Miles Morales Gets A Horror-Centric Story With Spider-Verse Short Film The Spider Within

You didn't think the animated world of "Spider-Verse" was done expanding, did you?

Reviews and reactions to "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" have been nothing short of rapturous, with /Film's Chris Evangelista reviewing the film and calling it a "wild, inventive, entertaining film with propulsive energy and style to spare." After the first film came out of nowhere to make its mark as one of the best superhero movies ever, audiences came into the sequel wondering if it could possibly top what we experienced before in 2018. To many, it did just that ... even as the rather abrupt cliffhanger left some a little confused and disappointed. But not to fear, as "Beyond the Spider-Verse" is currently slated to arrive in March of 2024. In case that's still too long of a wait, however, fans are in for yet another pleasant surprise, courtesy of a new Miles Morales-centric short set in the world of "Spider-Verse."

France is currently hosting the annual Annecy International Film Festival, which specializes in the world's most exciting animated offerings, and one such project immediately caused some buzz. A new short film titled "The Spider Within" debuted at the festival and had attendees taking to social media en masse — including /Film's Rafael Motamayor – to sing its praises as a much more horror-skewing take on our friendly multiversal Spider-Man. The story follows Miles (voiced by a returning Shameik Moore) as the weight of his newfound responsibilities begin to trigger panic attacks and we're taken on a terrifying trip into his subconscious. The short is directed by storyboard artist and animation veteran Jarelle Dampier, who discussed everything fans need to know about this intriguing addition to the "Spider-Verse" in a new interview.

When you think about it, it's not only exhausting and immensely difficult being Spider-Man. It's also pretty terrifying for any teenager to suddenly be thrust into the role of a superhero, battling not only supervillains but their own anxieties and self-doubts, too. That's the approach director Jarelle Dampier seems to have taken with his new short film, "The Spider Within," as explained in a new interview with The Wrap.

According to the publication, production on the short came about as part of Sony's LENS program (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers), which the studio describes as "an initiative made to give talented filmmakers from underrepresented groups the opportunity to tell new stories within the world of Sony Animation films." That appears to have paid off in a big way, with writer Khaila Amazan, VFX Supervisor Clara Chan, and Animation Supervisor Joe Darko also involved in creating the short. Describing horror as his "favorite" genre, Dampier explained his reasoning behind giving Miles' story a scary twist:

"I think it's the perfect envelope to give great messages out, especially to younger audiences, and I think it's something that we've kind of shied away from for a long time. But I think if you take a character that kids really love and you put that character in a thrilling situation, I think they get a lot out of it. I say kids, but really I'm talking about all of us. I'm talking about the kid inside of us, you know what I mean? The ability to use something scary with something we love, I think that's the combination to ... sticking the landing in the film."

There's no word yet on when audiences will be able to watch this short for themselves, but stay tuned to /Film for more updates.