Scary short films. From a scary short film about what lurks in your bed late at night to a creepy short film that explores what happens when you turn the lights out. Join us as we take a look at 5 scary short films you can watch on Youtube.
5. Bedfellows
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6flB0XvmTo[/embedyt]
This little gem has been around since 2010. Directed by Drew Daywalt, this bite-size horror movie capitalizes on the fear of the unknown. It operates in that twilight consciousness that often occurs when we’re woken up suddenly in the middle of the night, say by a strange phone call…
Try watching this at 4 am, all alone, lights out.
4. The Smiling Man
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HAan1HBIEg[/embedyt]
Released in 2015, this scary short film follows a young girl left alone in the house for the night. Things get creepy when she hears some strange noises and discovers a trail of balloons leading down stairs.
Written and directed by A.J. Briones, The Smiling Man won a ton of awards including best super-short film at Shriekfest 2015.
I highly recommend this brief, well-made scare fest.
3. The Man in the Lower-Left Hand Corner of the Photograph
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNiZCrdTnUM[/embedyt]
This unnerving piece sets a bizarre tone with it’s striking visual style and distinct, slow-burning soundscape.
Released in 1997, this art house animation was written and directed by Robert Morgan. Morgan is a multi-award winning director best known for his BAFTA winning short film The Separation – a short that was later re-edited and used as a music video for the band Tool.
The Man in the Lower-Left Hand Corner of the Photograph follows a withered, unnamed protagonist whose lonely existence is offset only by a single photograph of himself at a happier time. He sits alone in his dank, rotting apartment, his only friend a maggot that he feeds raw meat to. Occasionally he’ll peep through a hole in the wall, spying on his neighbour, perhaps the only human contact he gets.
While this scary short film isn’t outright terrifying, it’s unsettling, nihilistic qualities seem to seep into your unconscious mind, leaving you with a sense of bleak malaise.
I highly recommend watching this alone with a good set of headphones.
2. Rubber Johnny
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRvfxWRi6qQ[/embedyt]
This is a short, experimental film created by Chris Cunningham. Released in 2005, this twisted short film follows lead character Johnny, a deformed, wheel chair bound humanoid who lives in a dank basement. His only companion is a bulbous-eyed Chihuahu that watches from the shadows.
The six minute short film samples music from Aphex Twin and was originally intended to be a 30-second commercial for their album drukqs. However, the director, Chris Cunningham became infatuated with the concept and developed it into the short film we see today.
1. Lights Out
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQhNGEu2KA[/embedyt]
Released in 2013, Lights Out is a scary short film written and directed by David F. Sandberg. It won best director at the BC’s ‘who’s there’ horror challenge. Uploaded to Youtube and Vimeo, the video went viral, garnering millions of views, attracting the attention of Hollywood. Ultimately the short film was developed into a feature length film of the same title – Lights Out – released in 2016.
The tiny, 2:41 film packs a lot of intensity in in such a short time. The story follows a woman as she prepares herself for bed. As she turns the lights off around the house a shadow figure begins to appear. Things get more and more terrifying leading to the final blood-chilling shot of the film. No spoilers.
I suggest watching this film in a dark room, all alone, with the sound turned right up. Enjoy!
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So there’s our selection of 5 scary short films you can watch on Youtube. Did this listicle of scary short films scare you? Let us know on Twitter and Facebook.
