Search This Blog

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Best in Show: Horror Shorts (Pt. I of II)

Spending far too much time mining YouTube as well as various other sites listing greatest short horror films, the list below sums up the scariest and best horror shorts out there. Regardless of cinematography, quality of acting or the end result these are the strongest horror films for a quick jolt or a long-term haunt. Whereas many of the videos I found pulled more toward art than toward horror, the videos below are truly scary.

Displaying thumbnail of video Ghost Car
Iconic is an understatement. If you went to school in the internet age, chances are one of your friends showed you this video as a prank. Regardless of how it has stood the test of time (it hasn't), this "car commercial" is perhaps one of the greatest short horror films out there. It's so simple and yet, I can guarantee witnessing it brings back all of the now comical nostalgia of youth. This video isn't fantastic in any way, but it most certainly did the job if you got someone to sit down and watch it, especially if they hadn't seen the title or read the description.

Displaying thumbnail of video Pictured - Short horror
I placed Pictured on this list for one technique: its use of a shaking picture frame. The acting in this short film isn't great, the eventual graphics aren't either - but, what is great is the moment in which the young woman whips toward the picture frame to see it in motion, something out of frame propelling it. It's one of those moments that strike a deep chord. Pictured falls apart outside of this, but  the work done by a shaking picture frame is worthy enough to scare people the same way mirrors have since the beginning of time.

Displaying thumbnail of video TUCK ME IN
Tuck Me In is a disturbing little film. While not the end all be all of horror, this short does enough of a good job to make adults question whether or not they feel comfortable checking under the bed themselves. One of the best parts about Tuck Me In is its ability to create strong suspense within a limited amount of time. While some horror movies take entire runtimes to create an atmosphere of seat-grabbing, this short does it in a matter of seconds, and by the inconclusive ending, audiences will feel severely frightened and desperately unsatisfied.

This short feels very conventional, but it's carry through is powerful enough to earn a spot on this list. After acting on a 911 alert, a cop enters a home and soon realizes there is more at work within than a typical emergency. There's little establishment, but the difficulties of this are overcome by the first-person perspective of this dark film. Cop Cam is stylized almost like a horror video game in that it truly immerses the viewer in whatever world it exists in. Definitely one to watch in the dark.

As one of the 3:07 videos partnered by Vice and The Conjuring, Box is a strikingly short and horrifying video with very little context and plenty to give someone nightmares. It's directed by Ti West and features no plot, tons of vintage style and a creepy clown that gives It a run for its money. It's the type of gif-able short that does better in a series than it possibly would as a standalone video, but after seeing it, one can expect to be severely unsettled.

No comments:

Post a Comment