‘We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones’-said Stephen King. Horror is one of the oldest film genres that never failed to enthrall generations of audiences- giving jump scares, elevating heart beats, and petrifying them. Countless conversations for some of the best horror films took place in your dorm rooms. Here is the list of best short horror films on YouTube that might plunge you into nightmarish landscapes.
1. 2 AM: The Smiling Man
Directed by Michael Evans, 2 AM: The Smiling Man is based on the story, ‘Let’s not meet’. A lonely man walking to his home late night finds another man following him. What follows next is something spooky. Will he reach home safe? Great taking and wonderful acting by Sean Simon made something comfortable into sinister.
2. Alexia
Alexia is an old ghost tale improved to contemporary times. The genius of Alexia lies in its simplicity and mood, rather than some jump-scares. Inspired by a Japanese short film, Alexia tells the story of a man who still in the memories of his dead girlfriend. He is looking at her Facebook and what unfolds in the series of events is breath-taking. Written and directed by Andres Borghi, Alexia is an Internet sensation.
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3. Bedfellows
Bedfellows is three minutes of pure horror. It is sure to cause sleepless nights with its eerie build-up and horrific ambiance. A woman receives a phone call late-night, which questions her safety. Flawless performance by Kerry Finalyson and brilliant direction by Drew Daywalt made this a spooky experience.
4. The Little Witch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk9cOyhqyJA
The simplest stories of all are often the scariest ones. Based on a classic tale of Ireland, The Little Witch is two minute short film by director Alasdair McBroom. A man and his daughter are introduced in an open house. They are cheerful until they are worn out and head inside. He tucks his daughter into her bed and what he finds there, is spine-chilling.
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5. Vicious
Written and directed by Oliver Park, Vicious is eerie and spooky with its hair-rising moments. A woman arrives late to her home only to find her front door open. What’s lurking inside the house? This short was presented at various film festivals where it swept many awards.
6. Peekers
Based on a short story by Kealan Patrick, Mark Steensland directed this short film. The brilliance of Peekers lies in its use of silence and in the usage of some primal fears. Watching it without sound makes it even spookier. Someone peeking into a neighborhood is sometimes frightening.
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7. Behind the Door
A man enters a household as a vampire-like monster is chasing him. He seems bothered. Unexpectedly he overhears someone hitting on the gate and looking for aid. The voice resembles his brother’s. It asks the guy to let him in but he does not fall for it. What happens in the end is spine-chilling.
8. I Heard it Too
Based on a famous short story, Matt Sears and Tim Knight made “I heard it too”. Alone in a house, a woman and her child encounter a familiar monster that frightens them. A spooky movie that uses the ambience to scare rather than to jump-scare.
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9. The Black Hole
The Black hole is one of the most popular short films on the Internet. A sleep-deprived worker duplicates a “Black Hole” late-night. Unexpectedly, the prospects appear infinite. Ten minutes, and gluttony is explained. It won the introductory Virgin Media Shorts competition in 2008.
10. Mama
Hardly moving from an evocative and crippling terror, a terrified young girl tries dreadfully to awaken her sister up from her peaceful slumber. Clearly, the distraught girl is miserably hiding from something that makes the blood freeze in one’s veins. The short was very scary that it was later made into a feature film.
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11. Rake
Inspired the popular Creepy-pasta stories, Tony Delgadillo wrote and directed this 14 minute short film, Rake. Few friends after graduating from college, go on a trip. The series of events that scare them to death forms the short film. Creepy-pasta are popular horror stories. Although, many short films are inspired from them, this one is pure horror.
12. Breathe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiWvOhJAIH0
Breathe is one of the most original short films made in a long time. A man falls in love with a ghost which can only be seen when he doesn’t breathe. Rather than relying on jump scares, Breathe delivers a feeling of being creepy.
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