Creeper
Directed by Melissa Scrivner-Love & David Love
Written by David Love
2022, USA
A mysterious stranger carrying some devastating secrets is taken into the home of a mother, her son and her abusive husband.
Creeper effectively employs a science fiction element that will remind viewers of bits from Rian Johnson’s Looper (2012), giving this short a unique feel.
The Ash: Safe Haven
Directed by Marty Stalker
Written by Spence Wright
2017, Ireland
As a wave of volcanic ash cripples the countryside, a young boy is left with an elderly caretaker and must face the deadly side-effects of the environmental disaster.
The Ash: Safe Haven-intended to launch a feature film-is a very well-made, heartfelt look at a life-shattering event highlighted by the great cinematography of Angus Mitchell.
Sticks
Written & Directed by Noah Ishihara & CJ Beasley
2023, USA
A young man is injured while hiking with his girlfriend. When she doesn’t return with help, he strikes out on his own to search for her and is confronted with disturbing revelations.
Sticks delivers some creepy backwoods ambience on its limited budget and this short establishes the Ishihara/Beasley creative duo as one to watch in the world of horror short films.
Home Invasion
Written & Directed by Liam Banks
2023, England
Veteran horror short film auteur Banks delivers his best work to date with this gory tale of a pair of thieves who get much more than they bargained for when they enact the titular crime.
Liam Banks also made the horror shorts The River (2022) and Did You See It Too? (2019), among others.
Pocket
Written & Directed by Adante Watts
2023, USA
A young man desperately tries to escape from a seemingly endless parking structure while being pursued by a masked attacker in auteur Watts’ foray into the world of altered reality horror cinema.
As of this writing, Watts is currently at work on the horror short Reprieve.
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.
Fishwife
Written & Directed by Beth Park
2021, England
A woman’s solitary existence is interrupted by a pair of strangers with grim results in this highly accomplished piece of Lovecraftian horror.
Watch this one as a double-feature with Fredrik S. Hana’s classic Autumn Harvest (2014).
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.
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).
When the Time Comes
Directed by Jondaniel Cornett & Jonathan Frey
Written by Jondaniel Cornett
2022, USA
Having previously made the horror short films Dodah (2019) and Skopein (2019), Jondaniel Cornett delivers what is by far his most accomplished work with When the Time Comes.
An extremely well-acted, emotional journey into a post-apocalyptic setting, When the Times Comes makes a great pairing with Aaron McCann & Stefan Androv Radanovich’s Perished, Ben Howling & Yolanda Ramke’s Cargo and Alex Horwitz’s Alice Jacobs is Dead.