Hell-o, Cinemaniacs! We’re back for another October shudder-fest to help you worm your way into Halloween. For our fourth installment of Fright Bites, we’ve dug up—from the very bowels of the web—some maniacally maddening morsels to sate the most meticulous movie masticators; in other words: our favorite frightening short films. So if you find yourself passing a spooky cemetery late one night, that flickering light you see in the distance might be the glow of a laptop screen. Come closer. Pull up a plot…. You won’t want to miss the cut scenes.
Many of these shorts are definitely not suitable for children, so screen with caution—and scream with gusto!
ROT
Here’s a true fright bite for youI—a delightful stop-motion morsel to whet your appetite. It’s simply to die (and decompose) for. (Length 0:32)
A FATHER’S DAY
Think of this one as “The Walking Dads.” Being a father is tough—even tougher during a zombie infestation, and tougher still if you’re among the zombie horde. (Length: 9:52)
KNOCK
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Or rather, who isn’t? Sometimes you get more than a treat when you knock on a door on Halloween night. (Length: 5:09)
THE MAIDEN
Flip…or R.I.P. A real estate agent won’t take no for an answer as she tries to sell a grand old house—but neither will the entity living inside. (Length: 8:45)
LARRY
Feeling lonely? Looking for a new friend? Well, let’s just hope your new relationship doesn’t leave you feeling too “boxed in.” (Length: 5:20)
THE SILENT
A little girl moves between the real world and the world of nightmares—which is scarier? See if you can find your way in this near silent short. (Length: 7:27)
MR.DENTONN
David and his big sister, Laura, will hopefully learn to make better choices when it comes to bedtime stories—if they survive. (Length 9:02)
CANIS
This very disturbing animated stop-motion short takes us deep into a literal dog-eat-dog world, where an adolescent must grow up quickly to survive and protect. (Length: 16:48)
MONSTER MASH
Speed dating is usually a mess, but for Lucinda it turns into a mash—in this howlingly funny short (an award winner in the 48 Hour Film Horror Project). (Length: 5:53)
PLAY HOUSE
Ah, the bonds of familial love.... In this unsettling short, Harold endeavors to keep his family together the only way he knows how. (Length: 9:40)
THE UMBRELLA FACTORY
In this animated tale, the terror is in the paw in your hand. Be careful what you wish for, because what goes around comes around—again...and again. (Length: 3:52)
I LOVE SARAH JANE
Zombies versus puberty—oh, the horror. This post-zombie-apocalypse short from 2008 features Mia Wasikowska. (Length: 14:24)
TREATERS
Great candy capers, clown-man! The mischeivous trick-or-treating children in this Halloween heist flick definitely get their just desserts. (Length: 8:15)
THE WANDERER
Two police officers travel to a rural village to investigate a bizarre murder—and a skeptic’s views will be turned on their head. (Length: 24:12)
PALM ROT
This one will bug you—in the best possible way. It's cool, it’s trippy, and it’s causing quite a buzz Why don’t you crack the lid and watch this animated movie take flight? (Length 7:30)
Well, that about buries it for our Halloween offerings this year. We hope you enjoyed our little interred-mission from the daily grind. If you’re still a bit peckish after all that, check out our previous collections: Fright Bites, Bride of Fright Bites, and Revenge of Fight Bites.
If you want to learn more about how to make your own Fright Bite, check out these tutorials. Then drop us a six-foot line if you come up with something gleefully ghastly; we might just crawl up to check it out.
Create Smoother Slow-Motion Effects: If you want to keep your viewers on the edge of their seats during your suspense scenes, you may want to slow the action down a bit using Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
The Shaky Cam: Do you want to create that run-amok feeling similar to the chase scenes from the Evil Dead? Try out this DIY delight.
The Sights and the Sounds: We can easily recall the cool visual effects from our favorite scary movies...but nothing keeps an audience in the movie more than great sound effects. Watch these Foley artists work to get the right sound for the perfect moments in their films.
And as always, you can check out these Adobe tutorials to help you create your masterpiece: Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CC, Photoshop CC, and Audition CC.
Night. Night!
October 24, 2018
Marquee image: Eric Van Huystee
