10 Creepy Animated Horror Shorts To Watch This Halloween
4. There's A Man In The Woods
An animated poem by Jacob Streilein, this CalArts short follows the intense, horrible downward spiral of the life of a teacher after one of the children in his class lied about seeing a man in the woods, causing the teacher to lose his job.
The horror here isn't quite as overt as in others, tending toward the psychological and realistic as opposed to the supernatural and abstract. The poetry keeps the rhythm of the story going strong throughout, increasing in tempo towards its punchy conclusion, almost like a music video in its visuals matching the spoken word.
This short film follows the consequences of harmful lies in a way that feels much too close to real life, and that's where the horror rests in this short - with how close to home the entire thing feels. Some animated stories feel more real than most live action, and this is a great example of that, and one worth watching for the heart-pumping thrill of the poem's progression.