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.
The Mayflower
Directed by Christopher Goodman
Written by Benjamin Farry
2017, England
An astronaut faces a terrifying situation in this grim slice of space horror.
Having previously made the horror short films Flesh Art (2011), Blight (2016) and Fool’s Errand (2016), highly accomplished visual effects artist Goodman delivers his most memorable short to date with The Mayflower.
It Began Without Warning
Directed by Jessica Cutright & Santiago C. Tapia
Written by Jessica Cutright & Santiago C. Tapia
2017, USA
A bloody showdown between a parent and a child takes on an even more sinister and horrifying dimension in It Began Without Warning-an apocalyptic piece that deserves feature-length treatment.
The Cutright/Tapia directing team cut their teeth on the dark horror short films Territorial (2011) and Pookie (2016).
Dedalo
Written & Directed by Jeronimo Rocha
2013, Portugal
Portuguese auteur Rocha delivers a piece of space horror that may seem a bit too indebted to Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien on a first viewing but watching it a second time reveals there is certainly more going on in Dedalo than simple homage.
Rocha’s accomplished short has the feel of a scene that either opens a feature film or occurs very late in its story.
They Will All Die in Space
Written & Directed by Javier Chillon
2015, Spain
Moving into the darker side of science fiction after his comedic short Decapoda Shock (2011), auteur Chillon delivers a great piece of space horror with a grim tone reminiscent of many American science fiction feature films of the early 1970s.
Some viewers might be initially thrown off by Chillon’s decision to shoot in black & white but it is ultimately a very effective choice.
Baskin
Written & Directed by Can Evrenol
2013, Turkey
This is Turkish auteur Evrenol’s last stand-alone horror short before entering the world of feature filmmaking and it is an audacious one. Baskin is a gruesome, nightmarish and bloody instant classic of short-form terror.
Evrenol made a highly regarded feature version of Baskin in 2015 that takes the story in a slightly more surreal direction and has recently completed his latest horror film Housewife.
Watch one of Can Evrenol’s outstanding earlier shorts To My Mother and Father here on The Brief Macabre.
Curve
Written & Directed by Tim Egan
2016, Australia
This is a visually striking, enigmatic piece of cinematic terror that fans of Vincenzo Natali’s 1997 debut feature Cube and Kristoffer Aaron Morgan’s great 2011 short No Way Out will adore.
While it might be tempting to classify Curve as the type of short film that comes off as the first scene of longer story, the short actually works best as the puzzling and self-contained piece of short-form horror that it is.
She
Directed by Keegan Wilcox
Written by Matt Pelfrey
2015, USA
Two well-meaning men pick up a highly distressed woman who appears to be lost.
They then discover that no good deed goes unpunished in this very well made horror short that’s anchored by an excellent acting performance from Claudia Graf.
She is a potent, horror genre- encased glimpse at the devastating effects of sexual violence.