Prolific horror movie critic, screenwriter, and fiction writer Dan Wilder makes his directorial debut with the short shocker Mercury Screams, a trippy tale of mysterious creatures and miscarriages. The short initially presents itself as footage that was thought lost, from an episode of a 1984 television series exploring paranormal stories titled Within the Gaze […]
With her debut as a writer/director, Mai Nakanishi tackles contemporary social issues in Japan and South Korea by way of a tragic supernatural tale in the short film Hana. A coproduction of those two aforementioned countries — set and shot in Busan, South Korea — Hana offers a take on how a single working mother […]
Prolific filmmaker Wendy Keeling delivers another terrific horror short with Sarah’s Dream. This tale of a possibly sociopathic young woman haunted by perhaps more than just a guilty conscience is highlighted by solid performances and a macabre sense of humor. Sarah (Bailey Ingersoll) is having a tough go of it after her father has committed […]
Writer/director Christopher Jopp delivers an amusing horror short with a decidedly 1980s vibe with Meow. This fun, wicked work recalls the best television terror anthology shows from that decade, but rises above being a simple throwback exercise. Samantha (Eleonore Dendy in a charming performance) has just moved into her own apartment. Her mother (Nancy Marvy) […]
The short film Nite Nite is writer/director Chad Meisenheimer’s mash-up of two time-honored horror conceits: the child who fears that a monster lurks in the bedroom at night, and the babysitter in peril. At a running time of just about three minutes, the short delivers a satisfying jolt of scary fun for the young and […]
Writer/director/editor Don Swaynos’s Don’t Ever Change received a great deal of buzz on its film festival run this year, and for good reason. This deeply dark comedy features a superb job by its cast, and offers some unexpected twists, as well. Karen (Cyndi Williams of You Are Your Body/You Are Not Your Body [2014] and Holy […]
Filmmaker Kyle Martellacci tackled body horror and science fiction in his 2016 outing Candy Skin; now he’s back with another genre-hybrid short. I Make Corpses is a dark-hearted combination of a pre-slasher grindhouse movie and a zombie apocalypse tale, a sort of The Last Serial Killer on Earth by way of George S. Romero and […]
Talented actor Nicholas Vince, who played The Chatterer Cenobite in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Kinski in Barker’s Nightbreed, makes his horror short writing and directorial debut with The Night Whispered. This short will remind viewers of classic supernatural tales, perhaps ones that they read or viewed in their younger years or even today. Check […]
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DND Creations, a two-man team consisting of Dante Aubain and Danny Summonte, has crafted a short film rife with tension and dread. Mannequin (2017) tells the tale of a young man (Summonte) who receives a box from his uncle that contains the top part of a mannequin. He doesn’t think much of it until he […]
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Unsuspecting first-time viewers may be puzzled at first as they begin to watch writer/director Robin Comisar’s Great Choice short film, with thoughts such as “So it’s a Red Lobster commercial from the 1990s? So what?” Then, slowly and subtly at first and then building to a startling climax, the short weaves its looping spell, as […]
Thanks to horror films and urban legends, tales of babysitting terror are always in vogue. Boxleitner brothers Lee and Sam offer up a truly disturbing take on this fear fare subgenre with their award-winning short film Die! Sitter! Die! Rupert. The short opens with a bit of drama that allows viewers to get to know […]
Filmmaker Alex DiVincenzo’s Halloween-themed horror/dark-comedy short Root of All Evil is impressive, but even moreso when considering that it was made in less than two days and had to adhere to a strict set of rules. This is because the short was created as part of the Providence (Rhode Island) 48 Hour Film Project, in […]
Prolific filmmaker Patrick Rea puts modern American society under a The Twilight Zone-style microscope in his latest short film, Justice Served. This examination of murky morality opens post-viewing questions for discussion while delivering an entertaining horror story. Nathan (Davis DeRock) is on trial for suspicion of deliberately pushing a little girl into the oncoming path […]
A young girl finds herself caught between her religious beliefs and a very Earthly evil in writer/director Stellan Kendrick’s horror short Goodnight, Gracie (2017). Though less than four minutes long, the film creates a looming sense of dread and packs quite a wallop in a stunningly presented effort. Elementary school-aged Gracie (Caige Coulter) is resting […]
Admonition, director Alexander Mattingly’s eighth and latest short film, is an eerie work that hangs heavy with dread throughout. Low-key lighting and effective use of shadows — as well as portraying something just beyond those shadows — helps mount a macabre atmosphere, and having one of the lead characters being deaf adds a sense of […]