Lunatique
Written & Directed by Gabriel Kalim Mucci
2016, Brazil
After an unspecified apocalyptic event, a survivor arms herself and leaves the relative safety of her shelter for a dangerous journey into the ash-covered remains of a destroyed city.
Creator Mucci, who frequently collaborates with horror short veteran Carlos G. Gananian (Akai), is planning a feature-length version of this bleak and very ambitious short film.
Akai
Written & Directed by Carlos G. Gananian
2006, Brazil
Brazilian auteur Gananian creates a memorable and atmospheric take on a familiar horror genre antagonist in this dark short film.
If Matthew Garrett-maker of the disturbing Beating Hearts-made a vampire short film, it would likely feel similar to this particular work.
Akai shows Carlos G. Gananian’s tremendous growth in the wake of his previous horror short films Behemoth (2003) and Coagula (2005).
He went on to make the shorts Am/Fm (2014) and Sol (2017).
Midnight Clear
Directed by Joe Russo
Written by John Jesenky & Joe Russo
2017, USA
Veteran horror short filmmaker Russo abandons the more whimsical tone found in some of his previous work like Take-Out (2009) and Peeping Tom (2010) for this dark, outstanding piece that cleverly moves in unexpected directions.
Midnight Clear makes an ideal double-feature pairing with Brandon LaGanke’s Play House.
The Good Samaritan
Directed by Darrin Suzuki
Written by Jay Clarke
2017, Canada
Horrific events unfold on a stretch of country road in this excellent short.
Screenwriter Clarke is a veteran horror short filmmaker, having directed Orange (2012), Lively (2013) and The Monitor (2014). Director Suzuki is Clarke’s frequent collaborator.
The Good Samaritan is the creative duo’s finest work to date.
Ayuda
Directed by Patrick Mason
Written by Patrick Mason & Raul Serpas
2018, USA
Two day laborers find themselves in way over their heads in this fresh take on classic horror genre elements.
Ayuda uses great autumnal atmosphere as a backdrop for its horrific events.
Director Mason is someone to keep an eye on.
Explosions
Directed by Christopher Frey
Written by Christopher Frey
2012, Australia
Unhampered by dialogue, auteur Frey delivers a nightmarish but beautiful piece about the failure of gravity.
You’ll want to watch Explosions more than once.
Frey has made several other short films but Explosions is his most accomplished work to date.
Boniato
Directed by Eric Mainade & Andres Meza-Valdes & Diego Meza-Valdes
Written by Eric Mainade & Andres Meza-Valdes
2015, USA
A migrant field worker decides to seek a better life but is thrown into a living Hell as she is attacked by flesh-eating creatures in this slick and gory short.
Florida-based filmmakers Andres Meza-Valdes and Diego Meza-Valdes previously made the horror shorts The Room (2007), Halfway (2009), Play Dead (2011) and Haunt Ed (2012) but Boniato is by far their most effective and accomplished work to date.
Voces
Directed by Christian Cueva & Ricardo Farias
Written by Christian Cueva & Ricardo Farias & Bernardo Esquinca
2016, Mexico
Hoping to beat the police to the scene and get a great story, two reporters investigate a call stating children have fallen into a deep hole.
One of the reporters lowers himself into the darkness to help the children with unexpected results in this outstanding, enigmatic short.
Zygote
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Written by Neill Blomkamp & Thomas Sweterlitsch & Terri Tatchell
2017, Canada
A bizarre and deadly creature hunts the two survivors that have eluded it in an Arctic mining station.
This very high production value short features a great monster and goes very well with Jeronimo Rocha’s Dedalo (2013) and Andre Leblanc’s The Storm (2013).
Blomkamp also directed the horror shorts Rakka (2017) and Firebase (2017) as part of his Oats Studio film production slate but Zygote is by far the best of the bunch.
Short films of any kind are rarely graced with the large budget that director Blomkamp had available for Zygote but, as the director of District 9, Elysium and Chappie, working with big budgets is what he does.
The Job
Directed by Nick Blatt
Written by Erik VanBezooijin
2016, USA
At the recommendation of a friend, a former champion cyclist takes odd, high-paying employment that raises potentially dangerous questions in this assured debut short film from Nick Blatt that features very solid acting.