Horror Short Review: The Rug (2026)

The Rug is a fantastic example of collaboration in horror, and how age should never be a barrier to filmmaking. Directed by Sean Cisterna, and based on the short story by Edo van Belkom, The Rug proudly boasts that is was made with a crew of senior citizens and funded, in part, by the New Horizons for Seniors Program. It stars Jayne Eastwood, Tony Nardi, Zoë Belkin, and Jonathan Kim.

Edna, an elderly woman, spots a nice-looking rug by some trash cans, so decides to take it home to brighten up her hallway. What she doesn’t know is that this rug isn’t normal. In fact, it has an appetite and will devour anything left under it.

Useful to get rid of dirt, but even more useful to get rid of a pesky landlord and a nosey cop. That is until its appetite grows to such an extent that Edna can’t control it anymore.

It’s not as dark as it sounds as the short takes a ‘tongue in cheek’ approach to its horror and is all the better for it. The overarching idea is creative and a hell of a lot of talent (both behind and in front of the camera) make it believable. It’s a highly entertaining watch with some layered messaging around isolation and desperation.