The Fear Michigan Cinematic Universe
Where folklore meets film.
Fear Michigan is a living cinematic universe built from the legends, landscapes, and late-night radio frequencies of the Great Lakes State. Each short film unearths a new chapter in Michigan’s hidden mythology—from cursed brews and cherry-borne plagues to Dogman sightings and UFO cover-ups—blurring the line between tourism, horror, and truth.
What began as local folklore has evolved into a connected world of found footage, branded horror shorts, and community-driven storytelling. Every project, post, and premiere expands the mythos—inviting audiences to not just watch Michigan’s stories, but fear them.
FILM SLATE
Just a Taste
A Scary Cherry Movie (Fall ’24)
Written, Directed, & Produced by Spenser Robnett
Status: Complete
A fungus infects Michigan’s cherry harvest, turning pickers into the walking dead. [Kolarik Bros. Orchard – Suttons Bay, MI]
A Fear Michigan short film exploring cherry rot, temptation, and survival. Just a Taste is the beginning of a larger story, coming to screens Next Summer…just as Traverse City celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the National Cherry Festival. Stay tuned for updates on Scary Cherry.
Doghouse
A Hair of the Dog Film (Fall ’25)
Location: Short’s Brewing Facility – Elk Rapids, MI
A mad brew scientist tries to cure a Dogman infection with an occult brewed concoction – that and a ‘hair of the dog’ culled from the beast himself…
Starring Joe Short – Short’s fearless founder – as, ‘The Brewmaster’.
[In collaboration with Short’s Brewing Co.]
Status: World Premiere October 25, 2025 – Short’s Brew Pub – Bellaire, MI. Officially releasing on YouTube: Halloween Night, 10/31/25.
DOGHOUSE: The Transmission Breach
When Doghouse dropped, it didn’t just premiere — it escaped.
Through a statewide ARG campaign, Fear Michigan blurred the line between film and folklore, inviting audiences to uncover hidden transmissions, trail cam footage, and redacted documents scattered across the internet. Each clue led deeper into the brewing experiment gone wrong at Short’s, where one man became something more than human — and far less than sober.
Over two million people tuned in, posted sightings, and joined the hunt. The campaign transformed Michigan’s mythic woods into a shared storyworld, proving that the Dogman legend still howls in the age of algorithms.