Last week, I wrote about strange movies I've seen. This week, I'd like to tackle short films. These can be just as good, and it's easier to watch them too since they're not as much of a time investment. Here's some of the best I've seen so far:
5. He Dies At The End (2010)
This is a horror short shot in black and white, but with a twist- one that I would be doing you a disservice to spoil. Suffice to say that you'll either laugh, groan, scream, or maybe even all three. Just know that regardless of your reaction at the end, you're in for a tense, rapidly-escalating scenario set in an office building that knows how to push some major anxiety buttons.
4. Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek (2004)
This one is animated, but don't let that turn you away; it's creepy and it draws you in all the same. When a group of kids go to an abandoned town seeking answers about an urban legend, they're forced into a game of survival against monstrous odds, and it turns out that they may be in over their heads. Good for a night alone when you can turn out the lights and really get immersed in the visuals.
3. The Root of the Problem (2012)
Quirky and unsettling, this little stinger knows how to set up a scene that plays on the phobia of going to the dentist. It's never really clear what exactly is going on until the final reveal, and when that does come, you'll probably grin at the cleverness of it. Regardless, you surely won't look at dental care the same ever again after seeing this.
2. He Took His Skin Off For Me (2014)
Not for the squeamish. This short is about a man who removes his skin at the request of his significant other. It's less of a horror short than it sounds like it is, and more of a quiet drama about the limitations of compromise in a relationship, and what happens when they come at the expense of individual self-comfort. Beyond that, it's up to the viewer to decide what the message is.
1. Velvet Road (2011)
Cutting between the past and the present smoothly, this small-but-powerful cinematic work takes on the topic of mistrust and prejudice. The situation the main characters are in is one that will be familiar to moviegoers of the present, but it's never made fully clear what is happening. This ambiguity and the nuances in the primary characters' motivations allows for audience interpretation. No matter what conclusion you come to, at the risk of sounding pretentious, I would argue that this short film is important, especially in the modern day.