SIFF 2026: WTF Nightmare Fuel Shorts

I don’t typically watch a lot of short films. While I respect the passion, effort, and craft, they tend to be more miss than hit for me. I recognize that’s a me problem, but it’s the truth. That said, the Seattle International Film Festival always has a robust shorts program, so I thought what the hell, why not check out the eight films in the WTF! Nightmare Fuel package. There is certainly some weird and wild things to behold.

Be Careful What You Ask For

 

Amie V. Simon’s debut short is what I imagine plays in the mind of every woman getting hit on by some rando at a bar when all they want is to be left the hell alone. A fun, splattery slice of revenge fantasy for everyone who wants to throw punches when they hear a man say, “You’d be a lot prettier if you smiled.”

Haint

 

A spooky, slow-burn—which is impressive to pull off in 15 minutes—southern ghost tale about gentrifiers, vengeful spirits, and different generations protecting their community in different ways, Haint is languid and moody and features some cool creature effects. It may also make you want to paint your house blue.

Homecoming

 

A rural farming community with an annual ritual where one young community member is “chosen”? Nothing unsettling about that, not at all. It’s about the weight of shared tradition and what happens when we buck and push back against the way things have always been done. And nothing good ever happens in a corn field in a movie.

Man Eating Pussy

 

This easily wins the prize for best title, and most literal title. This short is somehow totally unexpected and precisely what it sounds like. It’s best to go in as cold as possible; you might not believe me anyway if I told you. Just be prepared for some truly wild prosthetics work.

Open Mic

 

We’ve all seen people melt down on stage, but this Spanish short takes it to a whole other level, in both a metaphorical and literal sense. It gets very, very gross.

Praying Mantis

 

This 18-minute Taiwanese animated short is admittedly my least favorite of the bunch. About the lengths we’re willing to go to for our children, it follows a mother/insect who fucks and kills men to feed to her weird swimming pool baby.

Scissors

 

When a killer with a grudge against women (Ethan Embry) crashes the wrong lesbian bachelorette party, the revelers refuse to take him or his grievances seriously and quickly turn the tables. Director Hannah Alline (Doom Patrol) and writer Hannah Aslesen (Loki) have a blast subverting the tropes and beats of the slasher subgenre.

Wall Udder

 

Sometimes a title means exactly what it says. And sometimes the udder on your wall isn’t the problem with your relationship, it's a sign or symptom of more deep-seated issues you’re not dealing with.

 

Find the rest of our SIFF 2026 coverage here.