The Crossing
Written & Directed by Arseny Syuhin
2016, Russia
An emotionally distressed woman encounters a bizarre, dangerous entity in an underground tunnel in this polished horror short that features a John Carpenter-style electronic music score.
The Crossing was the last in a series of genre short films auteur Syuhin made before directing the solid science fiction-horror feature Superdeep (2020).
China Lake (1983)
Directed by Robert Harmon
Written by Robert Harmon & Beth Tate
Charles Napier stars as Donnelly-a twisted motorcycle cop who dispenses his own brand of justice in the desert.
Made by Harmon as an industry calling card, this accomplished short led to his hiring as the director of the rural terror classic The Hitcher (1986).
China Lake’s story was later developed into the successful TV movie The China Lake Murders (1990), starring Tom Skerritt with Michael Parks taking the Donnelly role.
Teething
Written & Directed by Glen Matthews
2020, Canada
A janitor working at an orphanage finds himself in the middle of a grisly situation during his after-hours shift in this accomplished short.
Satisfying on its own, Teething would also work as the opening of a feature film that would be very welcome.
Acid
Written & Directed by Just Philippot
2018, France
French filmmaker Philippot brings death from above as a family tries to survive an environmental disaster in this very well-made apocalyptic short.
Philippot made his feature film debut with the insect attack movie The Swarm (2020) and a feature-length version of Acid premiered in 2023.
Maw
Written & Directed by Jasper Vrancken
2018, Belgium
A care facility worker named Richard is obsessed with the mouths of animals. Richard connects with a mysterious figure who may be able to satisfy his strange fixation in a disturbing way.
This twisted, well-made short will appeal to admirers of dark, offbeat auteurs like David Cronenberg, Nacho Cerda and Julia Ducournau.
Night Crawl
Written & Directed by Gregory Schultz
2019, USA
Two inmates try to tunnel their way out of prison and discover an underground cave in this grim, well-made horror short.
Auteur Schultz has stated that he places a high priority on production design and his detailed work in that area really pays off here.
Ella
Directed by Dan Gitsham
Written by Dan Gitsham & James Driver
2011, England
A desperate father armed with a shotgun takes center stage in this great, twisted take on the Little Red Riding Hood story.
Ella benefits from a very good lead performance by veteran actor Anthony Head.
Director Gitsham went on to make the horror shorts And the Baby Screamed (2018), Bill (2019) and The Thing That Ate the Birds (2021).
The Herd
Directed by Colin A. Borden
Written by Andy Nellis
2016, USA
This brutal, well-made short offers a disturbing look at the post-apocalyptic food chain.
Director Borden has focused primarily on comedy in subsequent short film work, which is unfortunate for lovers of horror as the memorable The Herd packs a punch.
Pantser
Written & Directed by Jan Verdijk
2021, Netherlands
During a deadly pandemic, two sisters hide away in their isolated country home. Their safety is threatened by a mysterious stranger who offers to help them.
Pantser, also known as Shielded, is a slow-burn apocalyptic short that wants to work as a drama and succeeds. In addition to excellent cinematography, Pantser also features an outstanding electronic music score by Koen van de Wardt.
Auteur Verdijk also made the horror short films Wild (2018) and A Stranger from the Past (2020). His feature film debut Alice is in post-production as of this writing.
Play Me
Written & Directed by Caleb J. Phillips
2023, USA
Guided only by a tape-recorded message from herself, a woman with no memory has to uncover the truth about the hooded, handcuffed man in the back seat of her car.
This is another very well-made mind-bender from auteur Phillips, who also made the horror short film classic Other Side of the Box (2018).