Category: Psychopath Horror

CHINA LAKE

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.

ELLA

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).

LOCKSMITHS

Locksmiths
Written & Directed by James Kwon Lee
2015, USA

Two thieves posing as the titular repairmen make a grisly discovery on their latest job in this highly accomplished horror short film.

For further exploration of grim shorts centered around being in the wrong house at the wrong time, check out Kimo Stamboel & Timo Tjahjanto’s Dara, Jonathan van Tulleken’s Off Season, Jerry Pyle’s Service and Doug Cook & Eric Covello’s P.O.W.. 

James Kwon Lee also made the horror short Ashes (2016).

P.O.W.

P.O.W.
Directed by Doug Cook & Eric Covello
Written by Doug Cook & Mark Prosia
2015, Canada

With town residents occupied by an event honoring military veterans, two thieves break into a home in search of some easy loot.

Once inside, their plan goes sideways and the robbers are thrown into a grim and very dangerous situation.

This one makes a great double-feature with Jonathan van Tulleken’s Off Season.

The filmmaking duo of Cook & Covello has been quiet since P.O.W..  Let’s hope they have more cinematic work in the pipeline.

KILLING SMALL ANIMALS

Killing Small Animals
Directed by Marcus Svanberg
Written by Marcus Svanberg & Matilde Skold
2020, Sweden

A woman living in a secluded home with a husband she seems barely connected to develops a gruesome habit.

This short film’s title may not be the most imaginative but don’t let that throw you off.

Killing Small Animals is an intensely disturbing piece of work that is presented with extremely little dialogue.

Special marks go to cinematographer Johan Palm for delivering tremendous atmosphere over a brief running time.

Watch this one as a double-feature with Matthew Garrett’s Beating Hearts.

A QUIET MOMENT

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

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.

 

HANG UP!

Hang Up!
Written & Directed by Richard Powell
2018, Canada

While at work, a husband accidentally overhears an intensely disturbing phone conversation involving his wife of many years.

Hang Up! is the latest outstanding short-form work from auteur Powell, starring his favorite lead actor Robert Nolan.

Powell is the director of a number of unique, acclaimed horror short films under his Fatal Pictures banner with producing partner Zach Green including Consumption (2008), Worm (2010), Familiar (2012) and Heir (2015).

NSFW

NSFW
Written & Directed by Cosmo Wallace
2015, England

A blogger attempts to trap a pedophile by posing as a young boy online and setting up a meeting in the woods that has unexpected consequences.

At 30 minutes, NSFW is a slow-burn short film debut that memorably rewards its viewers.