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It's not the size that counts; it's what you do with it!
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Sometimes sitting through an entire feature-length film can be a chore, especially if that movie
00:06feels like it's padding out its runtime, because quantity doesn't always mean quality.
00:13Thankfully, there's a subsection of filmmaking that steps in to pick up the slack, and that's
00:19horror shorts. Whether they are festival circuit darlings or just creations uploaded straight to
00:25YouTube, they have proven that you don't need a Hollywood budget to give people nightmares.
00:31And so, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture here with the 10 best short horror movies
00:36of the last decade. 10. Peephole
00:40Checking a peephole seems like a perfect storm for a scary-as-hell experience, as looking out at the
00:46wrong time can lead to unsightly things. But no one could ever expect to spy something as creepy
00:53as this. Peephole shows a man answering a knock at his door late in the night. After looking out of
01:00his peephole, he spots an incredibly curious sight, a doppelganger copying his actions.
01:06What's fascinating about this short is how the title makes you instantly think you know what
01:11you're getting into. It seems obvious that the unfortunate protagonist is going to check the
01:16titular peephole and be met with some spooky monstrosity, most likely a scary face or monster.
01:23Still, it chucks something way more terrifying at you. The villain in this short is what sells it so
01:29well, as the double takes control away from the protagonist's own body, giving you this pessimistic
01:35feeling of helplessness. There's no need for makeup or any visual effects to make this monster feel
01:42terrifying, just a solid build-up, creative editing and strong acting.
01:47Number 9, Guest. Guest is a very clever short film that is way more than what it seems on the surface.
01:55Now if you're unlucky enough to spot the unsettling creepy thumbnail, you'll likely imagine a straight
02:00up scary flick with some evil monster. But this short has a hidden depth that makes it way more
02:06interesting. Guest is written and directed by Finn Callan and shows as a woman breaks into a house to
02:12escape a creature that's stalking her. But the terrifying figure doesn't attack her or hurt her,
02:18it just stares with bulging eyes, which are terrifying. The short plays with imagery so well,
02:24as there are plenty of lingering shots of the protagonist as she stares right back at this
02:29unholy abomination. These shots are painful as you spend the whole time waiting to cut back to the
02:36monster, leaving you in fits of tension. Adding to this tension is the use of sound. Since the
02:41protagonist is hearing impaired, the short puts you into her shoes by plunging you into monotonous
02:48tones and lingering silences. And this emptiness makes the imagery on display even punchier.
02:54Number 8, Man on a Train. Seeing as a short horror movie only has a limited amount of time to get you
03:01spooked, it's common to rely on ubiquitous scenarios in which everyone can sense peril. Thus, Stranger
03:08Danger is something that comes up a lot. This short makes genius use of that, as it takes the concept
03:15of a creepy encounter and pushes it to the max. Man on a Train comes from writer-director Jack Shanks.
03:23It shows as an unlucky woman steps onto a train and begins to eavesdrop on her fellow passengers.
03:29However, after some friendly people watching, they suddenly disappear and she's left with a strange
03:35man who seems to be coming for her. This is a short that tackles its horror in a less overt,
03:40far more subtle way. There are no bombastic jump scares or big shocking moments. In fact,
03:46the visuals are altogether natural and authentic. That's where the movie thrives, as it focuses on
03:52mundanity spliced with something ever so slightly supernatural. It's simple, effective and sure to
04:00give you the creeps, especially if you often ride the train at night.
04:03Number 7, Sucker Blood. Typically, when watching a short horror film, you'll get something set in the
04:09everyday world, with the spooky shenanigans coming from some twisted beast or clever visual trick.
04:15However, if you want an all-out gothic fairytale-like horror, then this short has you covered.
04:22Sucker Blood was created by the pairing of Jack Hendricks and Ben Tillett. It's set in a gothic
04:28mansion and tells the story of a young girl with a bad habit of sucking her thumbs. Her mother places
04:34down a curse upon her, which will summon the deadly sucker blood to kill her if she sucks her thumbs again.
04:41Woah, there's some great parenting.
04:45This movie is deliciously atmospheric, with a large focus on classic horror visuals.
04:50Thanks to this, it almost feels like a kid's version of an Edgar Allan Poe tale.
04:55You've got all the tricks like a large mansion, heavy shadows, prosthetics and a deep-voiced narrator
05:01guiding you through the story. Plus, there's two monsters to keep you spooked. The titular beastie
05:07and the creepy mother. Overall, the short is self-aware, overly gothic, effortlessly charming and
05:13tons of fun. Number six, one last dive. Anyone with thalassophobia, which is the fear of large bodies
05:20of water, better start running for the hills for this one. This film is a short by every definition
05:26of the word, as it comes in at about one minute long. Yet, despite having less screen time than your
05:32average plank exercise, it packs a huge punch, thanks to the horrifying setting, murky visuals
05:38and spine-tingling sound design. One last dive is about, well, one last dive as a diver ventures
05:45down into the depths after being given only 20 minutes to investigate a strange underwater crime
05:51scene. But what he finds down there is something terrifying and tragic. There's so much to love about
05:58this short, as it perfectly encapsulates how to use the format. The setup is clear and concise,
06:04and the supernatural threat is left to the imagination in a satisfying yet mysterious way.
06:10Plus, the use of lighting is genius, as you can barely see anything completely putting you into the
06:17diver's shoes, or perhaps flippers. Thus, when things go wrong, you feel all the more invested.
06:235. 2AM The Smiling Man Many people's idea of a scary horror villain
06:29is a giant monster with huge teeth and a gross body. For others, it's a creepy-looking little girl
06:35with demonic powers. Really, anything can be a terrifying baddie. Even a man smiling as he dances
06:42in the street. Really? The Smiling Man follows a man roaming the streets at night. I mean,
06:48why do the people in these shorts keep going out at night? As he encounters a strange sight,
06:54a creepy, smiling man dancing with himself. What starts as a seemingly innocent encounter
07:00soon turns very sinister. It's safe to say that a smiling, dancing man shouldn't be nightmare-inducing,
07:08but it totally is. The performance from Paul Foltz as the titular villain is unnerving as hell,
07:14and the build-up of tension as the villain continually stalks the protagonist makes it
07:19clear that he's a dangerous threat. While viewers are used to things like vampires and werewolves,
07:24there's just something so uncomfortable and uncanny about a person behaving unpredictably.
07:31That's what makes this such a great short.
07:344. OTHER SIDE OF THE BOX Receiving a gift from a
07:37friend is usually a joyous occasion. Still, if that present contains some terrifying,
07:42unexplained phenomenon that drives you to the brink of death, then you might wish you had a receipt to
07:47exchange it with. Other side of the box comes from the mind of Caleb J. Phillips. It tells the
07:52tale of a couple who get an unexpected visit from an old friend. He leaves one of them a gift before
07:58departing in a hurry. It's then revealed that this box contains a strange creature that gets closer
08:05every time you look away from it. Weeping angels, anyone? Sorry, wrong channel. Anyway.
08:11The setup of a villain that moves closer once you break eye contact has been used enough to feel like
08:16a full-on trope. Yet, while it's often overused, this short does a great job of playing with the
08:23concept, using some terrifying yet simple creature design. Seeing a creepy, seemingly human face poke out
08:30of a box has never been so scary. Also, despite being less than 20 minutes long, it packs in a
08:36whole heap of character building. There's a clear, established history between the cast,
08:41even if it's mostly unspoken, leading to way more mystery and tension.
08:47Number 3. My House Walkthrough
08:50Now, this is a horror short that has arguably not received the attention it deserves. However,
08:55the fact that it stands so tall against the backdrop of terrifying creations you've seen so far should
09:01come as a sign of how truly haunting it is. It's not conventional horror by any means, but it'll have
09:07you scared beyond your wildest dreams. My House Walkthrough is a YouTube video uploaded by
09:13nana825763 and is an absolute descent into hell. It's presented in a found footage format as an unnamed
09:21protagonist gives you a guided tour of their house. But this delipidated building is full of terrifying
09:27imagery, dark secrets and a seemingly infinite loop. It's almost impossible to put into words what kind
09:33of experience this is, as the horror is so unique. It has plenty of clever ways to scare you, mostly
09:40thanks to the sickening visuals and mind-blowingly good set decoration. There's also an eerie chanting in
09:47the background, giving the whole thing an overwhelmingly spiritual vibe. Overall, this is a horror
09:53experience unlike any you've had before and one that could only work as a short film.
09:58Number 2. Lights Out
10:01Sales for Night Lights must have gone through the roof when this iconic short film hit the scene.
10:06Although against this monster, they won't have done much good. Lights Out is an excellent example of how
10:11simplicity can be very effective when making something scary. This short is less than 3 minutes
10:18long, has no dialogue and takes place in one small location. Yet, despite all that, it took the horror
10:25world by storm and has become one of the scariest pieces of media ever created. Written and directed by
10:31David F. Sandberg, Lights Out follows a woman on her way to bed who notices a strange figure in the
10:37shadows of her flat. This figure disappears once she turns the light on, and thus she uses this to
10:43try and stay safe. Sadly, in the end, the flick of a switch is all it takes to end her life and make
10:48a collective audience poop their pants. This short is a masterclass in building tension and paying it
10:54off with a shocking climax. The atmosphere is pungent, and the creature's reveal is painfully freaky.
11:01This is likely why it got expanded into a feature film in 2016, and while that flick has some merit to
11:08it, it's this short that deserves your attention. Number 1. The Backrooms
11:14If you've been on the internet in the past few years, which you presumably have, I mean you're on
11:18YouTube right now, then you likely already know about The Backrooms. Either you've seen it and delved
11:24into the lore, heard of it and maybe checked it out, or spotted the infamous ugly wallpaper cropping up in
11:30memes with no idea what it was. It really has caused quite the stir. The Backrooms is a found footage
11:37horror short that you can find on YouTube. It was uploaded by the channel Kane Pixels and is a pure
11:43example of how the found footage genre still has life in it. It shows as a kid carrying a camera falls
11:50through the world into an unexplained place. There, he explores his peculiar surroundings and discovers
11:56that he's not alone. This short is widely respected for its use of liminal space. This refers to a
12:03location that's wide and open but eerily devoid of life, like an empty car park or a school at night.
12:09The creepiness of such a setting goes twofold if it's full of sickly yellow colouring, tasteless wallpaper
12:16and blaring fluorescent lights, the combination of which makes you oddly queasy. It's a genius short film
12:22that thrives on how creepy the setting is and how hopeless survival seems.
12:27And that concludes our list. If you think we missed any then do let us know in the comments below
12:32and while you're there don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification bell. Also head
12:37over to Twitter and follow us there and I can be found across various social medias just by searching
12:42Ellie Littlechild. I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day and I'll see you real soon!
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