Horror films that grew out of almost unknown short films

Several filmmakers have chosen to present their ideas to the big Hollywood production houses, through small stories in which, without the pressures of a blockbuster, they can explain as much as they want themselves. That’s why the careers of new and old horror film directors began with short films, some of which are almost unknown.

The most recent example of a horror film that began as a short film is ‘Terrifier 2′, the blockbuster film by Damien Leone that placed the killer clown among the great villains of the genre. Few people know, however, that Art the Clown first debuted in ˜All Hallow’s Eve’, a horror anthology that first introduced the grinning killer who is now quite sensational.

You smile

Like the previous one, this post is one of the signs that 2022 has been full of surprises. It’s about ‘You smile’, a horror film originally started as a short film called ‘Laura hasn’t slept’. Also directed by Parker Finn, this 11-minute story follows a girl with sleep problems who sees a therapist, where her worst nightmares come true. Available on YouTube.

saw

James Wan is another one of those directors who is one of his own the most successful horror films originated from a short film. This is ‘Saw’, based on 2003’s ‘Saw 0.5’. The director relied on his college friend Leigh Whannel, who was responsible for 2020’s ‘The Invisible Man’, who starred in the short film and subsequent film, and who it was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Available on YouTube.

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evil Dead

We continue with the great filmmakers of the genre, and now Sam Raimi comes up with ‘Evil Dead’, his 1981 masterpiece, based on the short film ‘Within the Woods’, which he directed himself in 1978. With a Super 8 camera in hand, his fetish actor Bruce Campbell and a budget of just $1600 dollars, Raimi made one of the most important franchises in the genre. Available on YouTube.

Lights off

One of the most famous cases in the field of short films that later became horror films is that of ‘Light Out’ by David F. Sandberg, based on the short film of the same name. The source material was so successful that the director of “Shazam” quickly offered to turn his story into a feature film that went incredibly viral, earning nearly $150 million.

Mother

With the sponsorship of Guillermo del Toro, Andy Muschietti managed to turn his 2008 short film “Mom” into a horror film. The Argentine director was discovered by the Mexican filmmaker, who gave him the opportunity to make his first feature film, with a cast led by Jessica Chastain, Isabelle Nelisse, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and which is now on Netflix, HBO Max, Claro and liongate.