Inspired by our recent feature of MANTIS STREAM! LIKE & SUBSCRIBE – which screened at SXSW in 2026 – we’re turning our curatorial eye to the festival’s long-running Midnight Shorts block, a programme that promises to “indulge your cravings for horror, gore, and dark comedy.” In this collection we’re gathering some of the weirdest and most unforgettable films from the past decade of these ever-popular screenings at the festival.

This program has consistently served as fertile ground for Short of the Week’s own curation, and regular visitors to our site will likely recognise several of the titles included here. That said, we’ve also selected a few films that never made it onto our platform, in an effort to keep the selection fresh and unpredictable. At its core, this playlist is driven by a desire to capture the singular, often disorienting “WTF?” experience synonymous with these screenings.

While there are many standout films that didn’t make the final cut, these are the Midnight Shorts that have proven impossible to shake. Whether they left us unsettled, nauseous, or even – at times – strangely aroused, this collection offers a series of encounters that defy easy explanation and will have you questioning exactly how the filmmakers managed to come up with these ideas in the first place.

The Wildest Short Films from the SXSW Midnight Program

SXSW Midnight Shorts

View the Collection on Shortverse

Featuring:

We’ll continue to add to the collection on Shortverse, so if you have suggestions on the most bizarre and unforgettable SXSW Midnight Shorts you feel are missing from this list, then let us know in the comments below or on social media.