While celebrating spooky season is a ton of fun, sometimes we don’t have the time to sit down and host a Scream marathon. Watching horror short films is a great way to get into the spirit of the season while saving time to do less fun things, like finishing the three-page paper your professor assigned last week. To spare you the search, here are five short films that will satisfy all your horror needs:
1. “Death and the Winemaker”
This French animated short has an art style and premise that’s not for the faint of heart. An origin story for the Black Death, the story follows the titular Winemaker, who traps Death inside a keg in order to save his lover’s life. Unable to die, the people suffer in their old age. But when the Winemaker finally sets Death free, chaos ensues. A unique take on a Swiss tale, “Death and the Winemaker” has a similar feel to Harry Potter’s “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” albeit with a far spookier tone.
2. “Immure”
“Immure” takes vampirism away from its glamorous modern depictions and goes back to its more monstrous roots, using the condition as a metaphor for abusive relationships and codependency. The film focuses on Eugene, a young man whose mother cannot leave their apartment due to her vampiric condition. Forced to lure food home for his mother, Eugene finds refuge in Mary, his feisty neighbor who’s trying to escape her abusive father. Michael Hanratty’s performance as Eugene is fantastic, able to convey massive amounts of emotion despite his limited dialogue. I won’t spoil the short’s massive plot twist, but I will say that the ending is amazing and well worth the nineteen minutes it takes to get there.
3. “SIX”
This fun action horror short centers around Charlie, a young vampire who survives by posing as a prostitute and feeding on her prospective clients. Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why, The Orville) does an amazing job as the lead, showcasing her ferocity and vulnerability in equal measure. The only complaint I have about “SIX” is that it’s far too short, clocking in at just under twelve minutes when it could easily be turned into a full movie or television show. If you like cool action sequences, a bit of supernatural flair, and aren’t a huge fan of gore, this is the horror short for you.
4. “O Negative”
Vampirism and addiction pair together beautifully. Similarly to “Immure,”
O Negative” plays with the theme of codependency, following a man who will do anything to keep his lover alive. The contrast between love and loss is underscored by a beautiful soundtrack, which serves as the film’s main use of sound. Steven McCarthy delivers an outstanding performance, and the fact that he wrote, directed, and produced the piece is a large exhibition of his talent.
5. “Skin & Bone”
“Skin & Bone” is the closest to traditional horror on this list, but reducing it to such a simple classification would be doing this film a large disservice. Christian, played by Thomas Sadoski (John Wick, The Crowded Room) takes a job on a secluded farm owned by Serene, played by Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Jennifer’s Body). But something is terribly wrong with this property, and Christian begins seeing visions of men trapped within the animals. The husband-and-wife duo are electric whenever they’re on-screen together, and the atmosphere is truly chilling.