Horror is a genre that often benefits from minimalism. It’s no coincidence that many of the most successful and enduring horror films of all time are, more often than not, also some of the most low-budget endeavors (Night Of The Living Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Paranormal Activity, etc.). Needless to say, you can’t get much more minimalist than 60 seconds. And that’s where “Tuck Me In” comes in. Though not the scariest thing ever, this one-minute short is unnerving as all hell.
Filminute is an “international one-minute film festival that challenges filmmakers, writers, animators, artists, designers, and creative producers to develop and submit the world’s best one-minute films.” Winner of their 2014 jury award for best minute-long film, “Tuck Me In” is about as simple a story as there is: Dad goes to tuck in child, child asks him to look under the bed. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well. To say more would be to spoil the fun, but it’s worth noting that director Ignacio F. Rodo based his short off a story posted on Reddit last year where users where asked, “What is the best horror story you can come up with in two sentences?” If this one unsettles you, it’s worth checking out some of the other submissions—perhaps we’ll soon be watching short film adaptations of more of these.