Any list seeking the 100 scariest shorts streaming has to start with Lights Out. One of the first major examples of the YouTube to feature film pipeline, Lights Out is an impressive short that knows exactly what it wants to be: scary. (Click here to continue reading.)

Pumpkin Guts by Bryan Ferguson is a delightful horror short that is not just scary, but a lot of fun. Equal parts Evil Dead 2 and Halloween III: Season of the Witch, 80s nostalgia runs rampant through every frame of the film’s brief 13 minute runtime. Ferguson’s movie opens with Becky, a young teen babysitting on Halloween night. If it were not for her accent, one could easily believe this film takes place in Haddonfield rather than the U.K. (Click here to continue reading.)

2015 Shant Hamassian’s Night of the Slasher might be one of the most reviewed short films I’ve come across. 

With 200 Festivals, 60 award wins, Oscar qualified, and mentioned in Forbes, 2015 Shant Hamassian’s Night of the Slasher might be the most positively reviewed short film I’ve had the privilege of watching. It also has one of the most impressive websites. The marketing of this film is top and should be. The movie deserves it.  (Click here to continue reading.)

“No man shall see Me and Live”, Exodus 33:22 is how we begin this slow burn and truly creepy cosmic horror film. This Old Testament statement to Moses implies that no human can look upon God and survive, which gives us an idea of what is in store for our heroine in this YouTube short.

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At just 2:44, Alexander the Titan’s Mama Agnes proves that scary things really do come in small packages.

Wasting no time, we’re introduced to a young girl who seems to be home alone. She calls her mom several times, but each call is rejected. Her mom then sends a text saying she can’t talk, and her daughter replies that something smells rotten in the house.

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It appears that even our cell phones are not safe anymore.  Pictures, a short horror film with over 6 million views, takes advantage of that ever-present device to terrorize us in this unrelenting YouTube favorite.

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Zachary Finley's Finley could be the definition of a viral hit. I first came across the film when one of my students told me the director was his first cousin and suggested I check it out. I watched it early in its run, long before it went viral on YouTube and TikTok.

Oh, how quickly times change.

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Horror and ballerinas have a long history, stretching from Dario Argento’s 1977 Italian masterpiece Suspiria (and its recent remake) to Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010), and more recently, Abigail (2024)and Pretty Lethal (2026). However, The Ballerina also pulls from mirror-centric horror by making the antagonist a literal reflection. Finally, it layers body horror on top of these tropes to create a few truly harrowing minutes of terror.

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This SXSF favorite doesn’t speak a word, yet still manages to shock its audience. The clever idea of this short is introducing a Nintendo Switch into the short, horror genre. 

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