Fear Wish: A creepy short that asks what would you do for love?

Fear Wish is a creepy, short horror film that doesn’t skimp on the scare factor. It begs the question, just how far would you go for someone you love?

Fear Wish is a short film written and directed by Todd Spence and Zak White. Believe me, it packs a punch. I love creepy movies and until I saw this 3 minute plus effort, I thought that the only way to make a viewer jump in terror is through a full-length movie.

Wrong! Be prepared to be spooked out.

The short opens with a darkened room and a fireplace. You hear in the background a man’s heavy breathing and you can tell that he is terrified. Then a flashlight turns on and off three times. When it turns back on the third time, there is a pile of money in front of the fireplace.

There is no eerie music playing in the background to increase the already mounting tension and no prelude dialogue to give the viewer an idea of what the film is about. This fact only adds to the ominous setting.

Photo: Fear Wish.. Image Courtesy Todd Spence and Zak White /

Then the scene flashes forward to Nash who is sitting on a couch staring at the mysterious mound of money that materialized by his fireplace. On his coffee table next to the cash, we hear his friend, Mike on his telephone walking him through the steps that he needs to take in order to have his wish fulfilled.

His wife is sick and the money is to pay for treatment, but the rules involved in his wishing are complicated. The first wish is for what he wants. In this case, it was $50,000 for a treatment his wife needs. Now, the hard part. He has to wish a fear wish. In other words, he has to wish for something he is afraid of.

If he doesn’t then the money will disappear. Mike assures Nash that he can do this, that Mike himself survived the fear wish. So, Nash concentrates on his fear wish then as before he turns the flashlight on and off three times. Turning the flashlight on the third time, his fear should be right in front of the flashlight.

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We hear a noise, and when the light flashes on the screen in front of the fireplace is open indicating something exited it. Nash becomes agitated and upset. Mike concerned asks him what’s wrong. Nash wished the wrong fear. He said he couldn’t help it, it just entered his head at the last minute and stuck there.

Mike now concerned repeatedly asks Nash, “What was your fear?”

Nash reluctantly tells him that his fear was that the treatment didn’t work and his wife died. He is still scanning the room with his flashlight but doesn’t see anything. They begin to hope that the wish didn’t take, then suddenly from behind the coffee table his wife’s ashen face is caught in the light.

It definitely gives “the be careful what you wish for” sentiment a whole new meaning. Short horror films have become extremely popular and pack feature length productions into twelve minutes or less on YouTube.

This was my first time watching an effort of this type and it piqued my curiosity enough to go back and check out a few more short horror films. They were really good even if I didn’t always like the ambiguous endings.

Fear Wish definitely ticks all the right boxes.

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Let us know what you think of Fear Wish in the comments.

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