Written by: London Allen | October 6, 2022
5 Chilling Horror Shorts to Watch this Halloween
The leaves are starting to change, the pumpkin-flavored food items are out, and if you listen close enough, you might hear the opening notes to “Spooky Scary Skeletons.” You know what that means! It’s mine, and many others, favorite time of year— spooky season. As many of us begin planning our costumes and getting into the Halloween spirit, watching horror or otherwise creepy content is some of the most iconic ways to celebrate what is, in my opinion, one of the best holidays. One of my favorite discoveries is horror shorts. These shorter pieces of horror content, whether films or TV, give you a fright without having to view a full fledged movie. They also allow talented individuals—who may not have access to create a full-length film— to showcase their work. Over the years, I have fallen completely in love with horror shorts, so, here are some recommendations of horror movies that I personally find chilling!
1. “BAG MAN”
In this episode from the anthology series Two Sentence Horror Stories, several high school students are in detention. The episode begins as they all do, with a sentence (the second sentence is revealed once the episode concludes). As the five high school seniors find themselves in detention for a cherry bomb incident that nobody wants to take credit for, strange things start happening and the kids end up facing a chilling creature. I really enjoyed this because it’s creepy and the drama between the characters is effectively established making it fun to watch!
2. THE HUG
As an original Hulu short film, this one packs a lot of fright in 5 minutes. A young boy, who is having a birthday party at a pizza arcade, gets an unexpected surprise when he wanders off alone. I enjoy this because the pizza arcade is reminiscent of Chuck E. Cheese’s and I’ve never liked that place. This one is also just incredibly chilling, especially if you feel the same way I do about animatronics, which is, they shouldn’t exist!
Ignore It is an original Youtube short following a family dealing with a haunting presence. After watching this recently, it made this list because of the children’s acting. Their response to the situation communicates fear and creates a sense of empathy that will make you scared to turn around! It also executes horror with the classic strategy of eliciting suspense but doesn’t rely on jump scares to frighten the audience. Truly, a unique execution.
3. IGNORE IT
This collection is a compilation of horror shorts embedded within another series. The series reviews conspiracies about the popular American TV show, Spongebob Squarepants. These shorts follow the creator of the series as he speaks to a strange entity in his closet. The horror’s combination of mystery and comedy work to produce a great horror short that will leave you equally creeped out and amused. I’d also recommend watching the full series if you are familiar with the Spongebob Squarepants television show.
5. EDEN