The spooky season is well and truly upon us and while there’s nothing wrong with settling down with a scary movie, there’s a simpler way to get your horror fix, and for free too. YouTube is awash with horror shorts which, due to their limited running time, work harder than some feature-length movies. So, if you’re after some bite-sized frights, here are the best terrifying YouTube horror shorts for Halloween.
The Best Terrifying YouTube Horror Shorts
One of the best things about short horror films is that if they don’t work for you, you’ve only wasted a little time. Watch The Rage: Carrie 2, on the other hand, and that’s 105 minutes of your life you’re not getting back.
The good news is that I’ve sifted through YouTube’s many horror shorts to bring you ten that aren’t just worth your time, most of them are downright terrifying. And while there’s the odd jumpscare or three, there’s so much more to these shorts.
So if you’re ready for some short-form frights, strap yourself in.
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1. The Ten Steps Is an Unsettling Irish Horror Short
There’s not a special effect in sight but that doesn’t make the amazing Irish horror short The Ten Steps any less unsettling. A teenage girl is left to babysit while her parents go out for the night but when darkness falls, their new house seems a lot less welcoming.
2. The Other Side of the Box Is Absolutely Chilling
If you think Brad Pitt had it bad, this couple’s head in a box is attached to a whole body in The Other Side of the Box. And it wants out which, they soon discover, is an extraordinarily bad idea. Like The Ten Steps, this is low on special effects. But it’s still absolutely chilling and is a horror short that’s absolutely worth watching on YouTube this Halloween.
3. Suckablood Is One of YouTube’s Best Horror Shorts
Suckablood is a short story about why children shouldn’t suck their thumbs. Or is it? Presented as a gothic fairytale, this was one of several ‘Bloody Cuts’ shorts and, partly due to its presentation, is easily the best of the bunch.
4. The Beacon Is Sci-Fi Horror Shorts at Their Best
With a running time of just over 25 minutes, The Beacon is a bit of a slow burn. Seeking to migrate to a more hospitable planet, a man and his wife work their fingers to the bone. So when a high-paying long-haul space trucking job comes up, she takes it.
But after she doesn’t return, the husband struggles to discover the truth of her fate. Let’s just say that he eventually gets his answers.
5. The Hug Is Pure Five Nights at Freddy’s
Back down to Earth, five-minute horror short The Hug takes a leaf out of Five Nights at Freddy’s book, reminding us that animatronic mascots are always terrifying, whether it’s your birthday or not.
6. The Dinner After Is Texas Chainsaw Massacre Gone Wild
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s dinner scene may have gone down in horror history, but even “normal” family gatherings can be deeply, deeply uncomfortable. When Angela visits her parents in The Dinner After, you can feel the awkwardness oozing out of the screen. But it’s about to get much, much stranger.
7. Thresher Is an H.P. Lovecraft Escape Room
Thresher is what you’d get if H.P. Lovecraft designed escape rooms (and remembered not to make them racist). A man wakes up in an elaborate but relatively mundane-looking room, a well padlocked door preventing his exit. But as he struggles to unlock its mysteries, things soon go downhill.
8. Into the Night Is a YouTube Short Horror with a Haunting Ending
When a movie or, in this case a short, begins with someone fleeing the scene of a motor accident you know it’s not going to end well. There’s a certain dreamlike quality to Into the Night, but the ending will ensure that you’re absolutely wide awake, making it one of the most terrifying shorts to watch on YouTube this Halloween.
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9. Ignore It Is Exactly What It Sounds Like
Forget about the monster in your closet. Ignore It‘s entity is wandering around this family’s house, not a care in the world. But it’s only dangerous if they acknowledge it. All they have to do to save is pretend it’s not there. That should be easy, right?
10. Curve Is Pure Nightmare Fuel
Finally, there’s Curve, which is nine minutes of pure nightmare fuel. There’s no monster, no stalker, nothing to speak over other than the woman and her surroundings. But if this doesn’t have you on edge from beginning to end, you might want to check you still have a pulse.
Those, then, are the best terrifying YouTube horror shorts for Halloween. These are, to my mind, the cream of the crop but there’s so much more to explore.
A good place to start is Alter, which puts out a new horror short every few days. And if you’re feeling really creative, why not grab a camera and try whipping up your own micro-nightmares?
If you’re looking for more to celebrate the spookiest season, check out the chronological watch order for Halloween.
