Watch: Supernatural Horror Short ‘Death Red’ Featuring Haunted Paint

“What you’re looking at is an authentic can of Barkner’s Scarlet Secret.” Be careful with that! A new horror short has debuted online after playing at festivals that’s worth a watch. Death Red is a 12-minute horror short film made by filmmaker Mitch Glass, his latest creation for the horror community (he also made the shorts Box 616 and Canary which we’ve featured previously). “This horror is scripted. Your goosebumps are not.” Death Red premiered at the 2025 Sitges Film Festival last year and played at many others. Originally sold in the 1960s as Scarlet Secret, the paint later dubbed “Death Red” was outlawed in 1984 after it was discovered to contain the remains of victims murdered by Richard Barkner, a respected paint manufacturer who used his company, Barkner Paints, to conceal his crimes. Legend warns that using it and uttering the phrase “open their eyes” will awaken the trapped souls within. When young artist Claire acquires a forgotten can, she believes it will fuel her next masterpiece. Starring Kelsey Tuma as Claire. They shot this in only 2 days! Another impressive horror short from Mitch – I really hope he gets to make his first feature soon, too. // Continue Reading ›