Staff Picks: Our Top 10 Scary Shorts

For our latest listener challenge, we asked you to scare the horror filmmaker Wes Craven with short films no longer than 30 seconds. Craven encouraged you to break rules and do away with conventions, but he did provide a theme: “young genius.” One month later, you have delivered more than 300 animated, claymated, and live-action terrors from Canada, England, Italy, and all over the United States. Some are funny, most are scary, two are about eggs, and a few are too haunting to watch twice.

Craven will reveal the winner on next weekend’s show.

Meantime, the staff of Studio 360 made a list of our 10 favorites (plus an honorable mention).

Scroll down to watch.

Selfie — by RJ in Auburn, Maine

Young Genius — by Jason McKee in Spokane, Washington

The Dark— by Greg in Baltimore, Maryland

Egg— by Matthew in Austin, Texas

baby egg — by Camilla in Brooklyn, New York

…Jack — by Jake in Chicago, Illinois

Those We Love — by Alex in Los Angeles, California

There is no God — by Bernie in Seattle, Washington

A Boy and His Robot.— by Tim in Cleveland, Ohio

BOOKWORM — by Dycee in Nashville, Tennessee

Relative Genius — by Tom in Dobbs Ferry, New York
An honorable mention goes to Tom who would have made a killer short film if it weren’t for his pesky dyslexia. You hit the nail on the head in more ways than one, pal.