Special Day: “Terrifying” short film and TikTok video explained

There’s a short horror movie terrifying audiences on social media lately. Here’s everything you need to know about Special Day, and where you can watch it.

We all love to find new movies to watch, right? While most people head to streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus, there are other options. In fact, some are finding short films to watch on TikTok of all places.

Special Day is a great example of this new trend. It’s a relatively humble short horror movie that dropped online with little fanfare in 2019. Now, it’s being watched by thousands of people online — all because it was shared on TikTok.

If you’re keen to keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to finding the best TikTok videos, this one’s for you. Here’s all you need to know about the Special Day short film.

What is the Special Day horror short film about?

The plot of Special Day revolves around Emily, a young woman celebrating her 18th birthday with her family. She learns her family have a gift — they each have a mysterious specter that gets closer to them, the closer they are to dying, meaning they can measure how long they have left to live.

YouTube: ALTER

Her dad tells her she’ll achieve greatness thanks to the family’s gift, which only reveals itself when someone turns 18. It’s a Sentinel, a lanky, frightening man who’s the embodiment of death. He should be far away in the distance at first, but each step closer to you means you’re nearing the day you’ll die. “Your Sentinel is the measure of the length of your life,” her mom explains.

Emily’s family see that knowledge as a blessing, but she refuses to believe it at first — especially since he’s already in the room with her. As her mother turns round, she hears her own Sentinel’s raspy shriek, and other Sentinels appear in the room.

Special Day ends with Emily and her family dying in an earthquake, hence the sudden arrival of the Sentinels. The room shakes, and as the film cuts to black, we hear car alarms, the sound of rubble falling, and emergency sirens wailing outside.

In a statement to Short of the Week, the film’s writer Nikolai von Keller said Special Day was inspired by “our collective desire to explore the horror space. Both Teal [Greyhavens] and I love horror, especially concept-based horror. We wanted to see if we could produce a horror short that revolved around an interesting premise, as well as one that had the requisite jump scare but also maintained a sense of dread and rising tension throughout.

“We’re both drawn to broader questions about fate and predestination, and we thought tying that to a (mostly) stationary but nightmarish figure could give audiences a really rewarding horror experience.”

How to watch Special Day

Special Day is available to watch in its entirety on YouTube for free. You can check it out below:

If you like Special Day, you should learn more about upcoming horrors like Longlegs, Smile 2, and Alien: Romulus. Or, if you love short films, here’s more recommendations, like Backstroke, Passerby, and a horrifying Godzilla short. We’ve also got 12 horror movies to get excited about in 2024 if you’re into the scares.