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Short Films

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Sydney’s Dark Nights Film Fest: Reviews and Previews Including The Turkish Coffee Table, Monkey, and Ol’ Silus

Sydney, Australia’s Dark Nights Film Fest takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026. We reviewed some of the Australian shorts screening there, and now we’ll take a look at the feature The Turkish Coffee Table and some more of the short films featured there. Synopses are from the festival’s official website. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/. First, I reviewed The Turkish Coffee Table for a previous film festival, but I’ll present that review again here. It’s spoiler free, so no worries about reading it before watching. THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE (Turkey, 2025) Official synopsis A couple’s argument over a coffee table spirals into chaos when a simple mistake turns into a desperate web of lies, panic, deception, and the terrifying consequences of trying to cover up the truth. Time to remind you of the darkness underlying everything, one that forces you to look into the void with elegance, wit and sympathy. Review Director Caye Casas gave cinephiles perhaps the strongest

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 9, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dark Nights Film Fest Australian Shorts

Sydney, Australia’s Dark Nights Film Fest presents fear fare from around the globe on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Among its many selections are some terrific homegrown shorts. Here are capsule reviews of some of the Australian short films screening at the festival, all of which come recommended. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/. They Kill By Night One  of the many things seasoned fright-fare fanatics have learned is to be leery of fellow motel guest. Cowriters/codirectors Grace Uther and Sam Uther deliver an excellent example of this in the shocker They Kill By Night. Jodie (Arnijka Larcombe-Weate) and Aiden (Christopher James Baker) check into a motel room, but will they check out safely? Jodie meets next-room neighbor Jack (Mitchell Bourke) in the parking lot, and They Kill By Night is off to the races with plenty of surprises, action, and the red stuff. This is a fantastic short with super performances, direction, and production values that deserves to get the feature-length

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 8, 2026

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival Delivers the Fear with Its 2026 Lineup

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival enters its second decade with a mouth-watering selection of fabulous fear fare from October 15–18, 2026. From occult terror to home invasion horror to intriguing documentaries and beyond, the fest has something for horror fans of all stripes. Following is the official press release. Nightmares Film Festival (Oct. 15 to 18) today revealed its 2026 program, opening its second decade with a celebration of the boldest, freshest and most surprising work keeping genre dangerous.  “It’s our eleventh year, but we’re thinking of this as year one of a new decade of Nightmares,” said co-founders Jason Tostevin. “We’re celebrating the innovation, imagination and camaraderie that fuel the best of genre film.” Dubbed the “Cannes of horror” (iHorror), Nightmares is part summer camp for horror lovers, part annual reunion for some of the world’s top genre creators. Taking over the world-renowned Gateway Film Center, the festival will bring fans, filmmakers, screenwriters, press and industry reps together for

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2026

Lily Collias will Lead the Cast of ‘Ignore It,’ An Adaptation of the Viral Short Film

Lily Collias (Cape Fear) has been tapped to star in Ignore It, the upcoming feature film adaptation of creator Sam Evenson’s viral YouTube horror short, Variety reports. Backed by Anton and Temple Hill Entertainment, the film is a powerhouse production from the team behind Smile. The creature feature marks Evenson’s feature directorial debut. It will […]

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 4, 2026

Our Sinister Six: A Half Dozen Tribeca Genre Films We Can’t Wait to See

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, takes place June 3–14, 2026 in New York City, and plenty of horror, thriller, and science fiction offerings are on tap. Here are five features and one short film that have our attention here at Horror Fuel. Film descriptions and information are from the Tribeca website and official press announcements. Keep watching for our Tribeca reviews once the fest gets rolling! Turn It Up! An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff. Unfortunately, it’s also a cursed melody that just so happens to open a portal to another, much scarier dimension. (Our featured image for this article is from Turn It Up!.) Director: Sam Scott Writers: Sam Scott and Gwenlyn Cumyn Cast: Gwenlyn Cumyn, Justine Nelson, Xavier Lopez, Julian Richings Genre: Comedy, Horror, LGBTQIA+, Science Fiction https://tribecafilm.com/films/turn-it-up-2026 Crooks After Faye and Johnny stick up a local gangster’s poker

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 1, 2026

Portland Horror Film Festival Reveals Fear-Filled Lineup for Its 2026 Edition

Portland Horror Film Festival holds its 11th annual edition from June 3-7, 2026, at Portland, Oregon’s Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. The fest also offers a virtual version for those who wish to watch from the comfort of their homes. Either way, you’ll be treated to a top-notch selection of scare fare from around the world. Following is the official press announcement. The 11th annual Portland Horror Film Festival returns June 3-7, 2026, bringing five days of independent and international horror cinema to Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. This year’s festival will feature a special 45th Anniversary screening of My Bloody Valentine with director George Mihalka and Rue Morgue Executive Editor and “Faculty of Horror” co-host Andrea Subissati, and a live performance by Aurelio Voltaire, alongside a massive lineup of feature films, short films, premieres, and special events celebrating the best in contemporary horror filmmaking. Known as Portland’s premier festival dedicated to all genres of independent

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
May 22, 2026

Our Frightening Four: A Quartet of Recommended Panic Fest Short Films

Screenland Armour and Downright Creepy present Panic Fest 2026, which kicks off March 9–13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. With nearly 150 features, long form shorts, and short films on tap, there is plenty to choose from. I have had an early peek at the following shorts and can recommend that fright-fare aficionados put them on their need-to-see lists. Following are the official Panic Fest descriptions for the shorts. Click the links for more information, including tickets. The Scene (director Daniel Meyers) With the hope of discovering a new lead, a detective revisits the scene of his partner’s brutal murder. Yet, the longer he stays, the harrowing truth begins to reveal itself . . . Link below includes a trailer. Our featured image for this article is from The Scene. https://panicfest.eventive.org/films/69ab1fb0d0cabe43751e0592 Hell’s Half-Acre: Sojourn (director Nicholas Nicastro) Hell’s Half-Acre is a true-crime Western inspired by the haunting case of the Bloody Benders — America’s first family of serial killers. Set

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 27, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

What Happened to Dorothy Bell? An interesting investigation of familial trauma and mental illness through a horror lens, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? uses a combination of vintage-style footage (not found footage, to clarify, although the approach is similar) and present-day proceedings. Protagonist Ozzie (Asya Meadows) was attacked when she was a child by her titular grandmother (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now a young adult, Ozzie searches for answers to why that happened and also about her grandmother’s disappearance. As might be expected with a family as the focus in a horror film, skeletons lurk in the closet and the supernatural may well be at play. What Happened to Dorothy Bell? has the feel of a gateway horror film, with its surprises and shocks not approaching very scary levels nor reveling in gory effects work. Lingering shots of rooms in which something may or may not happen in the background and noises from other rooms make for most of the suspenseful

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 27, 2024

Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products has unleashed a ghoulishly good surprise for fans of the iconic Tim Burton film. A monster number of new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice collections are coming soon, promising to bring a touch of the Netherworld to everyday life. These collections will surely delight fans of all ages. It features designs inspired by the film’s most beloved characters, including the otherworldly sandworm and Beetlejuice’s signature black-and-white suit. Get ready to add a spooky twist to your wardrobe, home decor, and more. There will be unique ready-to-wear apparel from fashion designer Rodarte. Let’s not forget the exquisite jewelry collection from Fabergé, the latter designed in partnership with Tim Burton and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costume designer Colleen Atwood. Saks will debut an immersive window display at its iconic New York flagship store (later in August). Colleen Atwood also designed a “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” inspired fashion collection for retailer Primark, offering something for every fan. Amazon also has a dedicated product page

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 6, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024

More from Short Films

Sydney’s Dark Nights Film Fest: Reviews and Previews Including The Turkish Coffee Table, Monkey, and Ol’ Silus

Sydney, Australia’s Dark Nights Film Fest takes place on Saturday, October 10, 2026. We reviewed some of the Australian shorts screening there, and now we’ll take a look at the feature The Turkish Coffee Table and some more of the short films featured there. Synopses are from the festival’s official website. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/. First, I reviewed The Turkish Coffee Table for a previous film festival, but I’ll present that review again here. It’s spoiler free, so no worries about reading it before watching. THE TURKISH COFFEE TABLE (Turkey, 2025) Official synopsis A couple’s argument over a coffee table spirals into chaos when a simple mistake turns into a desperate web of lies, panic, deception, and the terrifying consequences of trying to cover up the truth. Time to remind you of the darkness underlying everything, one that forces you to look into the void with elegance, wit and sympathy. Review Director Caye Casas gave cinephiles perhaps the strongest

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 9, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Dark Nights Film Fest Australian Shorts

Sydney, Australia’s Dark Nights Film Fest presents fear fare from around the globe on Saturday, October 10, 2026. Among its many selections are some terrific homegrown shorts. Here are capsule reviews of some of the Australian short films screening at the festival, all of which come recommended. For more information, visit https://www.darknightsfilmfest.com/. They Kill By Night One  of the many things seasoned fright-fare fanatics have learned is to be leery of fellow motel guest. Cowriters/codirectors Grace Uther and Sam Uther deliver an excellent example of this in the shocker They Kill By Night. Jodie (Arnijka Larcombe-Weate) and Aiden (Christopher James Baker) check into a motel room, but will they check out safely? Jodie meets next-room neighbor Jack (Mitchell Bourke) in the parking lot, and They Kill By Night is off to the races with plenty of surprises, action, and the red stuff. This is a fantastic short with super performances, direction, and production values that deserves to get the feature-length

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Oct 8, 2026

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival Delivers the Fear with Its 2026 Lineup

Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival enters its second decade with a mouth-watering selection of fabulous fear fare from October 15–18, 2026. From occult terror to home invasion horror to intriguing documentaries and beyond, the fest has something for horror fans of all stripes. Following is the official press release. Nightmares Film Festival (Oct. 15 to 18) today revealed its 2026 program, opening its second decade with a celebration of the boldest, freshest and most surprising work keeping genre dangerous.  “It’s our eleventh year, but we’re thinking of this as year one of a new decade of Nightmares,” said co-founders Jason Tostevin. “We’re celebrating the innovation, imagination and camaraderie that fuel the best of genre film.” Dubbed the “Cannes of horror” (iHorror), Nightmares is part summer camp for horror lovers, part annual reunion for some of the world’s top genre creators. Taking over the world-renowned Gateway Film Center, the festival will bring fans, filmmakers, screenwriters, press and industry reps together for

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2026

Lily Collias will Lead the Cast of ‘Ignore It,’ An Adaptation of the Viral Short Film

Lily Collias (Cape Fear) has been tapped to star in Ignore It, the upcoming feature film adaptation of creator Sam Evenson’s viral YouTube horror short, Variety reports. Backed by Anton and Temple Hill Entertainment, the film is a powerhouse production from the team behind Smile. The creature feature marks Evenson’s feature directorial debut. It will […]

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 4, 2026

Our Sinister Six: A Half Dozen Tribeca Genre Films We Can’t Wait to See

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, takes place June 3–14, 2026 in New York City, and plenty of horror, thriller, and science fiction offerings are on tap. Here are five features and one short film that have our attention here at Horror Fuel. Film descriptions and information are from the Tribeca website and official press announcements. Keep watching for our Tribeca reviews once the fest gets rolling! Turn It Up! An indie rock band struggling to make its mark finds a possible meal ticket in an infectious new guitar riff. Unfortunately, it’s also a cursed melody that just so happens to open a portal to another, much scarier dimension. (Our featured image for this article is from Turn It Up!.) Director: Sam Scott Writers: Sam Scott and Gwenlyn Cumyn Cast: Gwenlyn Cumyn, Justine Nelson, Xavier Lopez, Julian Richings Genre: Comedy, Horror, LGBTQIA+, Science Fiction https://tribecafilm.com/films/turn-it-up-2026 Crooks After Faye and Johnny stick up a local gangster’s poker

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jun 1, 2026

Portland Horror Film Festival Reveals Fear-Filled Lineup for Its 2026 Edition

Portland Horror Film Festival holds its 11th annual edition from June 3-7, 2026, at Portland, Oregon’s Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. The fest also offers a virtual version for those who wish to watch from the comfort of their homes. Either way, you’ll be treated to a top-notch selection of scare fare from around the world. Following is the official press announcement. The 11th annual Portland Horror Film Festival returns June 3-7, 2026, bringing five days of independent and international horror cinema to Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. This year’s festival will feature a special 45th Anniversary screening of My Bloody Valentine with director George Mihalka and Rue Morgue Executive Editor and “Faculty of Horror” co-host Andrea Subissati, and a live performance by Aurelio Voltaire, alongside a massive lineup of feature films, short films, premieres, and special events celebrating the best in contemporary horror filmmaking. Known as Portland’s premier festival dedicated to all genres of independent

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
May 22, 2026

Our Frightening Four: A Quartet of Recommended Panic Fest Short Films

Screenland Armour and Downright Creepy present Panic Fest 2026, which kicks off March 9–13, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. With nearly 150 features, long form shorts, and short films on tap, there is plenty to choose from. I have had an early peek at the following shorts and can recommend that fright-fare aficionados put them on their need-to-see lists. Following are the official Panic Fest descriptions for the shorts. Click the links for more information, including tickets. The Scene (director Daniel Meyers) With the hope of discovering a new lead, a detective revisits the scene of his partner’s brutal murder. Yet, the longer he stays, the harrowing truth begins to reveal itself . . . Link below includes a trailer. Our featured image for this article is from The Scene. https://panicfest.eventive.org/films/69ab1fb0d0cabe43751e0592 Hell’s Half-Acre: Sojourn (director Nicholas Nicastro) Hell’s Half-Acre is a true-crime Western inspired by the haunting case of the Bloody Benders — America’s first family of serial killers. Set

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Apr 27, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: WHAT HAPPENED TO DOROTHY BELL? and FACES (Fantastic Fest)

What Happened to Dorothy Bell? An interesting investigation of familial trauma and mental illness through a horror lens, What Happened to Dorothy Bell? uses a combination of vintage-style footage (not found footage, to clarify, although the approach is similar) and present-day proceedings. Protagonist Ozzie (Asya Meadows) was attacked when she was a child by her titular grandmother (Arlene Arnone Bibbs). Now a young adult, Ozzie searches for answers to why that happened and also about her grandmother’s disappearance. As might be expected with a family as the focus in a horror film, skeletons lurk in the closet and the supernatural may well be at play. What Happened to Dorothy Bell? has the feel of a gateway horror film, with its surprises and shocks not approaching very scary levels nor reveling in gory effects work. Lingering shots of rooms in which something may or may not happen in the background and noises from other rooms make for most of the suspenseful

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 27, 2024

Warner Bros. Announces Monster Number of Collections that are Conjuring Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products has unleashed a ghoulishly good surprise for fans of the iconic Tim Burton film. A monster number of new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice collections are coming soon, promising to bring a touch of the Netherworld to everyday life. These collections will surely delight fans of all ages. It features designs inspired by the film’s most beloved characters, including the otherworldly sandworm and Beetlejuice’s signature black-and-white suit. Get ready to add a spooky twist to your wardrobe, home decor, and more. There will be unique ready-to-wear apparel from fashion designer Rodarte. Let’s not forget the exquisite jewelry collection from Fabergé, the latter designed in partnership with Tim Burton and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costume designer Colleen Atwood. Saks will debut an immersive window display at its iconic New York flagship store (later in August). Colleen Atwood also designed a “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” inspired fashion collection for retailer Primark, offering something for every fan. Amazon also has a dedicated product page

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 6, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: ELECTROPHILIA and ASTRO NOTS (Fantasia 2024)

Electrophilia (Los Impactados) Argentinian feature Electrophilia touches on body horror and eroticism involving electricity but never goes full-on with these themes, instead feeling more like a character study of its protagonist, veterinarian Amanda (Mariana Di Girólamo). The young woman is struck by lightning and after she recovers from a six-week coma, she begins to feel changes that have happened to her mind and now-scarred body. She falls in with a group of lightning-strike survivors under the care of Juan (Germán Palacios), a doctor who uses unorthodox methods to treat those under his care, and begins an affair with him. Amanda develops sexual kinks related to electrical charges and shocks, worrying her significant other Jano (Guillermo Pfening). Director Lucía Puenzo, who cowrote the screenplay with Lorean Ventimigila, leaves viewers hanging with plot points that seem to have no resolution, such as Jano secretly going into Juan’s office and finding the doctor’s file on Amanda but then that scene not being addressed

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 27, 2024
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