A Cut Above: Ten Exceptional Short Horror Films

Most of us here at Brutal Resonance are huge horror fans, but we don’t always have time to watch a full two-hour movie. Fortunately for those of us looking to squeeze in a quick fix, there’s a plethora of short horror, fantasy, and sci fi films floating around on the internet, but let’s face it—much of it sucks. If you don’t want to waste time wading through cheap gimmicks and lowest-common-denominator crap, you’ve come to the right place. A Cut Above will periodically showcase exceptional (dark) short films from around the world, which excel in atmosphere, characterization, or cinematography. So, without further ado, here are the first ten selections.

 
8 Butterflies (2010, U.S.)

Written and directed by Nick Narciso

Cast: Nick DiNardo, Vichet Keo, Amy Sue Nahhas, Dan Ntyko, Frank J. Nytko III, Charles Scandura

Production Company: Comatose Films/Paranoia Decay

Runtime: 17 min.

A claustrophobic, Lynchian nightmare set in a seedy NYC motel. 


Aftermath (1994, Spain)

Written and directed by Nacho Cerdà

Cast: Pep Tosar, Jordi Tarrida, Ángel Tarris, Xevi Collellmir

Production Company: Waken Productions

Runtime: 30 min.

A necrophiliac pathologist defiles one of the cadavers.


Autumn Harvest (2014, Norway)

Director: Fredrik S. Hana

Writers: Fredrik S. Hana and Marius K. Lunde

Cast: Oliver Hohlbrugger, Thomas Aske Berg, Helga Guren, Frikk Hana, Eili Harboe, Tomas Alf Larsen, Magnus Rostad, Silje Salomonsen, Michael Wallin

Production Company: Fredrik S. Hana Productions/GOfilm

Runtime: 17 min.

A tormented sailor offers sacrifices to a mysterious woman in black who comes from the sea. If Ingmar Bergman adapted a Lovecraftian tale, this is what it would look like.


Bitch (2011, U.K.)

Written and directed by Simon Rumley

Cast: Tom Sawyer, Kate Braithwaite, Tommy Carey, Amy-Joyce Hastings

Production Company: Almost Midnight Productions

Runtime: 33 min. (The segment begins at 58:05)

Pete and Claire have a relationship based on dominance and submission, but when Claire pushes Pete too far, he turns the tables on her in a sickening fashion.


Cutting Moments (1997, U.S.)

Written and directed by Douglas Buck

Cast: Nica Ray, Gary Betsworth, Jared Barsky

Production Company:

Runtime: 25 min.

A subservient housewife, Sarah is desperate for her indifferent husband Patrick's affection. When she realizes Patrick is taking an unhealthy interest in their young son, Joey, the film takes a harrowing turn.


Dog Food (2014, U.S.)

Written and directed by Brian Crano

Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Cory Michael Smith, David Joseph Craig

Production Company: Paper Trail

Runtime: 18 min.

When Declan, a butcher, loses his beloved dog, he turns to a new love interest for comfort, but Eva and her brother, Michael, are hiding something.


Excision (2008, U.S.)

Written and directed by Richard Bates, Jr.

Cast: Tessa Ferrer, Karen Tiegren, Paul Fahrenkopf, Carly Hobson

Runtime: 18 min.

Pauline is a disturbed teenager obsessed with blood and surgery who will go to extreme lengths to win her authoritarian mother's approval.


La Cruz (The Cross) (2012, Spain)

Written and directed by Alberto Evangelio

Cast: Pablo Castañón, Sandra Cervera, Ramon Ibarra

Runtime: 10 min.
Vero reunites with her estranged father for an ill-fated driving lesson.


 
La dernière voix (The City Without Windows) (2002, Canada)

Written and directed by Julien Fonfrede and Karim Hussain

Cast: Marc-Andy Henry, Lexei Bacci, Mahalia Verna, Pascale Montpetit, Nathalie Fortune, Christopher Piggins, Adrien Lacroix

Production Company: Screen Machine/La Machine Écran

Runtime: 11 min.

After all of a city's windows disappear and a never-ending rain rots the residents' vocal cords, the residents have only their flesh to use as a communication medium.


The Last Time I Saw Richard (2014, Australia)

Written and directed by Nicholas Verso

Cast: Cody Fern, Melissa Godbold, Marta Kaczmarek, Toby Wallace

Production Company: Mushroom Pictures/Tin Roof Pictures

Runtime: 22 min.

Troubled Jonah delights in bullying the other kids at a juvenile mental health hospital, but he develops an intimate bond with his new roommate Richard. Richard's problems, however, might put him out of Jonah's reach.