Déjà Vu
Written & Directed by Olivier Labonte LeMoyne
2017, Canada
A woman tries to describe a disturbing nightmare to a friend, only to find she may be trapped within the dangerous dream.
This is a polished piece of altered reality cinema from auteur LeMoyne that packs a punch despite its restrained nature.
Last Night
Written & Directed by Rory Wood
2021, Canada
Prolific short filmmaker Wood, maker of the excellent Within (2021), delivers a memorable take on a classic horror cinema subject with the dialogue-free, black & white Last Night.
Wood is a talent that demands to be watched.
Weirdo
Written & Directed by Ashlea Wessel
2020, Canada
A bullying incident leads to some disturbing revelations in this offering from the maker of the classic horror short film Tick (2018).
Weirdo stands on its own but, like Tick, its story cries out for lengthier exploration.
Wessel is currently in post-production on the feature film Junction Row.
Fish Out of Water
Written & Directed by Kirsten Carthew
2015, Canada
In a wintry post-apocalyptic world, a young woman fishes on a frozen lake for her only source of food. When another survivor arrives on the scene, the woman’s solitary way of life stands to change permanently.
Those who like their apocalyptic cinema on the frigid side should watch this accomplished short as a double-feature with Daniel Byers’ Ice Man.
Auteur Carthew’s futuristic feature film Polaris has its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Within
Written & Directed by Rory Wood
2021, Canada
The discovery of a mysterious den in the woods has a catastrophic effect on a family in this very well-made short that features great cinematography and superb sound design.
Keep an eye on Rory Wood, who currently has another short film in the works called Last Night.
Engineers
Directed by Tyler A. Williams
Written by Tyler A. Williams & Dean Tardioli
2016, Canada
This short’s abandoned factory setting helps deliver the atmosphere as Tyler A. Williams gives viewers an enigmatic but compelling glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world, channeling a bit of the classic Frankenstein story along the way.
The Horizon Project
Directed by Scott Belyea
Written by Zack Mosley
2013, Canada
Uninfected survivors of a devastating pandemic are thrown into a nightmare scenario while being transported to a safe haven in this extremely relevant short film.
Director Belyea also made the apocalyptic short film Children of the Dark (2011).
The Horizon Project makes a great double-feature with Ashlea Wessel’s Tick.
A Quiet Moment
Directed by Martin Bruyere & Steve Villeneuve
Written by Tatjana Mahdi
2016, Canada
A woman enjoys a peaceful evening at home. The baby monitor is on. What could go wrong?
This is a slick, slow-burn piece with excellent cinematography and sound work. As the classification I chose for this short makes clear, I consider A Quiet Moment to be a psychopath horror film.
But it could be something else as the film displays the kind of creepy ambiguity that only short form horror can really pull off.
This one pairs nicely with Christian Cueva & Ricardo Farias’ Voces.
Number 15
Written & Directed by Daelan Wood
2017, Canada
After discovering a hidden camera in her apartment, a young woman gets a life-changing knock on her door.
This early work by veteran short filmmaker Wood is a great example of the type of horror short film that can be enjoyed and appreciated on its own but also plays like the first scene of a feature film that I’m sure would be much more intense and a lot less goofy than Jason Lei Howden’s Guns Akimbo (2019).
Wood also made the horror shorts Hello Quinn (2017), Timebox (2017) and Rearview (2018).
Number 15 is not Wood’s slickest work but it is still highly memorable. This one makes a good pairing with Victor Garcia’s T is for Tiles.
Tick
Written & Directed by Ashlea Wessel
2018, Canada
Set in a bleak near-future, a young woman with biological characteristics that make her a feared outsider tries to avoid capture by government agents.
Auteur Wessel, who previously made the horror short Ink (2016), delivers a fresh take on a familiar horror antagonist that demands to be watched more than once.
Tick also cries out for feature-length treatment.