Christmas Turns Creepy: Stream 5 Free Horror Shorts That Will Keep You Up Until New Year’s Eve

If your holiday spirit leans less twinkle lights and more 'what was that noise in the hall,' I got you. Here are five bite-size horror shorts you can queue up on YouTube while you wait for Santa and reconsider every creak in your house. They are quick, mean, and perfect for a late-night jolt.

1. Portrait of God

   This one is the mood: reverent and terrifying in the same breath. It plays with the fear of the unknowable in a way that turns comfort into menace. If you only have time for one, start here.

   Release: August 29, 2022 | Director: Dylan Clark | Runtime: 7:30

   Notable: A feature-length adaptation is in the works with Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele producing. Clark also dropped another short in 2024 titled 'Storytime'.

2. Lights Out

   The blueprint for the 2016 feature of the same name. A girl, a hallway, and a thing that only shows up when the lights go off. Simple premise, nasty execution.

   Release: December 30, 2013 | Director: David F. Sandberg

   Notable: A sequel to the feature was kicked around in 2016, but it never materialized.

3. 2AM: The Smiling Man

   A guy walks home late. Someone else starts watching him. Then it gets weird. It leans into that 2 a.m. logic where reality feels slightly off, and the payoff is short and sharp.

   Release: July 23, 2013 | Director: Michael Evans | Runtime: 4:09

4. Cat with Hands

   It starts like a curious little folktale and then clamps down. Yes, the title is literal. It is under four minutes, it is deeply unsettling, and it has the vibe of a nightmare someone whispered to you around a campfire.

   Release: June 1, 2001 (United Kingdom) | Director: Robert Morgan | Runtime: 3:32

   Notable: The short has racked up about 1.3 million views on YouTube.

5. Don't Move

   Five minutes of tension that ratchets up with every beat of the score. It is tight, mean, and it knows exactly how to get under your skin.

   Release: The short is listed as December 2023, with a separate note that pegs the date as December 20, 2022 (yes, that discrepancy exists) | Director: Rubel Rafael Ahmed | Runtime: ~5:00

   Notable: Already an award-winning short. Available to watch on YouTube.

All five are on YouTube, so you can jump in right now. Fair warning: if you do this on Christmas Eve, those sleigh bells might not sound so friendly after.