God’s Kingdom
Written & Directed by Guy Soulsby
2018, England
A priest and a young girl make their way through the countryside as they flee from evil forces.
Guy Soulsby delivers an ambitious, accomplished piece full of high-grade acting-an element sorely lacking in many short genre films.
Soulsby also made the horror shorts Devil Makes Work (2014) and A Sickness (2021).
A Sickness
Written & Directed by Guy Soulsby
2021, England
A suburban loner holds a young boy captive in his basement in this clever twist on classic genre elements.
Check this one out alongside Patrick Mason’s Ayuda and Ben Steiner’s The Flea.
Auteur Soulsby previously made the supernatural horror shorts Devil Makes Work (2014) and God’s Kingdom (2018).
Hysteric
Written & Directed by Rod Blackhurst
2022, USA
When their mother is stricken by a mysterious ailment that turns her homicidal, two young girls attempt to hide from the murderous matriarch.
Hysteric contains spectacular cinematography from Justin Derry and a palpable cold, rainy atmosphere.
Veteran filmmaker Blackhurst’s previous horror short Night Swim (2014) is currently getting the feature film treatment courtesy of Hollywood genre cinema heavyweights Jason Blum and James Wan.
As of this writing, Blackhurst is in post-production on the crime feature Blood for Dust.
Moshari
Written & Directed by Nuhash Humayun
2022, Bangladesh
In a post-apocalyptic world, two sisters must survive the night hidden behind mosquito netting as their home is invaded by a blood-sucking predator.
This multiple award-winner contains high-grade effects and has hit it out of the park as a Hollywood calling card with the recent announcement of Jordan Peele and Riz Ahmed taking executive producer roles on a feature-length version of Moshari.
Weirdo
Written & Directed by Ashlea Wessel
2020, Canada
A bullying incident leads to some disturbing revelations in this offering from the maker of the classic horror short film Tick (2018).
Weirdo stands on its own but, like Tick, its story cries out for lengthier exploration.
Wessel is currently in post-production on the feature film Junction Row.
Blight
Directed by Brian Deane
Written by Matthew Roche
2015, Ireland
A young priest makes his way to a remote island village to help a couple deal with their demonically possessed, pregnant daughter in this very well-made, atmospheric short.
Director Deane also made the dark short films Foxglove (2015) and At Arm’s Length (2021).
Blight makes a great double-feature with Peter Czikrai’s A….
Nova
Written & Directed by David McAbee
2019, USA
A scientist infected by…..something…..desperately tries to record a warning before meeting her inevitable fate.
Compelling and enigmatic, Nova is highlighted by excellent special effects.
Auteur McAbee also directed the horror short films Night Terrors (2016) and Miseria (2022).
True North
Written & Directed by Brian Mitchell & Ian Start
2021, USA
The death of his child and the disintegration of his marriage puts Elliot in a downward spiral.
After a disturbing, enigmatic call from his wife, Elliot travels to their remote cabin in the woods and comes face-to-face with another level of personal horror.
Ian Michaels turns in an excellent lead performance here.
Co-creator Mitchell also directed the horror cinema series History of Fright (2018).
Fish Out of Water
Written & Directed by Kirsten Carthew
2015, Canada
In a wintry post-apocalyptic world, a young woman fishes on a frozen lake for her only source of food. When another survivor arrives on the scene, the woman’s solitary way of life stands to change permanently.
Those who like their apocalyptic cinema on the frigid side should watch this accomplished short as a double-feature with Daniel Byers’ Ice Man.
Auteur Carthew’s futuristic feature film Polaris has its world premiere at this year’s Fantasia Film Festival.
Nightingale
Directed by Jasper de Bruin
Written by Simone Duwel
2020, Netherlands
In this accomplished horror short, a nurse working the night shift at a nursing home tries to conceal a gruesome secret.
Hopefully, we will see another horror short from director de Bruin in the very near future.