Horror Shorts That Are Scarier Than Most Movies

Key Takeaways

• Horror shorts pack gripping storytelling and visuals into under 40 minutes, making them more effective than feature-length films.
• The best horror shorts like
  Salt
  and
  Bedfellows
  keep viewers on edge with suspenseful plots and smart twists in a short time.
• Short horror films like
  Laura Hasn’t Slept
  and
  Portrait of God
  create terrifying experiences with clever storytelling and visuals.

Horror films have a way of pinning audiences to the edge of their seats and engrossing them in terrifying tales of monsters and mayhem, transforming an otherwise mundane hour into something truly unsettling. But the beauty of the horror genre is that films don’t have to be particularly long or complex to root themselves deeply into the minds of their viewers.

In fact, some short films are so gripping that they’re actually scarier than feature-length titles. To showcase some of these amazing miniaturized works of art, we’ve collected a sampling of some of the best horror shorts that the Internet has to offer.

Updated November 26th, 2024, by Rachael Phillips: Decades on from the invention of film, horror remains one of the most popular movie genres. Horror shorts are a growing form of media, capturing the attention of fans by impressively packing all the captivating elements of feature-length films into a viewing time of under 40 minutes. Developers’ ability to squeeze gripping storytelling, horrifying visuals, and visceral scares into such a limited timeframe often means that horror shorts are actually more effective than their feature-length counterparts. Despite low budgets and limited crews, these are some of the best horror shorts that blow feature-length horror films out of the water.

22 The Cat With Hands

A Disturbing Stop Motion Film

• Developer: Robert Morgan
• Release Date: June 1, 2001
• Run Time: 4 minutes
• Watch Here

Those that are looking for something just as visually creepy as it is tense should take a look at The Cat With Hands. It’s a rather short offering at just under 4 minutes (not including the credits) but it manages to pack some seriously creepy moments into its run time.

What sets it apart from other short films on this list is its supremely jarring visuals, which take somewhat realistic sights and morph them into something sinister with fairy-tale-like effects. The end result is a nightmare for the eyes, with erratic movements and a clay-like quality that should stick with viewers long after the credits roll.

21 Salt

What If A Circle Of Salt Was Your Only Protection?

• Developer: Rob Savage
• Release Date: October 2017
• Run Time: 2 minutes
• Watch Here

One thing that makes a horror film great is suspense, and Salt manages to keep viewers on the edge of their seats for its entire 2-minute runtime. It’s smart, plays on traditional horror tropes, and manages to stay exciting from the moment it starts to its climactic ending.

The fast-paced action, gorgeous visuals, and great acting should keep even the most established horror fans on their toes, guessing what will happen next. This is the type of short offering that could be adapted into a large-scale feature film, considering its premise and design.

20 Peter The Penguin

A Horrifying Twist On A Childhood Belief

• Developer: Andrew Rutter
• Release Date: October 5, 2020
• Run Time: 9 minutes
• Watch Here

There is something terrifying about an otherwise normal situation turning into something truly unsettling. Peter The Penguin is a great example of this type of twist, starting out with something rather wholesome and quickly devolving into pure insanity. It’s the type of short that completely subverts viewers’ expectations and leaves them trying to sift through the wreckage of what they’ve just witnessed.

Peter the Penguin is part comedy, part horror, and underlines all of it with a rapidly building tension that culminates in a twist that will leave viewers confused and horrified.

19 Bedfellows

The Origin Of A Viral Internet Scare

• Developer: Drew Daywalt
• Release Date: August 11, 2008
• Run Time: 2 minutes
• Watch Here

Bedfellows gained notoriety online shortly after it was created, with many people scaring their friends and family with the incredibly unsettling reveal. It is incredibly short but builds tension like a feature-length movie.

A woman receives a phone call late at night and answers it in a tired stupor. The voice she hears on the other end is the last person she’d expect, causing the seemingly innocent story to tumble rapidly down a dark and sinister path. Bedfellows is an edge-of-your-seat horror in a bite-sized format.

18 Alexia

A Cautionary Tale About Obsession, Grief, & Technology

• Developer: Andrés Borghi
• Release Date: November 4, 2013
• Run Time: 9 minutes
• Watch Here

Easily one of the most relevant entries on this list, Alexia is a short Spanish tale of one man’s unhealthy obsession with the memorial of a loved one via social media. There are so many people around the world that are closely connected with their social media accounts, with some doing the same things as the main character in this short film.

Slow at the start, but quickly devolving into something truly horrifying, Alexia is a gripping horror short that is sure to make viewers jumpy.

17 The Black Hole

A Horror Short About The Consequences Of Greed

• Developers: Phillip Sansom, Olly Williams
• Release Date: October 31, 2008
• Run Time: 3 minutes
• Watch Here

Horror doesn’t need to feature monsters or supernatural creatures to be terrifying. Sometimes, all it takes is a seemingly playful concept and a twist that turns things from sci-fi fantasy to a thrilling horror short.

The man in The Black Hole finds himself in possession of an incredibly useful (albeit a bit Looney Tunes) object that has him helping himself to some snacks from a vending machine. Things take a dark turn, however, when the man gets a bit too greedy and learns a valuable lesson that he might just take to the grave.

16 White With Red

Brings A Classic Creepypasta To Life

• Developer: Brandon Christensen
• Release Date: August 9, 2013
• Run Time: 5 minutes
• Watch Here

Some of the best horror shorts are adaptations of famous folk stories or creepypastas. The concept of White With Red has been floating around Internet forums and campfires for years as its own chilling tale but turns into something truly horrific in this beautifully crafted short film.

When it comes to horror, visuals can make or break a story and the creators did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of this iconic legend. The end result is just as visually unsettling as it is through spoken word.

15 Behind The Door

A Strong Endorsement For “Stranger-Danger”

• Developer: Baylea Hart
• Release Date: December 30, 2013
• Run Time: 3 minutes
• Watch Here

Behind The Door tosses audiences directly into the thick of things, starting with a look at an unknown entity frantically trying to gain entry into a young boy’s house. What follows is a tense exchange between the terrified boy and whatever evil lurks outside the doorway.

This short, three-minute film is smart, paying homage to a classic horror trope while simultaneously teaching viewers an important lesson. People should always think before they speak, even if their hearts are racing.

14 Alma

A Not-So-Innocent Animated Short

• Developer: Rodrigo Blaas
• Release Date: December 17, 2009
• Run Time: 6 minutes
• Watch Here

There are few things more terrifying than the naivety of children. Too young to understand some of the dangers that lurk around every corner, kids finding themselves embroiled in danger is an understandably common trope in the horror genre.

Alma, an animated short film, showcases this naivety to great effect when a young girl wanders into a seemingly empty shop to grab a doll that’s caught her eye. There’s no dialogue or immensely scary monsters; Alma is simply a horrific prospect brought to life through masterful storytelling and beautiful visual design.

13 Doppelganger

Who To Trust…

• Developer: Drew Daywalt
• Release Date: September 9, 2010
• Run Time: 6 minutes
• Watch Here

Daywalt Horror has been crafting scares for years now, bringing their interesting and entertaining brand of spooks to their dedicated YouTube audience. Doppelganger is easily one of their best, taking a seemingly normal trip home and twisting it into something truly sinister.

When a woman receives a call from her husband and instructions not to go home, she begins to have an inward struggle with herself and must come to grips with what’s the truth and what’s a lie. It’s smart, engaging, horrifying, and comes complete with a few great twists.

12 Ripped

Take A Breather With This Comedy Horror

• Developer: Raveen Dev
• Release Date: 2015
• Run Time: 12 minutes
• Watch Here

Those looking for something a little lighter, but still pretty creepy, should check out Ripped. This short film follows a man that’s ready to “get ripped” by joining his local gym. He heads there late at night (or very early in the morning in this case) in order to avoid the crowds.

What seems simple and innocent evolves into a clever and hilariously entertaining story that features solid acting and a twist that most won’t see coming. It’s a fun and comedic ride that will break up some of the other chilling tales on this list.

11 Suckablood

A Dark & Gothic Children’s Bedtime Story

• Developers: Jake Cuddihy, Ben Tillett
• Release Date: June 16, 2012
• Run Time: 7 minutes
• Watch Here

Fairy tales weren’t always as happy-go-lucky as they appear in most children’s media today. In fact, the Brothers Grimm helped to create some of the most chilling works of fantasy the world has ever seen, with powerful folk tales that taught lessons through horrific experiences. Some fairy-tales were downright devastating, serving as nothing more than a cautionary tale in which a character meets a wicked demise.

Suckablood follows this model, presenting viewers with a fantastically shot and designed short film complete with an engaging narrator that rhymes his way through a tale of deceit and karma.

10 Behind Closed Doors

Will Leave You Wondering Who The Real Monster Is

• Developer: Jonathan Button
• Release Date: 2009
• Run Time: 6 minutes
• Watch Here

In Behind Closed Doors, a young boy believes there is a monster living in his room, much to the anger of his less-than-friendly father. This one is incredibly well-made, featuring a story that twists and turns despite its short runtime.

Another animated short film, Behind Closed Doors was so popular it managed to spawn a remake (featured here) that saw the creator revamping all the visuals within the story to make for a much creepier tale.

9 Other Side Of The Box

Accepting A Far From Festive Gift Has Tragic Consequences

• Developer: Caleb J. Phillips
• Release Date: September 1, 2018
• Run Time: 15 minutes
• Watch Here

The Christmas horror film is a relatively niche genre that has garnered a cult following, and Other Side Of The Box fits right in. When the protagonist’s old friend reappears looking rather worse for wear with a seemingly empty box wrapped in Christmas paper, a cozy night quickly becomes a nightmare.

The accompanying letter explains that they can’t take their eyes off of the contents, as they can move when no one is looking. The horror of this short is that neither the viewer nor the characters know what the stakes are, and they don’t want to find out.

8 Curve

Ten Minutes Of Tension Filled Struggle

• Developer: Tim Egan
• Release Date: April 16, 2016
• Run Time: 10 minutes
• Watch Here

Curve follows a young woman who has woken up wounded on a curved piece of architecture. She cannot move or she will slip. With poor-traction shoes and hands wet with blood, Curve is a painful 10 minutes of viewing.

Despite feeling vicarious pain and panic, viewers will be gripped by the need to know whether this woman will overcome her literal uphill struggle and make it out. This horror short does well to build tension without needing any extravagant production.

7 Mamá

Maybe Being Home Alone Is Less Scary

• Developer: Andy Muschietti
• Release Date: April, 2009
• Run Time: 4 minutes
• Watch Here

Mamá is an Argentinian short film. It begins with two sisters home alone, who begin to freak out when their mother returns. Their fear is not without good reason, as she is not the maternal figure most viewers would expect.

In 2013, the feature film Mama was released, based on this original, which is a testament to the mainstream potential of horror shorts. While the feature-length movie fleshes out the story and introduces more characters, Mamá is fantastic as a short and scary in its own right.

6 Lights Out

Will Definitely Trigger A Fear Of The Dark

• Developer: David F. Sandberg
• Release Date: December 30, 2013
• Run Time: 3 minutes
• Watch Here

Darkness, and being unable to see what is lurking in it, is a universal fear that Lights Out effectively exploits. The protagonist, on her way to bed, switches off the hallway light to find that a figure is standing there in the dark. Deciding to sleep with the light on has dire consequences when the entity begins to interfere with the electrics.

Like Mamá, Lights Out was turned into a feature-length film that was released in 2016. However, the original short remains a punchy edge-of-your-seat watch. One thing is for certain: if the viewer isn’t already scared of the dark, this film will certainly change that.

5 Laura Hasn’t Slept

Some Nightmares Feel Very, Very Real

• Developer: Parker Finn
• Release Date: March 25, 2020
• Run Time: 11 minutes
• Watch Here

Most viewers will be familiar with the rumor that dying in your sleep means dying in real life. Laura Hasn’t Slept takes this rumor and rolls with it, resulting in a terrifying 11 minutes. It begins with Laura in a therapist’s office discussing a recurring nightmare of a smiling man, fearing that the next time she falls asleep he will kill her. From there, a seemingly stable reality quickly crumbles.

Laura Hasn’t Slept was so scary that it inspired Paramount to scout the director to create the Smile film series, which has gone on to be one of the more successful wide-release horror movie series in recent years.

4 Portrait Of God

An Unnerving Theological Horror Short

• Developer: Dylan Clark
• Release Date: August 28, 2022
• Run Time: 7 minutes
• Watch Here

“Exodus 33:20: No man shall see Me and live”. The opening card accurately sets the foreboding tone for the remainder of Portrait of God. The protagonist, Mia Reilly, is practicing her presentation on a painting: “The Portrait of God”. A select few viewers of the artwork claim to see a skinny man with glinting eyes on the seemingly black canvas. As she stares, Mia begins to understand their accounts.

What is striking about this short is its clever use of dark space, and the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that dominates every shot. Portrait of God gives its viewers a lot to think about. Could this be the true physical form of God? Was the entity even a God at all?

3 Ignore It

Some Things Are Impossible To Turn A Blind Eye To

• Developer: Sam Evenson
• Release Date: October 29, 2021
• Run Time: 7 minutes
• Watch Here

Ignore It follows a family who is being pestered, not for the first time, by an entity dubbed ‘The Woman’. All they know about this being is that she will leave if they pretend that she isn’t there, but for some of the family members, this is much easier said than done.

This short creates an awkward, palpable tension that permeates the screen to make those watching feel like part of the horror. Viewers will starkly learn that sometimes it really is best to ignore a problem than deal with it head-on.