Master of Horror Stephen King once said that a good short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger. He may have been referring to literature, but I think the same comparison can be made when discussing short-form filmmaking as well. After all, genre shorts tend to be at their best when simply hinting at a larger and more sinister world before ending on a single, satisfying scare.

Unfortunately, very few horror fans are in the habit of consuming short-form horror outside of anthology compilations and TV shows. This means that there’s a lot of great scary media out there that is yet to be appreciated by mainstream audiences. With that in mind, we’ve decided to come up with a list recommending six horror shorts to give you nightmares.

From viral scares on YouTube to shot-on-video classics, the following list will highlight a wide array of short films for your viewing pleasure, though keep in mind that we won’t be including anthology flicks or films within films like the cursed videotape from The Ring.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite short horror films if you think we missed a particularly freaky one.

Now, onto the list…

6. Other Side of the Box (2018)

All the fancy practical effects and spooky monster designs in the world can’t save your film from failure if no effort was put into good, old-fashioned storytelling, and that’s why Caleb J. Phillips’ 2018 viral hit Other Side of the Box is such a fun little ride despite its antagonist basically being a silly little cardboard box and the weird naked guy inhabiting it.

And yet, throughout the course of this fifteen-minute supernatural thriller, audiences will be on the edge of their seats in an attempt to understand exactly what is going on and how the box actually works. The ending might not work for everyone, but if you ask me, it’s the really the eerie journey that counts – not the horrific destination.

5. Katasumi/4444444444 (1998)

It may seem like a cop-out to include both of these three-minute shorts on the list as a single entry, but I feel like Takashi Shimizu’s first steps into what would later become known as the Ju-On franchise complement each-other perfectly as an introduction to the new wave of J-Horror that was about to take the world by storm in the late ’90s.

While these zero-budget shorts (which feature the first on-screen appearances of both Kayako and Toshio) were originally produced as part of a made-for-TV anthology program, they’ve far outgrown their origins and are now better known as viral internet videos and DVD extras hinting at how the Grudge films originally began.

And the best part is that they’re still canonical, making them a must-watch double-feature for fans!

4. Dining Room / There is Nothing (2006)

By far the shortest film on this list, David B. Earle’s iconic video loop is also one of the most effective despite its length. In fact, There Is Nothing used to be known as one of the scariest videos on the internet – at least until it was discovered that this freaky combination of uncanny valley makeup and audio backmasking was simply an infinitely repeating art project and not a legitimately cursed video.

Your scare-mileage may vary when revisiting this short depending on how old you were back during the early days of YouTube and how seriously you took the internet legends regarding its alleged curse. That being said, I still find Earle’s weird little art project to be a fascinating piece of viral horror history worthy of being rediscovered by a new generation.

3. Fake Documentary Q: Basement (2023)

A Found-Footage-obsessed YouTube Channel, Fake Documentary Q has produced tons of quality content over the years. That’s why it’s difficult to single out a particularly effective short that’s better than all of the others, but my personal favorite among these eerily realistic productions also happens to be one of the simplest.

Appropriately titled Basement, this 8-minute horror yarn is shot from the perspective of a single security camera inside of an elevator and depicts unexplainable phenomena that will likely haunt your nightmares for a long time after the credits roll – especially if you live in an apartment building.

While I won’t give you any spoilers, I’ve had this short on my mind every single time I’ve entered an elevator for the past couple of years – so sensitive viewers beware.

2. The 10 Steps (2004)

There’s a certain kind of digital grunge unique to early 2000s horror that I tend to appreciate even in bad movies from that time, but it’s always fun to see these deep shadows and saturated colors show up in a legitimately chilling story. Brendan Muldowney’s underrated Irish short The 10 Steps is a great example of this, as this memorable little horror yarn boasts Hollywood-level photography and nuanced worldbuilding despite its simple premise and short length.

In fact, one could argue that the film’s 10-minute runtime is already cinematic overkill, since the real meat of the story happens during the final moments. However, it’s precisely the expertly crafted build-up that makes such a straightforward premise continue to terrify viewers so many years later.

1. The Cat with Hands (2001)

Visually, I’d argue that Robert Morgan’s The Cat with Hands is the most impressive film on this list, but it’s also remarkably effective in its attempt to capture the unsettling logic and atmosphere of both ancient fairy tales and surreal nightmares. The short isn’t even particularly graphic, using retro photography and gorgeous yet spooky stop-motion to tell a strange story about the titular cat, but every detail here feels off in precisely the right way.

And while Morgan would flex his stop-motion horror skills again in shorts like Bobby Yeah and even a segment in ABCs Of Death 2, you’re likely more familiar with his phenomenal work in the underrated 2023 feature, Stopmotion!

The post Six Scary Short Horror Films to Give You Nightmares! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While most of the world spends this weekend going to see James Gunn’s Superman up on the big screen, you might want to instead cozy up with some new horror movies. And you’d be in luck, because nine brand new ones have released at home and in theaters this week.

Here’s all the new horror that released from July 7 – July 11, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

David Cronenberg’s new movie The Shrouds received a limited theatrical release from Sideshow and Janus Films back in April, and it’s finally now available at home.

You can rent The Shrouds on VOD or stream exclusively on The Criterion Channel.

“In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Vincent Cassel) has developed a new software that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth. While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Diane Kruger) from cancer—and falling into a peculiar sexual relationship with his wife’s sister (also Kruger)—a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his “shroud” technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy.”

Janus Films previews, “Written following the death of the director’s wife, the new film from David Cronenberg is a profoundly personal reckoning with grief and a descent into noir-tinged dystopia, set in an ominous world of self-driving cars, data theft, and A.I. personal assistants. Offering Cronenberg’s customary balance of malevolence and wit, The Shrouds is a sly and thought-provoking consideration of the corporeal and the digital, the mortal and the infinite.”

Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Sandrine Holt (“Fear the Walking Dead”) also star.

Would you merge for love? The French-Belgian romantic body horror film Else is now streaming exclusively on Fandor, but you can also rent the movie on all major VOD outlets.

In Else, “A romance blossoms between an introvert and a confident woman, but their relationship faces a threat when a strange epidemic causes the infected to merge with their surroundings, trapping the couple in a shapeshifting nightmare.”

Thibault Emin makes his feature directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Alice Butaud and Emma Sandona, based on Emin’s 2007 short film of the same name.

Matthieu Sampeur, Edith Proust, and Lika Minamoto star.

Fighting zombies with your bare hands feels especially dangerous in an outbreak, yet a Muay Thai fighter does just that for the sake of love in Netflix Thailand’s action-zombie film, Ziam.

Ziam is now streaming on Netflix here in the United States.

In the Thai zombie movie, “In a world gripped by food shortages, a tenacious Muay Thai boxer battles a zombie outbreak inside a hospital to save his lover from the jaws of death.”

Mark-Prin Suparat stars alongside Nychaa-Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, Vayla-Wanvayla Boonnithipaisit, Johnny Anfone, Pimmada Borriruksupakorn, and Jason Young.

Kulp Kaljareuk directs Ziam from a script by Nut Nualpang, Weerasu Worrapot, Vatanyu Ingkavivat, and Chonnatee Pimnam.

An apartment becomes a trap in Brick, which brings to mind films including Cube and The Platform. The mystery sci-fi/horror movie is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.

Matthias Schweighöfer (Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead) stars in Brick.

In the film, “Tim (Matthias Schweighöfer) and Olivia (Ruby O. Fee) awake trapped in their apartment behind an impenetrable, futuristic wall which has materialized overnight … and they are not alone. The entire building and its residents seem to be enclosed.

“What happened? Who built that wall and why? Without any chance of outside help, they must band together to find a way out. Can they solve the mystery of the wall in time — and survive?”

Philip Koch directed Netflix Original Brick, which also stars Frederick Lau, Salber Lee Williams, Murathan Muslu, Axel Werner, Sira-Anna Faal, and Alexander Beyer.

A pregnant realtor bites off more than she can chew when she attempts a daunting open house. That’s before it turns into a harrowing siege in Push, now streaming only on Shudder.

David Charbonier and Justin Powell (The Boy Behind the Door, The Djinn) are back with the home invasion movie. Alicia Sanz (El Cid) and Raúl Castillo (Smile 2) star.

In the film, “Haunted by the memory of her late fiancé, Natalie Flores (Sanz) finds herself 8 months pregnant and in desperate need of a new start. Determined to regain her sense of self, she moves to America and uses her real estate license to take on a challenging listing.

“However, she soon discovers her new beginning may be a deadly end when she catches the eye of a sadistic killer (Castillo) at her open house.

“After becoming stranded at the property, Natalie falls into premature labor, starting a physiological ticking clock as she must find a way to escape before she gives birth.”

Joe Hill’s short tale comes to the screen in Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story, a unique approach to Bram Stoker’s horror classic from director Natasha Kermani (Lucky).

Abraham’s Boys is now playing in select theaters.

In Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story, “Max and Rudy Van Helsing have spent their lives under the strict and overprotective rule of their father, Abraham. Unaware of his dark past, they struggle to understand his paranoia and increasingly erratic behavior. But when they begin to uncover the violent truths behind their father’s history with Dracula, their world unravels, forcing them to confront the terrifying legacy they were never meant to inherit.”

Titus Welliver, Jocelin Donahue, Aurora Perrineau, Judah Mackey, and Brady Hepner star.

Hill’s short story originally appeared in 2004 anthology The Many Faces of Van Helsing before being published in the author’s 2005 short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

If you’re looking to scratch that shark attack itch this weekend (it is summer, after all!), the Japanese horror comedy Hot Spring Shark Attack swam onto VOD outlets today.

The film takes place in a small hot spring town in Japan, where a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities.

“As the threat escalates, the townspeople band together to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator, leading to a fierce and thrilling battle.”

The horror comedy marks the feature directorial debut of Morihito Inoue. The cast includes Takuya Fujimura (One Cut of the Dead), Daniel Aguilar (Shin Godzilla), Shôichirô Akaboshi, Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Kiyobumi Kaneko, and Mio Takaki.

Skillhouse looks like Saw II for the influencer generation — which makes sense, since writer-director Josh Stolberg co-wrote Jigsaw, Spiral, and Saw X. It’s now playing in theaters from Fathom Entertainment. Check your local listings and watch the trailer below.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson stars alongside social media stars Bryce Hall and Hannah Stocking. Neal McDonough (Captain America: The First Avenger), McCarrie McCausland (“Army Wives”), and combat sports fighter Paige VanZant round out the cast.

Shot in the legendary Sway House where many internet personalities rose to fame, the film follows ten influencers who are lured into a sinister content house and forced to compete in lethal social media challenges – because in Skillhouse, clout isn’t just currency; it’s survival.

Terror has entered the chat in Don’t Log Off, which brings to mind the likes of Unfriended and Host. The horror thriller starring and produced by Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) is now available in select theaters before heading to VOD on July 15.

The (mostly) screenlife horror thriller marks the feature debut of writers-directors Brandon & Garrett Baer.

When Sam vanishes mid-video call, her friends race to uncover what happened. As they dig online, they vanish one by one. A sinister force is at play — can they solve the mystery before they’re next?

Brielle Barbusca (“Scandal”), Luke Benward (Dumplin’), Sterling Beaumon (“The Killing”), Jack Griffo (“The Thundermans”), Kara Royster (“Pretty Little Liars”), Ashley Argota (“The Fosters”), and Khylin Rhambo (“Teen Wolf”) also star.

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