YouTube is full of great horror short films, made by filmmakers who put everything they have into them. Some stick with you long after they end, and these are the ones that have stuck with me. Every film on this list is free to watch, most run under 15 minutes, and several of them launched feature films and careers.
I’ve watched hundreds of shorts for Buried Films, and these are the ones I find myself recommending again and again. Each one links to its page here, where you can watch it and find more like it.
The best horror short films on YouTube
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1
Portrait of God
A girl rehearses a class presentation about a painting that’s supposed to show the face of God. It looks completely black to her. Seven minutes, one actor, one room, and it’s still one of the most unsettling things on YouTube. A feature version is now in the works.
Watch Portrait of God -
2
Other Side of the Box
A couple gets a strange box as a gift from an old friend, and something on the other side wants out. It builds slowly and leans on practical scares instead of CGI, which is why people still talk about it years later.
Watch Other Side of the Box -
3
Lights Out
A woman sees a figure in the dark that disappears every time she turns the light on. Under three minutes, and it launched a 2016 studio feature. The definition of a perfect short.
Watch Lights Out -
4
Curve
A woman wakes up clinging to a smooth, curved surface above a dark drop, and the only way out is a few feet she can’t seem to cover. No monster needed. You’ll feel this one in your stomach.
Watch Curve -
5
The Smiling Man
A little girl home alone follows a trail of spilled milk to something waiting for her. It’s a simple setup with a design you won’t forget.
Watch The Smiling Man -
6
Larry
A parking lot attendant finds a tablet with a story about a lonely creature named Larry. Then Larry shows up. This short became the feature Come Play.
Watch Larry -
7
The Chair
A man brings home an antique chair, and things start going very wrong. It’s the short that helped get Curry Barker noticed before his feature Obsession.
Watch The Chair -
8
The Backrooms
Found footage of an endless maze of yellow office rooms that shouldn’t exist. It started an analog horror phenomenon and became A24’s Backrooms.
Watch The Backrooms -
9
Milk Teeth
At an orphanage, a boy meets a shadowy creature that collects more than teeth. Great creature work and a fairy-tale feel.
Watch Milk Teeth -
10
There Comes a Knocking
A grieving woman installs an antique door in her home and opens herself up to whatever is on the other side.
Watch There Comes a Knocking -
11
The Rickety Man
A father realizes his kids are coping with their mother’s death by talking to something they met in the woods. Sad and scary in equal parts.
Watch The Rickety Man -
12
Don’t Peek
A woman playing a video game finds a character that wants to cross over into the real world. You’ll think twice about late-night gaming.
Watch Don’t Peek -
13
Close Your Eyes
A musician’s quiet night turns into terror when he sees his roommate sleepwalking. Short, sharp and very effective.
Watch Close Your Eyes -
14
Remain Calm
Two gas station attendants on a lonely night shift get warned about a creature on the loose, and staying calm is the only way to survive it. One of the best new shorts this year.
Watch Remain Calm -
15
Mama Bear
A mysterious phone call tells Floyd that someone who looks exactly like him is in his house. Curry Barker’s first short since Obsession, and it’s a nasty little five minutes.
Watch Mama Bear
Find more horror shorts
- Shorts That Became Features
- Analog Horror
- Christmas Horror
- Halloween Horror
- 1-5 Minute Shorts
- Recommended by Buried Films
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