Fiend
Directed by Lucas Cavanagh
Written by Mya Stengel & Lolly McLellan & Lucas Cavanagh & Sydney Brumfield
2025, USA
Amelia-a young woman with a drug problem-calls on a close friend to come help her when she wakes up alone and disoriented. The friend arrives to find Amelia’s situation is much more dangerous than he expected.
This accomplished short packs a punch as it delivers a memorable take on the grim nature of addiction through a horror cinema lens.
Night Lights
Written & Directed by Andrew Fultz & Jenna Day
2025, USA
A couple drives deep into the desert in this very well-made, slow-burn journey into madness.
Auteurs Fultz and Day also star in the film, both delivering excellent acting performances.
Added to this compelling mix is great cinematography by Dennis Noack.
Level
Written & Directed by Andrew Hunt
2017, USA
Trapped in an abandoned building with deadly creatures, a man fights for his life as he tries to find a way out.
Auteur Hunt also made the zombie horror short Frost Bite (2019) and moved into feature filmmaking with the ambitious, offbeat suspense thriller The Infernal Machine (2022), starring Guy Pearce.
Luna
Written & Directed by Antonio Perez
2013, USA
A mass murder at an isolated home in the country reveals dark secrets in this atmospheric, well-shot exercise in short form terror.
Animus
Directed by Delaney Bishop
Written by Ron Osborn
2023, USA
A brilliant physicist suspected of murder is convinced that her string of abusive partners are connected in this thought-provoking piece of science fiction-horror.
China Lake
Directed by Robert Harmon
Written by Robert Harmon & Beth Tate
1983, USA
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.
Night Crawl
Written & Directed by Gregory Schultz
2019, USA
Two inmates try to tunnel their way out of prison and discover an underground cave in this grim, well-made horror short.
Auteur Schultz has stated that he places a high priority on production design and his detailed work in that area really pays off here.
The Herd
Directed by Colin A. Borden
Written by Andy Nellis
2016, USA
This brutal, well-made short offers a disturbing look at the post-apocalyptic food chain.
Director Borden has focused primarily on comedy in subsequent short film work, which is unfortunate for lovers of horror as the memorable The Herd packs a punch.
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).
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.