Theres a good reason short-form horror movies are taking center stage for some TikTok creators recently.
For people staying home right now, movies and TV shows maybe more than ever before are becoming an escape from reality. And on digital platforms like TikTok and Instagram, in addition to choreographing viral dance videos, some users are taking what theyve learned from the entertainment world and creating mini-movies of their own.
From comedies to musicals, these videos run the genre gamut. Theres even a thriving corner of the TikTok community that has taken to creating short-form horror flicks including ones that are themed for this unique moment in time. And while it may seem strange for horror fans to want to experience the thrill of a good scare in the midst of a crisis that could be considered a real-life nightmare, with millions of viewers tuning in, its clear some of these spooky shorts are resonating with people.
Take the debut post of Riley Bona, a 20-year-old Princeton University student who made his grand entrance on TikToks horror scene with an April 11 video that has racked up over 2.3 million views on TikTok and 6 million on Twitter, for example. Like many cooking videos om the platform, the minute-long video opens with Bona going through the motions of baking a strawberry pie to the tune of the main theme from Pixars Ratatouille, a sequence that lulls viewers into a false sense of security. But then it takes a sinister psychological turn involving a menacing music switch-up and anxiety-inducing cuts between shots of excessive handwashing, pecking chickens, a whistling tea kettle and more.
For his part, Bona tells TIME that he never thought the video would be as popular as it is. I didnt expect it to resonate so much with people because, for me, it was kind of a comedy, he says. There are so many people, including myself, making these videos about how well were doing in quarantine. I thought it would be funny to put a twist on that and make it a more accurate depiction of how were all feeling right now.
Despite his comedic intentions, the video was shared to Twitter with the caption, TikTok owns horror now Im sorry I dont make the rules, and quickly began garnering comments like, This made me so anxious omg, and, Im having a panic attack trying to watch lol.
Bona, who says hes a fan of scary shows like campy anthology series American Horror Story and Netflixs spine-chiling The Haunting of Hill House adaptation as well as movies like The Babadook, credits his videos fright factor to its unexpected twist. Around the 30-second mark, his serene baking how-to transforms into an unsettling dramatization of what may happen to the human mind in isolation.
I think its all about nuance, he says. You have to convey the feeling of anxiety or fear without having the resources to do a really scary costume or horrifying plot line. All you have is a minute and your iPhone, so you have to perfect the pacing and music and whatever else to convey that creepiness.
The success of the video seems to stem from the way Bona plays off many peoples shared fears amid the current health and social climate. Its hyper-contemporary because it plays on everyone being at home and the amount of baking that many people are doing, says Kinitra D. Brooks, a literary studies professor at Michigan State University who specializes in horror. He lulls you into thinking its just a cooking video. Then suddenly theres this increasingly foreboding sound and these quick cuts between shots that prey on our fears. Even though hes showing us simple shots of a rabbit or a cat, they become ominous and scary.
Of course, short-form horror certainly isnt a new trend, with Victorian-era penny dreadfuls stories cheap, sensational and often lurid fiction enjoying great popularity over a century ago. Brooks says that TikTok has allowed the tradition to continue to evolve. Its not a new idea to put horror in short form. Penny dreadfuls were serial, but really short and to the point, she says. TikTok is a newer medium, but its short-form horror is part of a long, established tradition.
Although there are definitely challenges that go along with spooking people in a tight timeframe, Brooks says that horror stories can sometimes be even more effective when presented in short form just think of the chilling tales of Edgar Allen Poe, the nightmarish Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark anthology or the Reddit-inspired TV series Two Sentence Horror Stories. Horror doesnt have to be a long-drawn-out narrative, and a lot of the time, it works best when its not, she says.
Having created a flourishing horror TikTok that gives off some major Blair Witch Project and The Others vibes, Charles Robitaille, a 22-year-old TikTokker from Tampa, Fla., also believes that a good twist can make all the difference when it comes to ensuring your post stands out from the crowd. You have to keep people engaged throughout the whole video, but that twist at the end can be the difference between a good video and a viral video, he says.
Robitaille has successfully tested the horror TikTok waters with a video that imagines the haunting aftermath of a tragic pool accident involving his little sister. He says he came up with the idea after watching other TikToks that used the same creepy staticky wind sound, Eric Keiths ceo of deep moments.
When a sound becomes popular on TikTok, users often end up riffing off and building on each others ideas to incorporate it into their own videos. Thats how it really starts, Robitaille explains. You find a sound, you find some ideas that are similar to yours, and then you put a spin on it to make it your own and make it original to you.
In addition to devising a spine-tingling opening sequence that immediately gives viewers the feeling that somethings off, Brooks notes that the way Robitaille uses text to convey some of the storys drama makes the video very compelling. He makes you read, but not too much. The sentences are short. He gets right to the point, she says. With horror, your viewer has to do some of the work, but you want to very much control the amount of work that they do.
Robitaille says the most difficult part of nailing the video was getting his little sister, who played herself, to cooperate throughout the hour-long filming process. Actors, right?
She was excited to be a part of it but didnt realize it was going to take that much time, he says. We had to do a lot of takes because she would move a certain way and Id be like, Dont do that. Do this. She had to be patient with me, but I appreciated it.
On TikTok, users have a maximum of 60 seconds per video to tell a story. So when it comes to horror, Brooks says it can be helpful for narratives to be rooted in the realities of everyday life. When youre doing things in as short an amount of time as TikTok forces you to, youre usually most successful with horror when youre playing with the everyday, she says. You have to drop your viewer into something that theyre instantly familiar with.
Keep up to date with our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking here.
TikTokker and adventure videographer Shane Brown, on the other hand, faces a different set of challenges when making his horror videos: the unpredictability of the ocean. Brown, who specializes in videos that play off peoples fear of the deep sea a.k.a. thalassophobia that he films in the waters off Hawaii, has garnered nearly 30 million TikTok views with his four-part Sinking series.
Although the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it may be some peoples greatest fear as evidenced by popular horror movies like Jaws, The Abyss and Deep Blue Sea Brown says that he never gets caught up in that terror while filming. Im in the water every single day, sometimes twice a day, he explains. I always have a healthy respect for the ocean, but never fear.
So when it comes to brainstorming ideas for ocean videos that might frighten people, Brown says he thinks back to how he felt as a child when a piece of seaweed would touch his foot while swimming. With horror, one of the scariest things is not seeing the thing that youre afraid of. The ocean contains so much mystery to so many people. They dont know whats out there, so that mystery is really scary, he says. The most scared Ive ever been in the ocean was when a piece of seaweed would touch my foot as a kid. Its the stupidest thing to be afraid of, but I would freak out. I just think about that feeling to imagine what other people are experiencing while theyre in the ocean.
Brooks says this dread of the unseen could also be viewed as responsible for some of the anxiety surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. The horror isnt a person, she says. The horror is a virus so we cant see it, and its passed by having contact with other people.
As for why some people are seeking a scare right now, Brooks says that its perfectly normal to turn to horror in times of trouble or uncertainty. Horror is all about dealing with our own anxieties. It plays on our cultural fears, she tells TIME. When done well, it gives us a psychological pressure release that can offer us the feeling of being more in control.
Bona says he thinks thats why visualizations of horror on TikTok can be comforting right now. My video wasnt intended to bring people to reality at all; it was actually intended to remind people that were [all in this together], he says. Its articulating the anxieties the viewer wants to escape, and that can be a cathartic experience.
Please send any tips, leads, and stories to virus@time.com.
Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com.
Read this article:
Meet the TikTok Creators Are Making Popular Horror Movies - TIME
- Best Horror Movies Of 2024 (So Far) - Time Out - May 20th, 2024
- The Best Horror Movies If You Loved The Strangers - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- The Smartest Horror Movie Heroes, Ranked - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- 15 Horror Movies So Controversial They Got Banned - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- Before 'Psycho,' This Is The Twisty Horror Thriller Hitchcock Wanted to Make - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Most Rewatchable Horror Movie From Each Year of the 2010s - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- Jaws and Hitchcock's Psycho inspired new horror movie The Strangers: Chapter 1, as director explains its lack of gore - Gamesradar - May 20th, 2024
- The monsters that made me: Growing up disabled, all of my heroes were villains - Polygon - May 20th, 2024
- Shocking Horror Movie The Coffee Table Is Earning Raves From Stephen King. Its Director Wants Audiences to Suffer and Hate Me - Variety - May 20th, 2024
- Netflix fans freak out over 'insanely scary' horror film that found its way into the top 10 - Daily Mail - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Best So-Bad-They're-Good Horror Movies of the '90s, Ranked - Collider - May 20th, 2024
- Making Sense of I Saw The TV Glow's Tragic and Terrifying Ending - TIME - May 20th, 2024
- New Horror Movie With 21% RT Score Nearly Triples Budget At The Box Office In Just 10 Days - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- Sting director says he's "kind of remaking Alien" with the giant spider horror movie - Gamesradar - May 20th, 2024
- How Scary Is The Strangers: Chapter 1? It's R-Rating Explained - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- New Upcoming Horror Movie Gives Five Nights At Freddy's 2 Its Biggest Rival After $291 Million Success - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Impossible Horror Movie Kills (and the Visual Effects Behind Them) - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- 10 Most Satisfying Horror Movie Reveals - WhatCulture - May 20th, 2024
- Stephen King Reviews Horror Movie With 88% RT Score: "You Have Never Seen A Movie As Black As This" - Screen Rant - May 20th, 2024
- Wolf Man Producer Reveals If the Horror Movie Is Part of Universal's Dark Universe Franchise - CBR - May 20th, 2024
- Nicolas Cage is set to take on another horror movie, this time about Jesus? - Gamesradar - May 9th, 2024
- Horror Tips from Director Jeff Wadlow and the Set of 'Imaginary' - No Film School - May 9th, 2024
- Upcoming horror movie amps up its marketing by having crazed killers pop up all over the nation - Gamesradar - May 9th, 2024
- This Upcoming Horror Movie Is The Best Chance Of 2024 Beating Five Night's At Freddy's Box Office - Screen Rant - May 9th, 2024
- Abigail Lands on Digital Platforms 2 Weeks After Theater Release: How to Stream the Horror Movie Online - Billboard - May 9th, 2024
- Stephen King Praises 'Scary' and 'Gross' Horror Movie With Near-Perfect Reviews - CBR - May 9th, 2024
- 'Mind Body Spirit' Review: A Horror Movie That Puts a Yoga Twist on 'Hereditary' - Collider - May 9th, 2024
- Nicolas Cage Is Taking on a New Horror Movie of Biblical Proportions - Collider - May 9th, 2024
- Daylight horror: 12 movies that are still scary with the lights on - The A.V. Club - May 9th, 2024
- How To Watch Tarot: Is the Horror Movie Streaming or in Theaters? - TheWrap - May 9th, 2024
- Mind Body Spirit Review: A Found Footage Horror Film With Something To Say About The Influencer Age - Screen Rant - May 9th, 2024
- This Unexpectedly Great Horror Movie Reboot With 80% On Rotten Tomatoes Is Now Streaming & I Wish I Saw It In ... - Screen Rant - May 9th, 2024
- The horror movie so realistic its director was arrested for murder - JOE.ie - May 9th, 2024
- 'Tarot' Scares Up a Bleak Weekend at the Global Box Office - Collider - May 9th, 2024
- Insane 2024 horror movie with a twist hits 95% on Rotten Tomatoes - Dexerto - May 9th, 2024
- 10 of the Most Disturbing 2024 Horror Movies You (Probably) Haven't Heard Of - Dread Central - May 9th, 2024
- EXPOSURE: This Short Film Will Make You Want To Throw Your Security Cameras In A Dumpster - FANGORIA - May 9th, 2024
- 5 New Horror Movies Releasing This Week Including 'Abigail' at Home - Bloody Disgusting - May 9th, 2024
- The Best Horror Movies Streaming This Month Will Make Your Skin Crawl (May 2024) - SlashFilm - May 9th, 2024
- This Surreal Horror Movie on Max Is One of the Most Influential Films Ever - Collider - May 9th, 2024
- The 30 best classic horror movies of all time - Entertainment Weekly News - March 16th, 2024
- The 23rd Spring, Is Jeepers Creepers Coming Back To Michigan? - 102.5/104.9 The Block - March 16th, 2024
- Winnie The Pooh Horror Movie Dominates The Razzie Awards - 106.3 The Groove - March 16th, 2024
- This Underrated Blumhouse Horror Movie Is Unlike Any Other Creature Feature - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- 13 Horror Movies Where Everyone Dies by the End - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience Villain The Unknown Gets Its Own Horror Movie - TMZ - March 8th, 2024
- The 13 Scariest Horror Movies Streaming on Peacock: Alien, Leprechaun, The Exorcist: Believer and More - Syfy - March 8th, 2024
- Every Horror Movie Releasing in March 2024 - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- 10 Scariest Movies That Have Won Oscars - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- The 10 Best New Horror Movies To Watch in March 2024 - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on Viral Willy Wonka Experience Coming Soon - Bloody Disgusting - March 8th, 2024
- Where To Watch Imaginary: Showtimes & Streaming Status - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Immaculate: Eveything You Need to Know About Sydney Sweeney's Upcoming Horror Movie That Will Give You ... - FandomWire - March 8th, 2024
- The 20 best horror movies on Peacock - Entertainment Weekly News - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on the Willy Wonka Experience Villain, The Unknown, Now in the Works - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Melissa Barrera's Scream 7 Replacement Actually Sounds Better Than Fighting Ghostface Again - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Shaitaan' Movie 2024 Filming Locations: Shooting Spots Of The Horror Flick - TRAVEL + LEISURE INDIA - March 8th, 2024
- The Horror Movie Franchise With the Most Sequels Ever Is One You've Never Heard of - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Jimmy Fallon asked people to ruin a horror movie by adding a single word to its title - Upworthy - March 8th, 2024
- The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu - CNET - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience creepy character 'The Unknown' handed role in new horror movie - The Mirror - March 8th, 2024
- The Best Sea Monster Movies, Ranked - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- The Borderlands Movie's Scary Behind The Scenes Drama That Has Us Worried - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- Netflix Just Quietly Added the Best Holiday Thriller of the Decade - Inverse - February 28th, 2024
- The 20 best scary movies streaming right now - Entertainment Weekly News - February 19th, 2024
- Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked - New Scary Movies to Watch - Rotten Tomatoes - February 19th, 2024
- 'Only Murders in the Building' Adds Molly Shannon to Season 4 Cast - Yahoo Eurosport UK - February 19th, 2024
- Why Lindsay Lohan Refused to Kiss Charlie Sheen in "Scary Movie 5" - Best Life - February 19th, 2024
- 15 Best Scary Movies To Stream - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
- Eight Skin-Crawling Scary Films That Don't Have Any Jump Scares In Them - Digg - February 11th, 2024
- David Cronenberg names some of the scariest movies ever - Far Out Magazine - February 11th, 2024
- 12 Horror Movies That Will Give You the Biggest Jump Scares - Collider - February 3rd, 2024
- TAROT's Trailer Brings the Iconic Cards to Life and Things Get Weird - Nerdist - February 3rd, 2024
- Review: Baghead - Is the Movie as Scary as it Looks? - Blazing Minds - February 3rd, 2024
- Natasha Lyonne Says James Woods Hit On Her As A Teenager While Filming Scary Movie 2 - 106.3 The Groove - February 3rd, 2024
- The Witcher's Freya Allan explains the challenges of filming her first horror movie Baghead: "You have to surrender ... - Gamesradar - January 26th, 2024
- The 5 Best Uses of Popcorn in Scary Movies - Dread Central - January 26th, 2024
- 5 Horror Films That Transformed The Genre - Study Finds - January 26th, 2024
- Kristen Stewart Wants to Star in Another Horror Movie in the Future - ComingSoon.net - January 26th, 2024
- Best Home Invasion Movies of All Time, Ranked - MovieWeb - January 26th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero