OLD ROOTS —Horror Films—

I have a fascination I hold dear, the art of Japanese horror. This fascination led me to a wonderful corner of the internet. A Japanese YouTube channel by the name of OLD ROOTS —Horror Films— . They are creating some of the best, spine-chilling, and strange short films. Someone even subtitled some of them in English. If Japanese horror is your cup of tea, check out these 5 episodes I enjoyed the most.

Morning Routine

A little longer than 3 minutes, this is Morning Routine. A brightly colored short covering the morning routine of a cheerful woman. It does not have English subs, but you will not need them. The story is told visually and has sparse amounts of dialogue. By the end of the short, you will understand what makes this cheerful, attractive woman a monster.

Knock on the Door

Knock on the Door is the shortest on this list, coming in under 2 minutes in length. Without spoiling too much of the story, it is about a young adult hearing a banging noise coming from behind a bedroom door. There are no English subs for this one either. Unfortunately, by the time of this posting, the video is removed. I only have two screenshots from the film. If they ever repost it, I do recommend seeing it.

The Lift

The Lift, a 2 minute horror short that is about a girl and her stalker in an elevator. In the beginning, they mention it being a Japanese urban legend. I am not familiar with Japanese urban legends, so I am not sure if it is a real one or not. English subs are available.

Glasses

Glasses is when a girl mourning the loss of her friend meets a stranger with glasses that can see the dead. It is longer than the shorts above, coming in at over 6 minutes. English subtitles are available.

A Neighbor

The last one is a 5 minute short called, A Neighbor. This was the second film of theirs I watched, like the last two it has English subs. The gist of the story is a new resident hears loud fighting from the neighbors above. She sees this neighbor outside, and they engage in small talk, but she is unwilling to bring up the loud noises. A few days later, someone shows up at her door with some shocking news.

Over 120 Short Films

All together OLD ROOTS has over 120 short films on their YouTube channel. From their about section, it looks like there are three main people creating these films. While a lot of the actors and actresses you will see often return to play different roles. Let me hear what you think of OLD ROOTS in the comments below.