CategoryShort Films
Horror short films — festival winners, proof-of-concept scares and first-time directors.
59 stories
IndieMoviesNewsShort Films
Jeff Payne‘s new short horror film The Whisper in the Woods is out now, and you can watch it here for free. “Following the death of a loved one, two backpackers journey into the mountains to help with an emotional release. They stumble upon horrors beyond their wildest imagination. This is a horror tale about regret.” “Two years in the making. I have no words. To the cast, crew, family, friends, and everyone in between, thank you for making this little movie a dream come true. I hope to deliver some shocks and scares, but underneath is a message. A message to hold on to your loved ones and never take anything for granted. The regret is real. Take time for your family. Take time for your friends. Savor the moments with the people around you. Nothing lasts forever. I present to you “The Whisper In The Woods” – Jeff Payne. Watch the entire 29-minute-long black-and-white film, The Whisper in
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Dream Machine Cowriters/codirectors Josef Hermansson Embring and Philip Sterner have crafted a trippy work, Swedish short The Dream Machine. A young man (Alec Toselli) buys the titular device advertised on late-night television in hopes of easing his insomnia, or at least coming to grips with it, but this being a science fiction thriller, naturally using the machine leads to odd consequences. The filmmakers make the most of a small, sparsely decorated apartment, almost bare except for technology circa the short’s early 2000s-setting. The result is a mind-boggling lo-fi mind bender. The Fore-Men Writer/director Adrian Bobb’s The Fore-Men reveals its secrets slowly, and quite satisfyingly so. Sophia Walker and Gabriel Darku give fine performances as they star as what seems to be the lone survivors, at least in their area, of some cataclysmic event that brought the far past and present colliding together. Bobb makes the most of using what viewers don’t see to build mystery and tension and then
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsShort Films
Rock musician Devin (Lanae Hyneman) has fallen on some hard ass times… mentally anyway. After a disastrous European tour, Devin has retreated to a lw-rent apartment to seclude herself from the world ostensibly to work on material for a follow up to her bands successful debut album, but really she wallows in sadness and does her best to look like a burnt out shell of a woman. She’s pretty successful at that as well. While developing that skill-set she is interrupted by pushy journalist Juliya (Alice Shen) who demands Devin give her the scoop on what really went on across the pond. Her pain-in-the-assness pays off, and she gets her wish… and you can bet the freaky farm that the answer is much more than just truck loads of beastly booze and fistfuls of drugs. Supernatural shenanigans ensue! Writer/director Matthew Packman (who also helmed 2020’s vampire revenge flick Morbid Colors which I reviewed right here) returns to the gritty city
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Every House Is Haunted Maya (Kate Cobb) and her husband Danny (Kevin Bigley) move into a new house that their real estate agent said was haunted by friendly ghosts in writer/director Bryce McGuire’s short film Every House Is Haunted. Danny doesn’t think it’s a problem, but Maya is somewhat concerned. When he goes away on a business trip, she encounters the ghost of a boy (Emmanuel Wood) who died at age seven of carbon monoxide poisoning. After bonding with the ghost, he introduces her to others who inhabit the home. McGuire goes for something far deeper than mere shocks and starts in this thoughtful, sensitive exploration of a woman who has suffered a tragic loss. We Forgot About the Zombies Writer/director Chris McInroy’s frenetic horror comedy short We Forgot About the Zombies finds two friends, one of whom was bitten by a member of the living dead, taking temporary shelter in a place with bottles marked with “c–e,” with the
Continue reading →
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Film FestivalsReviewsShort Films
Eyestring If eye trauma gives you the heebie jeebies, director Javier Devitt’s short horror film Eyestring is certain to press a few buttons. There’s no Un Chien Andalou-level of sudden shock; rather, Eyestring deals more with lingering, building psychological and body horror. Alena Chinault, who cowrote the screenplay with Devitt, stars as Veronica, a young woman who finds a hair growing out of one of her tear ducts one day. The mental health phone service she uses to discuss her obsessive compulsive disorder is of no help in her new situation, and matters escalate as attempts to cut the hair do anything but solve the problem. Could an alternative eye treatment clinic be of help? Devitt and Chinault have crafted a gripping, thought-provoking slice of fear-fare cinema that addresses mental health care while delivering a chilling story. Chinault’s fine performance and Devitt’s solid work at the helm lead toward a jaw-dropping final shot. The Mundanes Meet the Mundanes, a suburban
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Uncanny Art therapist Zouzou (Marie Laurin) takes the suicide of one of her charges quite painfully, leaving her job and moving to a new area in The Uncanny. Her new home, initially unbeknownst to her, is filled with past traumas and no small amount of dread. Her neighbors and new acquaintances can’t help but notice her increasingly strange behavior, which is caused in part by recurring visits from a young girl. The Uncanny doesn’t offer shocks and gratuitous gore; rather, director Clara Gabrielle — who cowrote the screenplay with Laurin, her mother — focuses more on the drama regarding grief, loss, depression, and the slow decline of sanity, which are heightened here by supernatural forces. The third act does serve up a decidedly eerie set piece, though. Laurin’s hypnotic lead performance is something to behold, with solid assistance from the sizable supporting cast. Gabrielle does an impressive job at the helm, crafting a feature that should give aficionados of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Two Sisters Italian short Two Sisters is a period piece horror with folk horror elements. Set in the late 15th century in the Lessini Mountains of Verona, writer/director Diego Carli’s film involves the titular siblings (Jenni Tatani and Marianna Caporalito in marvelous performances) being pursued by a group of men hunting for witches. The teen girls have good reason to hide, and they do so using magical powers. When they come under attack, a horrifically violent event occurs, and the two sisters find their close bond being challenged. Carli invests his short with incredible detail, from researching facts around that time period’s height of witch hunting to costumes and recreating authenticity of the sets and outdoor shots on display. Cinematographer Edoardo Olivieri beautifully captures the proceedings, with Luigi Maria Mennella’s score providing perfect musical accompaniment. The Mean Spirited Codirectors Jack Archer (who wrote the screenplay) and Joseph Archer deliver a very special work with their U.K. short The Mean Spirited.
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Family Night Writer/director Alan Dunne serves up an absolutely harrowing experience in the Irish horror short Family Night. Eoin Quinn gives a riveting, unnerving performance as a father whose unpredictable behavior has his wife (Denise McCormack), teen daughter (Molly McLoughlin), and preteen son (Flynn Gray) walking on eggshells, fearing angry outbursts that could happen at any moment. Dunne builds the suspense expertly, leading things to a jaw-dropping climax. This one is a true chiller that viewers need to go into as cold as possible. It’s virtually impossible not to be shaken up by Family Night. You can watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/688022245 Sonar One of the most beautiful looking genre shorts I have seen in recent memory, director James Hughes’ U.K. film Sonar finds a young woman (Amy Marie Campbell) swimming in a pool at night when she hears a sonar sound. She submerges into the deep end of the swimming pool to investigate, and finds . . . well,
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Tooth A woman (Janine Peck) takes impeccable care of her teeth, brushing, flossing, and whitening on a regular basis. Now her teeth are going to take care of her, in the much more violent sense of the term. Director Jillian Corsie’s horror comedy doesn’t spare the blood as it brings on the humor. Using puppets made from her actual teeth(!) along with CG effects, 2D animation, and live action, Corsie crafts a short that comments on the quest for perfection in a lighthearted vein. Sherri Chung’s whimsical score fits the proceedings wonderfully. You can watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/778596583 Millstone This intriguing thriller finds a couple (Bellamie Bachleda and Daniel Durant) grieving over the loss of their five-year-old son, who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, seeking out a highly unusual cure from a therapist (Eddie Buck). Shot exclusively in American Sign Language with an all-deaf cast, Millstone opens with an air of mystery and then takes a wholly
Continue reading →
More from Short Films
IndieMoviesNewsShort Films
Jeff Payne‘s new short horror film The Whisper in the Woods is out now, and you can watch it here for free. “Following the death of a loved one, two backpackers journey into the mountains to help with an emotional release. They stumble upon horrors beyond their wildest imagination. This is a horror tale about regret.” “Two years in the making. I have no words. To the cast, crew, family, friends, and everyone in between, thank you for making this little movie a dream come true. I hope to deliver some shocks and scares, but underneath is a message. A message to hold on to your loved ones and never take anything for granted. The regret is real. Take time for your family. Take time for your friends. Savor the moments with the people around you. Nothing lasts forever. I present to you “The Whisper In The Woods” – Jeff Payne. Watch the entire 29-minute-long black-and-white film, The Whisper in
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Dream Machine Cowriters/codirectors Josef Hermansson Embring and Philip Sterner have crafted a trippy work, Swedish short The Dream Machine. A young man (Alec Toselli) buys the titular device advertised on late-night television in hopes of easing his insomnia, or at least coming to grips with it, but this being a science fiction thriller, naturally using the machine leads to odd consequences. The filmmakers make the most of a small, sparsely decorated apartment, almost bare except for technology circa the short’s early 2000s-setting. The result is a mind-boggling lo-fi mind bender. The Fore-Men Writer/director Adrian Bobb’s The Fore-Men reveals its secrets slowly, and quite satisfyingly so. Sophia Walker and Gabriel Darku give fine performances as they star as what seems to be the lone survivors, at least in their area, of some cataclysmic event that brought the far past and present colliding together. Bobb makes the most of using what viewers don’t see to build mystery and tension and then
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsShort Films
Rock musician Devin (Lanae Hyneman) has fallen on some hard ass times… mentally anyway. After a disastrous European tour, Devin has retreated to a lw-rent apartment to seclude herself from the world ostensibly to work on material for a follow up to her bands successful debut album, but really she wallows in sadness and does her best to look like a burnt out shell of a woman. She’s pretty successful at that as well. While developing that skill-set she is interrupted by pushy journalist Juliya (Alice Shen) who demands Devin give her the scoop on what really went on across the pond. Her pain-in-the-assness pays off, and she gets her wish… and you can bet the freaky farm that the answer is much more than just truck loads of beastly booze and fistfuls of drugs. Supernatural shenanigans ensue! Writer/director Matthew Packman (who also helmed 2020’s vampire revenge flick Morbid Colors which I reviewed right here) returns to the gritty city
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Every House Is Haunted Maya (Kate Cobb) and her husband Danny (Kevin Bigley) move into a new house that their real estate agent said was haunted by friendly ghosts in writer/director Bryce McGuire’s short film Every House Is Haunted. Danny doesn’t think it’s a problem, but Maya is somewhat concerned. When he goes away on a business trip, she encounters the ghost of a boy (Emmanuel Wood) who died at age seven of carbon monoxide poisoning. After bonding with the ghost, he introduces her to others who inhabit the home. McGuire goes for something far deeper than mere shocks and starts in this thoughtful, sensitive exploration of a woman who has suffered a tragic loss. We Forgot About the Zombies Writer/director Chris McInroy’s frenetic horror comedy short We Forgot About the Zombies finds two friends, one of whom was bitten by a member of the living dead, taking temporary shelter in a place with bottles marked with “c–e,” with the
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsReviewsShort Films
Eyestring If eye trauma gives you the heebie jeebies, director Javier Devitt’s short horror film Eyestring is certain to press a few buttons. There’s no Un Chien Andalou-level of sudden shock; rather, Eyestring deals more with lingering, building psychological and body horror. Alena Chinault, who cowrote the screenplay with Devitt, stars as Veronica, a young woman who finds a hair growing out of one of her tear ducts one day. The mental health phone service she uses to discuss her obsessive compulsive disorder is of no help in her new situation, and matters escalate as attempts to cut the hair do anything but solve the problem. Could an alternative eye treatment clinic be of help? Devitt and Chinault have crafted a gripping, thought-provoking slice of fear-fare cinema that addresses mental health care while delivering a chilling story. Chinault’s fine performance and Devitt’s solid work at the helm lead toward a jaw-dropping final shot. The Mundanes Meet the Mundanes, a suburban
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
The Uncanny Art therapist Zouzou (Marie Laurin) takes the suicide of one of her charges quite painfully, leaving her job and moving to a new area in The Uncanny. Her new home, initially unbeknownst to her, is filled with past traumas and no small amount of dread. Her neighbors and new acquaintances can’t help but notice her increasingly strange behavior, which is caused in part by recurring visits from a young girl. The Uncanny doesn’t offer shocks and gratuitous gore; rather, director Clara Gabrielle — who cowrote the screenplay with Laurin, her mother — focuses more on the drama regarding grief, loss, depression, and the slow decline of sanity, which are heightened here by supernatural forces. The third act does serve up a decidedly eerie set piece, though. Laurin’s hypnotic lead performance is something to behold, with solid assistance from the sizable supporting cast. Gabrielle does an impressive job at the helm, crafting a feature that should give aficionados of
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Two Sisters Italian short Two Sisters is a period piece horror with folk horror elements. Set in the late 15th century in the Lessini Mountains of Verona, writer/director Diego Carli’s film involves the titular siblings (Jenni Tatani and Marianna Caporalito in marvelous performances) being pursued by a group of men hunting for witches. The teen girls have good reason to hide, and they do so using magical powers. When they come under attack, a horrifically violent event occurs, and the two sisters find their close bond being challenged. Carli invests his short with incredible detail, from researching facts around that time period’s height of witch hunting to costumes and recreating authenticity of the sets and outdoor shots on display. Cinematographer Edoardo Olivieri beautifully captures the proceedings, with Luigi Maria Mennella’s score providing perfect musical accompaniment. The Mean Spirited Codirectors Jack Archer (who wrote the screenplay) and Joseph Archer deliver a very special work with their U.K. short The Mean Spirited.
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Family Night Writer/director Alan Dunne serves up an absolutely harrowing experience in the Irish horror short Family Night. Eoin Quinn gives a riveting, unnerving performance as a father whose unpredictable behavior has his wife (Denise McCormack), teen daughter (Molly McLoughlin), and preteen son (Flynn Gray) walking on eggshells, fearing angry outbursts that could happen at any moment. Dunne builds the suspense expertly, leading things to a jaw-dropping climax. This one is a true chiller that viewers need to go into as cold as possible. It’s virtually impossible not to be shaken up by Family Night. You can watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/688022245 Sonar One of the most beautiful looking genre shorts I have seen in recent memory, director James Hughes’ U.K. film Sonar finds a young woman (Amy Marie Campbell) swimming in a pool at night when she hears a sonar sound. She submerges into the deep end of the swimming pool to investigate, and finds . . . well,
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviewsShort Films
Tooth A woman (Janine Peck) takes impeccable care of her teeth, brushing, flossing, and whitening on a regular basis. Now her teeth are going to take care of her, in the much more violent sense of the term. Director Jillian Corsie’s horror comedy doesn’t spare the blood as it brings on the humor. Using puppets made from her actual teeth(!) along with CG effects, 2D animation, and live action, Corsie crafts a short that comments on the quest for perfection in a lighthearted vein. Sherri Chung’s whimsical score fits the proceedings wonderfully. You can watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/778596583 Millstone This intriguing thriller finds a couple (Bellamie Bachleda and Daniel Durant) grieving over the loss of their five-year-old son, who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, seeking out a highly unusual cure from a therapist (Eddie Buck). Shot exclusively in American Sign Language with an all-deaf cast, Millstone opens with an air of mystery and then takes a wholly
Continue reading →
