[Editorial] Best Horror Films To Watch On YouTube
Horror films come in all shapes and sizes, whether it’s a slow burn, a fast paced thriller, or a complete gore fest. But sometimes the best things come in small packages and that’s certainly the case with short horror films.
It can be a challenging format as you only have a few minutes to build tension or shock your audience, but there’s some brilliant offerings out there. They’re easy to access too, because all of the ones on this list are available for free on YouTube.
Each of these short films are 30 minutes or under, and some manage to deliver some serious scares in just a couple of minutes! There’s a mix of paranormal, sci-fi, slasher and more, so hopefully there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy. Grab your popcorn, open up your laptop, and prepare to sleep with the lights on tonight.
Bedfellows
Directed by: Drew Daywalt / Runtime: 2 mins 45 seconds
For many of us, curling up into bed after a long day is a safe place where we can drift off to sleep. But what if it wasn’t safe at all? Drew Daywalt explores this concept in Bedfellows, an impressive short film that has amassed over 3 million views. Rachel (Kerry Finlayson) is woken up by a phone call as she sleeps beside her husband Daniel (Edin Gali) one night, and is horrified to discover that Daniel is on the other end of the phone. So who’s that lying beside her?
Blinky™
Directed by: Ruairi Robinson / Runtime: 12 minutes 50 seconds
Blinky™ is a must watch for sci-fi fans, as it follows lovable helper robot Blinky who is brought into the Neville family’s home at the request of son Alex (Max Records). He hopes the new robot friend will stop his parents from arguing, as wholesome adverts on TV show happy families living in harmony with their robot helper. But when nothing changes, Alex begins to berate Blinky until he malfunctions and descends into malicious compliance at the hands of his new master.
Fragile.com
Directed by: Alison-Eve Hammersley / Runtime: 21 minutes 35 seconds
Perfect for those looking for a longer, slower horror, Fragile.com explores the terrifying world of online predators and how they can take over someone’s life. Mara (Carly Stewart) is a teenage girl who craves acceptance and to be told she’s special, and one day a charming man approaches her promising fame, fortune, and affection if she agrees to livestream herself crying to clients for his niche website. It seems simple enough at first, if a little strange, but it rapidly spirals into something deeply sinister.
Make Me a Sandwich
Directed by: Denman Hatch / Runtime: 3 minutes
Marcy (Anne Shepherd) is trapped in an abusive marriage where her husband Johnson (Peter Hodgins) demands she makes him a sandwich over and over again. This brief, yet effective short explores the horrors of domestic abuse, and has some particularly nasty visuals that will definitely put you off your sandwich in real life!
Okay Google
Directed by: Levi Morgan / Runtime: 4 minutes 40 seconds
With so many of us relying on tech daily, it makes sense that filmmakers are using this as a backdrop for some seriously scary stories. When a man’s Google Home turns a light on upstairs, and he sees someone up there, it’s unsurprising that he freaks out. But then things start getting even weirder as the smart device seems to have a mind of its own…
Hungry Joe
Directed by: Paul Holbrook / Runtime: 22 minutes 19 seconds
In Hungry Joe, Laura (Laura Bayston) struggles with her sanity as she tries to satisfy her son’s inhuman hunger. Doctors and those around her dismiss Joe’s hunger as him simply being “a growing boy”, but she’s convinced it’s something a lot more sinister. This short expertly uses motherhood as a terrifying trope, and explores what happens when we’re unable to bond with or understand our child.
Box Fort
Directed by: Tyler Czajkowski / Runtime: 15 minutes
If you haven’t been on Creepypasta and r/NoSleep, where have you been?! This horror short is based on a story from those forums, and is sure to change the way you think about harmless forts. In this creepy short, three sisters decide to build a box fort but when strange things start to happen around them, they wonder if someone or something is living inside of it.
The Stylist
Directed by: Jill Gevargizian / Runtime: 14 minutes 57 seconds
Now available as a feature length film, The Stylist follows lonely hairstylist Claire as she becomes obsessed with the lives of the clients who walk into her salon. It’s stylish, sleek and very gory, and a must watch for those who enjoy seeing things from the killer’s point of view. If you enjoyed the short, then the feature film comes highly recommended as there’s even more gory goodness from the mind of Jill Gevargizian.
The Pretty Thing
Directed by: Dylan Clark / Runtime: 4 minutes 28 seconds
Another example of how effective horror can be in just a few minutes is The Pretty Thing. Using moments of silence for suspense, this short follows a woman at night, who realises that her door won’t lock. It’s a low budget student film but packs an almighty punch that will leave you sleeping with the lights on.
Face Your Fears
Directed by: Neil Stevens / Runtime: 15:40
We all have fears, and most of us will do everything in our power to avoid them. But in this 15 minute short, a young woman terrified of the dark takes on a pet sitting job and discovers a supernatural game that will cure her fears, but only if she faces them first. With plenty of suspense and gory imagery, some fans have even cited it as the horror edition of Jumanji!
When people think of horror films, slashers are often the first thing that comes to mind. The sub-genres also spawned a wealth of horror icons: Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chucky - characters so recognisable we’re on first name terms with them. In many ways the slasher distills the genre down to some of its fundamental parts - fear, violence and murder.
Throughout September we were looking at slasher films, and therefore we decided to cover a slasher film that could be considered as an underrated gem in the horror genre. And the perfect film for this was Franck Khalfoun’s 2012 remake of MANIAC.
In the late seventies and early eighties, one man was considered the curator of all things gore in America. During the lovingly named splatter decade, Tom Savini worked on masterpieces of blood and viscera like Dawn of the Dead (1978), a film which gained the attention of hopeful director William Lustig, a man only known for making pornography before his step into horror.
Looking for some different slasher film recommendations? Then look no fruther as Ariel Powers-Schaub has 13 non-typical slasher horror films for you to watch.
Even though they are not to my personal liking, there is no denying that slasher films have been an important basis for the horror genre, and helped to build the foundations for other sub-genres throughout the years.
But some of the most terrifying horrors are those that take place entirely under the skin, where the mind is the location of the fear. Psychological horror has the power to unsettle by calling into question the basis of the self - one's own brain.
On Saturday, 17th June 2023, I sat down with two friends to watch The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2012). I was nervous to be grossed out (I can’t really handle the idea of eating shit) but excited to cross these two films off my list.
Many of the most effective horror films involve blurring the lines between waking life and a nightmare. When women in horror are emotionally and psychologically manipulated – whether by other people or more malicious supernatural forces – viewers are pulled into their inner worlds, often left with a chilling unease and the question of where reality ends and the horror begins.
Body horror is one of the fundamental pillars of the horror genre and crops up in some form or another in a huge variety of works. There's straightforward gore - the inherent horror of seeing the body mutilated, and also more nuanced fears.
In the sweaty summer of 1989, emerging like a monochrome migraine from the encroaching shadow of Japan’s economic crash, Shin’ya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo: The Iron Man shocked and disgusted the (very few) audiences originally in attendance.
Whether it's the havoc wreaked on the human body during pregnancy, emotional turmoil producing tiny murderous humans or simply a body turning on its owner, body horror films tend to be shocking. But while they're full of grotesque imagery, they're also full of thoughtful premises and commentary, especially when it comes to women, trauma, and power.
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