NoBudge-O-Ween

NoBudge-O-Ween

A playlist of short films that take place around Halloween or otherwise contain jumps, scares, and/or terror. We've resurfaced some shorts that we premiered earlier this year, like "Central Dental" and "Madame Upstairs." And from our archives, we've included some comedy spooks, like “Spooky Town,” “Unfinished Business,” and “Ghosting the Party.” Others introduce nightmarish scenarios that seem impossible to escape from, like in “Zarina,” “Disforia,” and “Wakey Wakey.” And lastly, we round it out with some good old fashion existential dread, like in “Abbygail Was Here,” and "Holy God..." Dig in!

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  • Scary Car

    Four friends parked in a car do a ceremony in the middle of the woods. It goes badly. Made by the preeminent Brooklyn comedy group, Simple Town, “Scary Car” is lo-fi horror comedy at its finest, a brilliantly executed account of an unexplainable occurrence. After a passionate conversation about U...

  • Through Her Eyes

    On a snowy night, a mysterious woman arrives at a hotel and captures the attention of a trio of men.“Through Her Eyes,” directed by Stella Gatti, is gothic noir based on the mythical archetype of Medusa. The glamorous woman with dark sunglasses and overcoat enters a candle lit lobby with faded ch...

  • Crimson Mirror

    A woman is having a mental breakdown in her bathroom when her past and future selves appear in the mirror. Ella May Sahlman and Kyle Kallman direct “Crimson Mirror,” experimental horror crafted with gothic flourish built around an intensely despairing lead performance from Flora Wildes. The young...

  • VR Food

    The quest for virtual food — infinite pizza, zero calories — hits a snag when inventors mistake a short film for competition. Malcom Mills directs the strange vision, “VR Food,” melding horror, sci-fi, and dark comedy in layers of dream-state flashes. Malcolm and Mallory are working together on a...

  • Someone's In Here

    A man is caught with his pants down when terrorized by a force outside his bathroom stall. “Someone’s In Here,” directed by Ben Kitnick, is a horror vignette, minimal, well-executed and open for metaphorical interpretation. A man dressed in Khakis, a polo, and a fleece vest, takes care of busines...

  • Central Dental

    A man finds himself at a sketchy 24 hr dental clinic after having his wallet stolen and his tooth knocked out. “Central Dental,” directed by Lindsay Thomas Robinson, is an exercise in surreal atmosphere building, a noir-ish vignette, darkly clever and carefully composed. After getting mugged in a...

  • Madame Upstairs

    A young woman travels to a remote Victorian home to be a caregiver for someone who may or may not be there. “Madame Upstairs,” directed by Evan Korycki, is an ominous drama filled with striking visuals and eerie atmosphere. When Georgia arrives to take care of Madame Bouchard, she’s unsettled to ...

  • Skin of Man

    When three friends take a road trip to an idyllic forest and drop acid, one is lured into a mystic web of hallucination and nightmare. Jimmy Joe Roche directs “Skin of Man,” an experimental horror film that creates vivid textures with avant-garde technique. The black and white film is free of dia...

  • Welcome to Bushwick

    After an evidently successful first date, Evan and Marceline head back to her place. “Welcome to Bushwick,” by director Henry Jinings, is about the nerves and perceptions of a man and a woman approaching intimacy for the first time. We pick up as the two young Brooklynites enter the apartment of ...

  • Sickly

    Anxiously convinced his flu-like symptoms could be something much worse, a luckless Brooklynite searches for medical care. Byron Leon directs “Sickly,” a tense ride through New York City that was unbelievably made before the Covid-19 pandemic. After coming down with a bad cough and a high fever, ...

  • All Shook Up

    After being mugged on Halloween night, Dave takes to his hotel room to report the incident to his credit card company and experiences an unsettling exchange. Starring Maxwell McCabe-Lokos (a director we featured with his 2017 film "Ape Sodom,") “All Shook Up,” is a wildly WTF short directed by Ev...

  • Spooky Town

    A couple rebrands their struggling haunted house business amid the pandemic. “Spooky Town,” directed by and starring Omar Shaukat and Anna Suzuki, is a sign-of-the-times mockumentary that follows a hapless duo through badly executed attempts to frighten their customers. While they wait for their ...

  • Disforia

    Jack returns home to find his family has sold their house without his knowledge, perhaps because he’s no longer the Jane they all know. Lio Mehiel directs and stars in “Disforia” (Heidi Hartwig co-directs), a psychological horror about coming out as trans, a haunting vision of alienation and dist...

  • How I Lost My Appetite

    A young couple works through an uncomfortable situation and a hidden truth. Robert B. Matuluko directs “How I Lost My Appetite,” a film that resists easy categorization but flirts with several forms: relationship drama, experimental film (there is no dialogue, only body language and eye contact) ...

  • Hellmouth

    A L.A. couple takes a shortcut down a steep staircase while playing a question-and-answer exercise designed to rekindle intimacy. “Hellmouth,” directed by Gus Reed, is a dramatic vignette that’s vaguely unsettling, almost dream-like in tone, and shouldered by performances from Rhian Rees and Shan...

  • La Oscuridad

    On the outskirts of a Mexican village, a former elementary school teacher emerges badly bruised on the shore of a remote lake and must find her way back to town. “La Oscuridad,” directed by Jorge Sistos Moreno, is a visceral portrait of Marina, a woman left for dead. She somehow survives the orde...

  • Date Night Look

    A troubled young woman's date at a Tiki bar reveals itself in disturbing ways. A pitch black tone piece by Wesley Wingo, “Date Night Look” paints a dire picture of desperate youth with flashes of glitchy soundscapes and elements of body horror. The woman has pulled herself together for her date w...

  • Sacerdotisa - The 1992 Edit

    Selina has recently discovered a newfound hobby in Witchcraft but when her Abuelita finds out, it leads to trouble at home. “Sacerdotisa - The 1992 Edit,” directed by Christian Santiago, is a throwback drama of the occult delivered with VHS visuals and a synth score unfolding with a creeping tens...

  • Ghosting The Party

    A sleazy romp through a drug-fueled Halloween costume party led by a group of sex-hungry gal pals. Using exceedingly poor taste and a gross out finale for the ages, "Ghosting The Party" is a fast-paced WTF comedy by director Carlos A.F. Lopez who crosses the line of decency to take revenge agains...

  • Meshes of the After

    A woman returns home to a constantly shifting domestic and mental landscape in this retelling of “Meshes of the Afternoon,” Maya Deren’s landmark avant-garde film. Meg Case and Brad Porter direct “Meshes of the After,” swapping 1940’s Hollywood for Brooklyn current day, and grainy black and white...

  • Bite Me

    On Halloween night, a woman dressed as a hot dog delivers marijuana to a series of weirdo customers. “Bite Me” is a night-in-the-life of a broke and aimless gig worker that’s based on director Jessi Rayom’s own experiences working at a L.A. weed dispensary. Filmed like a documentary and starring ...

  • Unfinished Business

    A male stripper has an unusual experience on the job in Mary Dauterman’s “Unfinished Business.” From a script co-written by Jenny Donheiser, the film is an awkward comedy that uses 1980’s costuming and choreography to highlight its dingy tableaus and expressionless ladies. When he arrives to a mo...

  • Zarina

    A woman endures frequent nightmares of her own death while finding it impossible to determine what’s real. Directed by Lexx Truss, “Zarina” is potent horror, a disorienting trek into the deep recesses of the mind — terror is alleviated with momentary blips of relief only to return stronger. Zarin...

  • The Seventh Circle

    A man is confronted by his violent past while living in a limbo of his own making. “The Seventh Circle,” directed by Alexandra Velasco, is a frenzied experimental horror film soaked in isolation and ambiguity. Whispering to himself in Spanish, a man called El Minotauro moves through a cavernous h...