Few times of the year are more festive than Halloween.

The signs are everywhere: autumnal colors, carved pumpkins, macabre decorations, costume parties, and trick-or-treaters preparing to overdose on sugar.

Halloween is also the time when horror movies and scary films take center stage.

From blood-and-gore spectacles to unnerving tales of the supernatural, watching horror movies has become a quintessential, modern Halloween tradition.

The following 12 short films represent chilling narratives of dread and horror perfect for the holiday.

So get some popcorn, grab your favorite treats, turn down the lights (if you dare!) and enjoy these engaging tales of terror.

DARK WAKE

A man suffering from amnesia awakens from slumber to find himself trapped in a shadowy realm populated by hellish creatures.

MR. MEMENTO

A collector obsessed with death receives a mysterious antique photo that completes his collection. But something has attached itself to the picture, and it soon makes its presence known.

NEIGHBORS

A young urbanite is intrigued by his secretive new neighbors. Overcome by curiosity, he attempts to discover more about them. He soon realizes some secrets - and people - are better left undisturbed.

BEHIND

At a birthday party, a recently divorced young mother receives a dire warning from a mysterious stranger: someone is watching her and her baby. Upset, the woman returns home. There she begins to experience eerie phenomena which indicates someone or something is in her home.

DAWN OF THE DEAF

When a mysterious audio tone is broadcast across the planet, everyone who hears it dies. Only the deaf remain alive. However, the survivors soon realize their nightmare has only just begun.

BLACKWOOD

Nikki is a movie sound recordist working on a remote set for a horror film. After filming a pivotal scene for the movie, she stays behind in the wooded area to record background noise. Soon, Nikki hears an eerie, unearthly sound that will lead her to a chilling supernatural encounter (Make sure to hear headphones/earbuds while watching).

SWORD OF THE DEAD

In feudal Japan, an exiled samurai returns home only to discover his birthplace has been cursed, and is now overrun by the walking dead.

ELDRITCH CODE

An IT professional battling a computer virus attacking his firm soon realizes its origins stem from dark occult rites and an infernal conspiracy.

WANDERING SOUL

During the Vietnam War, two Viet Cong soldiers sequestered deep within the tunnels of Cu Chi are desperately attempting to evade American troops. When a traditional burial ceremony meant to put a fallen comrade’s soul to rest is interrupted, the two soldiers begin experiencing bizarre phenomena deep in the darkness below the earth.

CELL

In 1943 during the height of World War II, a British soldier is captured by the Nazis and imprisoned in a covert underground bunker. Along with his fellow prisoner, a mysterious woman, the soldier is forced to participate in sadistic psychological experiments that have a sinister and unearthly purpose.

ECHO TORCH

An inventor perfects a machine that allows him to see into the spirit world. He then embarks on an odyssey across the veil, encountering spirits both personal and dangerous.

LILITU

This eerie and atmospheric short films follows in the tradition of iconic horror classics such as Rosemary’s Baby and The Haunting Of Hill House. A psychic woman reluctantly agrees to use her special gifts to help a priest confront and battle a malevolent supernatural being.

Make sure to check out our podcast Eye On Sci-Fi. Join host and The 7th Matrix founder Rod T. Faulkner as he spotlights terrific indie SFF short films and web series.

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