GoKawiilThe Verge's weekend editor curates a list of unsettling YouTube horror shorts for Halloween
The Verge's weekend editor compiled a roundup of short horror and surreal videos available on YouTube, including the 1983 cult short 'Possibly in Michigan,' the animated road-trip oddity 'Homemade Gatorade,' the minimalist cosmic horror piece 'Portrait of God,' and 'Heck,' the short film that inspired the feature 'Skinamarink.' The piece frames these as alternative seasonal recommendations to a single film or album for Halloween viewing.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This is a curated entertainment recommendation piece rather than a news event, so its significance lies mainly in highlighting how older, niche short films can find new audiences through platforms like YouTube and Reddit decades after release. It also points to a growing interest in minimalist, atmosphere-driven horror as an alternative to big-budget productions.
- The list features niche horror shorts rather than mainstream films, including a 1983 short that gained a cult following only after being uploaded online.
- Several picks, like 'Heck,' show a direct creative link to later feature films such as 'Skinamarink.'
- The recommendations emphasize minimalist and surreal styles over big-budget horror spectacle.
Source: theverge.com — Terrence O'Brien, 2026-10-31
Published there as: “Get in the spirit with these horrors from YouTube”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.