10 Best Short Horror Movies Of The Last Decade
It's not the size that counts; it's what you do with it!
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00:00 Sometimes, sitting through an entire feature-length film can be a chore,
00:04 especially if that movie feels like it's padding out its runtime,
00:09 because quantity doesn't always mean quality.
00:12 Thankfully, there's a subsection of filmmaking that steps in to pick up the slack,
00:18 and that's horror shorts.
00:21 Whether they are festival circuit darlings or just creations uploaded straight to YouTube,
00:26 they have proven that you don't need a Hollywood budget to give people nightmares.
00:31 And so, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture here with the
00:34 10 best short horror movies of the last decade.
00:38 Number 10, Peephole.
00:40 Checking a peephole seems like a perfect storm for a scary-as-hell experience,
00:45 as looking out at the wrong time can lead to unsightly things.
00:49 But no one could ever expect to spy something as creepy as this.
00:54 Peephole shows a man answering a knock at his door late in the night.
00:59 After looking out of his peephole, he spots an incredibly curious sight -
01:03 a doppelganger copying his actions.
01:06 What's fascinating about this short is how the title makes you instantly think
01:11 you know what you're getting into.
01:12 It seems obvious that the unfortunate protagonist is going to check the titular peephole
01:17 and be met with some spooky monstrosity, most likely a scary face or monster.
01:23 Still, it chucks something way more terrifying at you.
01:26 The villain in this short is what sells it so well,
01:29 as the double takes control away from the protagonist's own body,
01:33 giving you this pessimistic feeling of helplessness.
01:37 There's no need for makeup or any visual effects to make this monster feel terrifying,
01:43 just a solid build-up, creative editing, and strong acting.
01:47 Number 9, Guest.
01:49 Guest is a very clever short film that is way more than what it seems on the surface.
01:54 If you're unlucky enough to spot the unsettling creepy thumbnail,
01:58 you'll likely imagine a straight up scary flick with some evil monster.
02:03 But this short has a hidden depth that makes it way more interesting.
02:07 Guest is written and directed by Finn Callen,
02:10 and shows as a woman breaks into a house to escape a creature that's stalking her.
02:14 But the terrifying figure doesn't attack her or hurt her,
02:18 it just stares with bulging eyes, which are terrifying.
02:22 The short plays with imagery so well,
02:24 as there are plenty of lingering shots of the protagonist
02:27 as she stares right back at this unholy abomination.
02:31 These shots are painful, as you spend the whole time waiting to cut back to the monster,
02:36 leaving you in fits of tension.
02:38 Adding to this tension is the use of sound.
02:41 Since the protagonist is hearing impaired,
02:43 the short puts you into her shoes by plunging you into monotonous tones and lingering silences.
02:50 And this emptiness makes the imagery on display even punchier.
02:54 Number 8, Man on a Train.
02:56 Seeing as a short horror movie only has a limited amount of time to get you spooked,
03:01 it's common to rely on ubiquitous scenarios in which everyone can sense peril.
03:06 Thus, stranger danger is something that comes up a lot.
03:11 This short makes genius use of that,
03:14 as it takes the concept of a creepy encounter and pushes it to the max.
03:19 Man on a Train comes from writer-director Jack Shanks.
03:23 It shows as an unlucky woman steps onto a train
03:26 and begins to eavesdrop on her fellow passengers.
03:29 However, after some friendly people watching,
03:31 they suddenly disappear and she's left with a strange man who seems to be coming for her.
03:37 This is a short that tackles its horror in a less overt, far more subtle way.
03:42 There are no bombastic jump scares or big shocking moments.
03:46 In fact, the visuals are altogether natural and authentic.
03:50 That's where the movie thrives,
03:51 as it focuses on mundanity spliced with something ever so slightly supernatural.
03:57 It's simple, effective and sure to give you the creeps,
04:01 especially if you often ride the train at night.
04:04 Number 7, Suckerblood.
04:06 Typically, when watching a short horror film,
04:08 you'll get something set in the everyday world,
04:10 with the spooky shenanigans coming from some twisted beast or clever visual trick.
04:16 However, if you want an all-out gothic fairy tale-like horror,
04:20 then this short has you covered.
04:22 Suckerblood was created by the pairing of Jack Hendricks and Ben Tillett.
04:27 It's set in a gothic mansion and tells the story of a young girl
04:31 with a bad habit of sucking her thumbs.
04:33 Her mother places down a curse upon her,
04:36 which will summon the deadly Suckerblood to kill her if she sucks her thumbs again.
04:41 Whoa, that's some great parenting.
04:44 This movie is deliciously atmospheric, with a large focus on classic horror visuals.
04:50 Thanks to this, it almost feels like a kid's version of an Edgar Allan Poe tale.
04:55 You've got all the tricks, like a large mansion, heavy shadows,
04:58 prosthetics and a deep-voiced narrator guiding you through the story.
05:03 Plus, there's two monsters to keep you spooked, the titular beastie and the creepy mother.
05:08 Overall, the short is self-aware, overly gothic, effortlessly charming and tons of fun.
05:15 Number six, One Last Dive.
05:17 Anyone with thalassophobia, which is the fear of large bodies of water,
05:21 better start running for the hills for this one.
05:23 This film is a short by every definition of the word, as it comes in at about one minute long.
05:29 Yet, despite having less screen time than your average plank exercise,
05:33 it packs a huge punch, thanks to the horrifying setting,
05:37 murky visuals and spine-tingling sound design.
05:41 One Last Dive is about, well, one last dive as a diver ventures down into the depths
05:46 after being given only 20 minutes to investigate a strange underwater crime scene.
05:52 But what he finds down there is something terrifying and tragic.
05:56 There's so much to love about this short, as it perfectly encapsulates how to use the format.
06:02 The setup is clear and concise, and the supernatural threat is left to the imagination
06:08 in a satisfying yet mysterious way.
06:10 Plus, the use of lighting is genius, as you can barely see anything,
06:15 completely putting you into the diver's shoes, or perhaps flippers.
06:19 Thus, when things go wrong, you feel all the more invested.
06:23 Number 5, 2AM, The Smiling Man
06:26 Many people's idea of a scary horror villain is a giant monster with huge teeth and a gross body.
06:32 For others, it's a creepy-looking little girl with demonic powers.
06:36 Really, anything can be a terrifying baddie.
06:39 Even a man smiling as he dances in the street.
06:42 Really?
06:44 The Smiling Man follows a man roaming the streets at night.
06:47 Why do the people in these shorts keep going out at night?
06:52 As he encounters a strange sight, a creepy, smiling man dancing with himself.
06:58 What starts as a seemingly innocent encounter soon turns very sinister.
07:02 It's safe to say that a smiling, dancing man shouldn't be nightmare-inducing,
07:07 but it totally is.
07:09 The performance from Paul Foltz as the titular villain is unnerving as hell,
07:14 and the build-up of tension as the villain continually stalks the protagonist
07:18 makes it clear that he's a dangerous threat.
07:21 While viewers are used to things like vampires and werewolves,
07:24 there's just something so uncomfortable and uncanny about a person behaving unpredictably.
07:31 That's what makes this such a great short.
07:33 Number 4, Other Side of the Box
07:36 Receiving a gift from a friend is usually a joyous occasion.
07:40 Still, if that present contains some terrifying, unexplained phenomenon
07:43 that drives you to the brink of death,
07:45 then you might wish you had a receipt to exchange it with.
07:48 Other Side of the Box comes from the mind of Caleb J. Phillips.
07:52 It tells the tale of a couple who get an unexpected visit from an old friend.
07:57 He leaves one of them a gift before departing in a hurry.
08:00 It's then revealed that this box contains a strange creature
08:04 that gets closer every time you look away from it.
08:06 Weeping angels, anyone?
08:08 Sorry, wrong channel.
08:10 Anyway, the set-up of a villain that moves closer once you break eye contact
08:15 has been used enough to feel like a full-on trope.
08:18 Yet, while it's often overused,
08:20 this short does a great job of playing with the concept,
08:23 using some terrifying yet simple creature design.
08:27 Seeing a creepy, seemingly human face poke out of a box has never been so scary.
08:33 Also, despite being less than 20 minutes long,
08:35 it packs in a whole heap of character building.
08:38 There's a clear, established history between the cast,
08:41 even if it's mostly unspoken, leading to way more mystery and tension.
08:47 Number 3, My House Walkthrough.
08:49 This is a horror short that has arguably not received the attention it deserves.
08:55 However, the fact that it stands so tall against the backdrop of terrifying creations
08:59 you've seen so far should come as a sign of how truly haunting it is.
09:04 It's not conventional horror by any means,
09:07 but it'll have you scared beyond your wildest dreams.
09:10 My House Walkthrough is a YouTube video uploaded by Nana825763
09:15 and is an absolute descent into hell.
09:18 It's presented in a found footage format
09:20 as an unnamed protagonist gives you a guided tour of their house.
09:24 But this dilapidated building is full of terrifying imagery,
09:28 dark secrets, and a seemingly infinite loop.
09:31 It's almost impossible to put into words what kind of experience this is,
09:35 as the horror is so unique.
09:37 It has plenty of clever ways to scare you,
09:40 mostly thanks to the sickening visuals and mind-blowingly good set decoration.
09:45 There's also an eerie chanting in the background,
09:48 giving the whole thing an overwhelmingly spiritual vibe.
09:51 Overall, this is a horror experience unlike any you've had before,
09:55 and one that could only work as a short film.
09:58 Number 2, Lights Out.
10:00 Sales for Night Lights must have gone through the roof
10:03 when this iconic short film hit the scene.
10:06 Although against this monster, they won't have done much good.
10:09 Lights Out is an excellent example of how simplicity
10:12 can be very effective when making something scary.
10:16 This short is less than three minutes long,
10:18 has no dialogue, and takes place in one small location.
10:22 Yet despite all that, it took the horror world by storm
10:26 and has become one of the scariest pieces of media ever created.
10:30 Written and directed by David F. Sandberg,
10:32 Lights Out follows a woman on her way to bed
10:35 who notices a strange figure in the shadows of her flat.
10:38 This figure disappears once she turns the light on,
10:41 and thus she uses this to try and stay safe.
10:44 Sadly, in the end, the flick of a switch is all it takes to end her life
10:48 and make a collective audience poop their pants.
10:51 This short is a masterclass in building tension
10:54 and paying it off with a shocking climax.
10:57 The atmosphere is pungent, and the creature's reveal is painfully freaky.
11:01 This is likely why it got expanded into a feature film in 2016,
11:06 and while that flick has some merit to it,
11:08 it's this short that deserves your attention.
11:11 Number 1. The Back Rooms
11:13 If you've been on the internet in the past few years,
11:16 which you presumably have, I mean you're on YouTube right now,
11:19 then you likely already know about The Back Rooms.
11:22 Either you've seen it and delved into the lore,
11:24 heard of it and maybe checked it out,
11:26 or spotted the infamous ugly wallpaper cropping up in memes
11:30 with no idea what it was.
11:33 It really has caused quite the stir.
11:35 The Back Rooms is a found footage horror short that you can find on YouTube.
11:40 It was uploaded by the channel Kane Pixels and is a pure example
11:44 of how the found footage genre still has life in it.
11:47 It shows as a kid carrying a camera
11:50 falls through the world into an unexplained place.
11:52 There, he explores his peculiar surroundings and discovers that he's not alone.
11:58 This short is widely respected for its use of liminal space.
12:02 This refers to a location that's wide and open but eerily devoid of life,
12:07 like an empty car park or a school at night.
12:09 The creepiness of such a setting goes twofold
12:12 if it's full of sickly yellow colouring, tasteless wallpaper
12:16 and blaring fluorescent lights,
12:18 the combination of which makes you oddly queasy.
12:21 It's a genius short film that thrives on how creepy the setting is
12:25 and how hopeless survival seems.
12:27 And that concludes our list.
12:29 If you think we missed any, then do let us know in the comments below.
12:32 And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe
12:34 and tap that notification bell.
12:36 Also head over to Twitter and follow us there
12:39 and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
12:43 I've been Ellie with What Culture.
12:44 I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon.