Shorts Series Part 1: The Scariest Short Horror Films to Watch Right Now
By: Ashley Welling
Type “best short horror films” in your search engine of choice and you’ll unlock a treasure trove of horror that isn’t nearly as mainstream as it should be. But like anything popular on the internet, there’s a lot to sift through, and it’s not all good. Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you and put together a list of five terrifying short horror films you can watch right now. Get ready to get scared! (Don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
Photo Credit: Still image from Caleb J. Phillips’ Other Side of the Box.
Other Side of the Box by Caleb J. Phillips (United States)
“Other Side of the Box” is a remarkably clever and unnerving short horror movie that plays with traditional genre structures to create something quite new and spooky. Instead of leaving it to the end, Phillips shows his protagonist the monster almost immediately, forcing the two to make some pretty unrelenting eye-contact as they (literally) come face-to-face. Who breaks it first? We’ll let you find out. Winning the Grand Jury Award for Best Midnight Short at SXSW 2019, it’s a favorite among horror aficionados and novices alike, and it’s sure to give you some serious goosebumps.
Watch it on YouTube here.
Photo Credit: Still image from PiroPito’s My House Walk-Through.
My House Walk-Through by nana825763, also known as PiroPito (Japan)
Japanese artist PiroPito is a bit of a mysterious figure on the internet. Never posting a picture of themselves or revealing their actual identity, it’s hard to know exactly who we owe our thanks. They gained a bit of notoriety after uploading the short horror video, Username: 666 to YouTube in 2008 under the username nana825763. Then, in 2017, came My House Walk-Through, a film that feels like a spiraling walk down into a hellish labyrinth. The repetition of the narrator’s speech as they walk through a hallway that gets heavier with every step creates an environment that feels truly suffocating. If you’re ready for an incredibly tense, yet inspiringly creative, twelve minutes, give My House Walk-Through a watch.
Watch it on YouTube here.
Photo Credit: Still image from Jennifer Kent’s, Monster.
Monster by Jennifer Kent (Australia)
Chances are you’ve seen (or at least heard of) The Babadook. Well, this is the short horror film that came before it. Both were written and directed by the same person, Jennifer Kent, and much like the feature-length film, Monster draws a line between the stress of being a single parent and the weight of managing your own mental health. Its black and white aesthetic builds a grainy atmosphere of foreboding, and much like The Babadook, it ends with an explosive finish.
Watch it on Vimeo here.
Human Form by Doyeon Noh (Korea)
Human Form is a sharp, terrifying take on societal expectations of uniformity and beauty. Set in a realistic, yet a bit science-fiction landscape, Noh takes audiences on a journey through the adolescent protagonist’s obsession with her appearance as it relates to those around her. When it appears she can’t have what she so desperately wants, she’ll go to extremes to get it. Loss of humanity hangs heavy throughout Human Form, building a deep sense of unease as you get closer and closer to the final unveiling. Fitting in never looked so scary.
Watch it on YouTube here.
Photo Credit: Still image from Ponysmasher’s Not So Fast.
Not So Fast by Ponysmasher
YouTube creators, Ponysmasher, have long been a pillar in the short form horror film community. And with one of their pieces, Lights Out, being made into a feature-length movie in 2016, they’ve gained a bit of mainstream notoriety as well. Not So Fast is another short of theirs, and builds an atmosphere that demands you control yourself when all you want to do is run away screaming. A little bit trippy, it feels like every childhood dream you had in which you were running away from something horrifying but at a snail’s pace. Eager to relive that nightmare? This is the film for you.
Watch it on YouTube here.