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.
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).
Other Side of the Box
Directed by Caleb J. Phillips
Written by Caleb J. Phillips & Nick Tag
2018, USA
A couple is given a mysterious gift by an estranged friend. Once opened, the box reveals bizarre, potentially deadly contents.
Excellent, award-winning stuff from the Phillips/Tag creative duo, highlighted by Laura Jansen’s superb cinematography.
Other Side of the Box makes a great double-feature with Heath C. Michaels’ The World Over.
M is for Marble
Written & Directed by Zac Blair
2013, New Zealand
One tiny out of place item causes a lethal chain of events in Blair’s clever short that channels the feel of Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado’s debut feature Rabies (2010)-that of a nightmarish downward spiral lurking just under the surface of everyday life.
M is for Marble was originally an entry in the ABCs of Death 2 contest.
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.
https://vimeo.com/31978327
Leyenda
Directed by Pau Teixidor
Screenplay by Pau Teixidor, Miguel Angel Blanca & David Gonzalez
2011, Spain
Reality collides violently with fantasy in Teixidor’s debut short film Leyenda, which continues Spain’s strong track record of horror short films that includes Nacho Cerda’s Aftermath and Genesis, David Alcalde’s Happy Birthday to You and Victor Garcia’s El Ciclo and T is for Tiles.
Teixidor and his screenwriting partners create a perfect level of ambiguity that will have most viewers scrambling to re-watch Leyenda. Teixidor made the horror feature Purgatorio in 2014.
Ninjas
Directed by Dennison Ramalho
Written by Dennison Ramalho & Marco de Castro & Marcelo Velloso
2010, Brazil
Brazilian director of the critically acclaimed short film Love From Mother Only (2003) and co-screenwriter of the Coffin Joe film Embodiment of Evil (2008), Ramalho delivers a brutal and disturbing tale of guilt and corruption. Not for the squeamish, Ninjas is easily Ramalho’s most accomplished work to date.
Ramalho contributed a segment to The ABCs of Death 2 called “J is for Jesus”-a savage indictment of persecution in the name of religion.
The Hell Within–a Ramalho-helmed horror feature originally announced in late 2010-is currently in pre-production.