gimbals, and Insta360 thumb cameras as prizes. You won't leave empty-handed.
01
12-Hour Horror Film Marathon
Previous video hackathons ran 24, even 36 hours. Deeply unhealthy.
The root cause: card-polling ate up time, canvas tools were a pain to learn, you had to burn the midnight oil just to produce anything decent.
This time, it's different. Our official tool TapNow, post-update, is no longer just a canvas connector — they've positioned themselves as the "Codex for AI Creation." Supposedly you can generate cinematic footage just by talking or typing.
Twelve hours is more than enough, folks.
The theme is broad: final product just needs to be a horror film. Chinese horror, American horror, Japanese horror — whatever. Pure jump scares or psychological unease. Junji Ito style or James Wan style. Splatter B-movie or found footage. As long as it fits the general concept of horror.
We're offering both solo and team modes.
If you want to wear the hats of director, producer, and editor all yourself, solo entry is no problem.
If you want the fun of collaboration, you can find someone on-site and form a two-person max film crew to compete.
Let's see who's the most unhinged AI director out there.
02
AI Video Workshop
Running parallel to the horror marathon, we'll hold several AI video workshops — come ready to learn.
Audience members can abandon their cafe stations anytime, drag over a stool, and soak up some PPTs for deep cinematic knowledge. TapNow is bringing several creators from their platform to present and chat live. Ear candy for everyone.
Competitors running low on inspiration can swing by too, absorb a few lines, maybe have a breakthrough moment. Making AI video generation accessible to all.
Oh, and our principle is: when three walk together, there must be one who can teach. So anyone who wants to get up and share some creative thoughts, go for it.
03
Most Unhinged AI Slop Competition
This is a fun mini-segment. We're doing it because sometimes I genuinely can't tell whether theatrical horror releases are scarier, or my short video app homepage is.
Fruit secret romances. Milk Dragon and Fat Cat outsmarting each other. Qin Shi Huang riding a polar bear. This AI slop always makes me feel like I've stumbled onto the dark web. Genuinely terrifying.
So we're carving out one hour during the hackathon where anyone on-site — competitor or audience — can join the Most Unhinged AI Slop showdown: generate an AI slop video of max 15 seconds and 3 shots from a single prompt, then compete for whose is most unhinged.
Whoever gets voted most unhinged on-site wins a banner and prizes.
04
Instant Noodle Eating Contest
Mmhmm, we still have the instant noodle eating contest.
We did consider adding water cockroaches, field mice, and osmanthus cicadas, since we're in Guangdong. But decided that might scare off too many readers. Canceled.
Anyway, classic instant noodle contest. Unlimited self-serve noodles. Banners and prizes. Just eat.
05
Horror Film Screening
At the end, we'll kill the lights and screen every competitor's carefully crafted horror film back-to-back, with the full audience voting and judging.
The evaluation criteria are simple, when you think about it: whoever's film gets the biggest screams wins. If it gets the biggest laughs, that's a devastating loss.
We must emphasize: friends who are timid, underage, or have heart conditions — anyone for whom horror films are inadvisable — please skip this segment. Consequences are on you.
Ultimately, winners across various dimensions will all receive banners and prizes, plus the chance to have their work featured on TapNow's homepage on loop.
Enough talk. This Saturday, July 18. Horror Film Hackathon. Folks from all over the country, come through 😁
If you're interested, scan the QR code on the poster to register ⬇️
Scan to register
Time: July 18, 12:00–24:00
Location: Nanshan District, Shenzhen — disclosed after registration
Spots are first-come, first-served. Registering through our Substack gets you some priority.
Huge thanks to TapNow for their generous support of this event.
See you there.
(Cover image generated by ChatGPT; text 100% human-written)
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Subscribe to our Substack: funeralai.substack.com