While researching short horror films to watch on YouTube several years ago, films like Bedfellows and I Heard It Too blew my mind at what could be done. The stories told and the scares delivered over a matter of minutes with low-budget tech take a lot of ambition.
I’ve always been a fan of short-form fiction, be that short prose stories, 6-page comic book shorts, or episodes from anthology series like Tales of the Unexpected, The Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits. Seeing as it’s been a while since I last took a good deep dive down the YouTube rabbit hole, I thought I’d have a look and see what new stuff I could unearth. To give myself some kind of guideline, I’ve stuck with films under 10 minutes long in this instance.
Watch all of these in a dark room, with the volume turned up high, preferably listening through headphones.
1Don’t Peek (2020)
Dir. Julian Terry
One thing for certain is that a lot of people poured their creative juices into short filmmaking during the global pandemic. Julian Terry’s Don’t Peek is a good example of that, made by just three people during a quarantine period last year. Here, we also see a combination with something else that swept across the globe last year – Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Yes, a horror film incorporating Animal Crossing! What’s not to love?!
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While not exactly original if you get to the bare bones of it and featuring a few questionable decisions by the main protagonist (Katie C’etta), the build-up of tension is good, and the jump scares don’t outstay their welcome. Coming in at just under 7 minutes long, it might make you think twice about dealing with Tom Nook again.
2Crossover Point (2020)
Dir. Antony Johnston
Another movie born out of the pandemic, Crossover Point, was released in July 2020 by writer/director Antony Johnston. He is known for his work on many comics, movies, books, and video games, such as Atomic Blonde, the Dead Space game series, and Resident Evil Village. It stars actors Moisés Chiullan and Casey McKinnon.
Here, Johnston has essentially created a wonderful short film that would be at home alongside a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits marathon. Saying any more than that would spoil the fun! Admittedly, it’s more specific than outright horror, but it’s only just over 7 minutes long and well worth a watch.
3Every Night I See Them (2021)
Dir. Ryan Godoy
In the first instance, Every Night I See Them is a good/bad example – and there are MANY out there – of a YouTube film that kinda/maybe spoils itself a little via the thumbnail pic they use. Less is often more, as the imagination plays a bigger part when it’s not overfed.
Be that as it may, Every Night I See Them is a solid 5-and-a-half minutes of creepiness and tension building, brought to us by director Ryan Godoy and actors Nick Osborne, Dane Oliver, Rebecca Adam, and Takalay Hamill. Served up with a pinch of “Holy crap! Why is he doing that?! Please stop!” and a hint of “What the hell was-AAARGH!” and then it’s done, and you’re left to your thoughts.
4Bedfellows Returns (2020)
Dir. Bryant Alexander Roman
The original Bedfellows came out in 2008 and is still a firm favourite of mine. It is under 3 minutes of a single creepy idea done well, maybe spoiled a little with an overlong jump scare at the end. Bedfellows Returns is by a completely different team from Pure Horror TV and is more of an homage to the original. Here, the antagonist returns to plague a little girl and her dog in the middle of the night.
It’s under 4-and-a-half minutes long, building tension and emotion with dread and character. We may see a little too much of the antagonist, but that could be subjective. I’m all for more Bedfellows if done well!
5Bed Head (2019)
Dir. Aaron Fradkin & Victoria Fratz
Aaron Fradkin and Victoria Fratz produce a lot under their Social House Films umbrella. Whilst some films are more effective than others, all are good examples of their skills and abilities as moviemakers and storytellers.
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Bed Head is another example of how a thumbnail image can spoil a surprise, but it’s under 3 minutes long, so I can forgive that to some extent. Here, Fratz plays a woman getting spooked out whilst making her bed and certainly making some questionable decisions, but, hey, who doesn’t in a horror film? You’ll know what’s going to happen, you just won’t know when…
6Melissa(2021)
Dir. Jacob Arbittier
Burnt Mill Road, the production company of director Jacob Arbittier, has produced many shorts over the past 10 months. Melissa stars Hayley Holmes (Better Call Saul) as the protagonist in an under-3-minute short that plays on the “creepy stranger stood on the other side of the street” trope, which, again, there are many examples of out there.
It’s weird, there’s tension built up over a short space of time and a brief but very much “what the hell?!” moment that doesn’t hang around too long.
