You don't need two hours to tell an effective story. As these short films show, you can craft a horror movie as scary, gory, fun and freaky as any feature-length flick on the big screen in less than a third of the time. Some on this list are early works from now-famous filmmakers, others come from never-famous filmmakers, but all of them are great for at least this three- to 30-minute time frame of storytelling. And all are available free online! Note: As a general rule, these videos should be considered NSFW.
La Cabina (The Phone Box) (1972)
© Televisión Española
Director: Antonio Mercero
Country: Spain
Running Time: 35 minutes
Synopsis: A businessman discovers the disturbing secret behind a mysterious new phone booth after becoming trapped inside.
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Country: Spain
Running Time: 35 minutes
Synopsis: A businessman discovers the disturbing secret behind a mysterious new phone booth after becoming trapped inside.
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The Cat with Hands (2001)
© Halo Productions
Director: Robert Morgan
Country: UK
Running Time: 4 minutes
Synopsis: This Tim Burton-esque mix of live action and stop-motion animation relates the legend of a cat with, well, human hands.
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Country: UK
Running Time: 4 minutes
Synopsis: This Tim Burton-esque mix of live action and stop-motion animation relates the legend of a cat with, well, human hands.
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The Descendent (2006)
© Robert Glickert
Director: Robert Glickert
Country: US
Running Time: 16 minutes
Synopsis: A pair of hitmen bite off more than they can chew when they attempt to knock off their latest target.
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Country: US
Running Time: 16 minutes
Synopsis: A pair of hitmen bite off more than they can chew when they attempt to knock off their latest target.
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Elevated (1997)
© Canadian Film Centre
Grace (2006)
© Gracefilm
Hambuster (2011)
© Hambuster
Directors: Paul Alexandre, Dara Cazamea, Maxime Cazaux, Romain Delaunay, Bruno Ortolland
Country: France
Running Time: 7 minutes
Synopsis: Like a gore-strewn Pixar monster movie, this computer-generated offering features a hamburger with a taste for human flesh.
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Country: France
Running Time: 7 minutes
Synopsis: Like a gore-strewn Pixar monster movie, this computer-generated offering features a hamburger with a taste for human flesh.
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The Hidden People (2008)
© Graham Annable
Director: Graham Annable
Country: US
Running Time: 3 minutes
Synopsis: This short takes an animated approach to the standard "cabin in the woods" horror movie scenario.
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Country: US
Running Time: 3 minutes
Synopsis: This short takes an animated approach to the standard "cabin in the woods" horror movie scenario.
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The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon (2008)
© Chaotic Rampage American Pictures
Director: Richard Gale
Country: US
Running Time: 10 minutes
Synopsis: In this horror spoof, a poor man is tormented by a supernatural being with an unusual weapon of choice.
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Country: US
Running Time: 10 minutes
Synopsis: In this horror spoof, a poor man is tormented by a supernatural being with an unusual weapon of choice.
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The Insane (2006)
© Far Atlantic Pictures
Directors: Mark Cripps, David Ellison
Country: UK
Running Time: 12 minutes
Synopsis: A police detective seeks violent revenge against the cult of maniacs who killed his pregnant wife.
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Country: UK
Running Time: 12 minutes
Synopsis: A police detective seeks violent revenge against the cult of maniacs who killed his pregnant wife.
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Katasumi (1998)
© Takashi Shimizu
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Country: Japan
Running Time: 3 minutes
Synopsis: Director Takashi Shimizu would later morph this tale of a haunted schoolgirl, along with 444-444-4444, into six feature-length entries in the Japanese and American Grudge franchise.
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Country: Japan
Running Time: 3 minutes
Synopsis: Director Takashi Shimizu would later morph this tale of a haunted schoolgirl, along with 444-444-4444, into six feature-length entries in the Japanese and American Grudge franchise.
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