Entertainment

'SNL UK' Fans Are Missing This Unsettling 4-Minute Horror Comedy From 2 of Its Stars

Nairavoice · Oct 30, 2026 · 4 min read

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

By now, it is perhaps old news that Saturday Night Live‘s first-ever spin-off, Saturday Night Live UK, was actually a hit. Having not only secured a Season 2, but a second installment that’s 50% longer than the first, the series is proving that the sketch comedy format can not only work in a different country, culture, and creative team, but can even find the same level of success.

But as the second season of the show starts in full swing, with a stacked selection of hosts including Jeff Goldblum, Danny Dyer and Cynthia Erivo, it’s the cast members of the show who are really winning over viewers. Among them are Paddy Young, one half of SNL UK’s Weekend Update, and Jack Shep, who went viral early on for his portrayal of Princess Diana. And, as it turns out, Young and Shep have shared the screen before, starring in a horror comedy short in 2025 titled This Place is a Sh*thole.

‘This Place is a Sh*thole’ Is an Experimental Horror Short Film

Written and directed by Will Wightman, This Place is a Sh*thole is a dark horror comedy short film inspired by the “agony of living in overpriced yet filthy shared flats.” The film starts off with Young and Shep as roommates as they fight over the filth that’s taken over their kitchen. Stacked plates, a clogged-up sink, and just bits and pieces of food and grime everywhere. That’s when a black, hairy monster emerges from the brown water in the sink and attacks them.

“Having spent my entire adult life in mind-bogglingly expensive, soul-destroyingly disgusting shared flats, This Place is a Sh*thole was part creative experiment, part therapy,” Wightman told production studio Blinkink. To fully immerse the viewer in the small, dirty apartment, Wightman shot the film entirely on an Insta360 camera. “I’ve been playing with the capabilities of 360 cameras for the last couple of years as a way to shoot visceral and dynamic action sequences quickly and on the cheap,” he explained. “For me, the distorted and grimy aesthetic that comes out of this amazing little camera when you really push it was perfect for a gross and claustrophobic story set in a shared flat.”

‘This Place is a Sh*thole’ Was a Hit With Fans and Critics

After its release, the almost-four-minute short received plenty of acclaim. This Place is a Sh*thole won the Outstanding Achievement Award for Dark Comedy Short at the 2026 Indie Short Fest, was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2026 British Horror Film Festival, was chosen as part of the Official Selection at the 2026 Norwich Film Festival, and was selected at the 2026 Encounters Film Festival, which is a qualifying festival for BAFTA, BIFA, and the Oscars.

As for the reviews, most of them praised Wightman’s creative directing, as well as the genuine horror provoked by the monster, nicknamed Mr Sticky (played by Robin Berry). “With its matted fur, bloodshot eyes, and cursed teeth, it goes for Jamie and Will in uncertain terms,” Andrew McGregor wrote in his review for David Reviews. “As the monster batters the kitchen door or turns its head, Wightman’s wired camerawork makes the viewer feel like they’re in danger—not bad for a horror-comedy.”

Users on Letterboxd were equally impressed. “Really f— funny but also tense in how it’s shot, and the lighting is also pretty decent. I think the design of the creature is awesome because it’s genuinely terrifying,” wrote one review. “What a phenomenal short!” wrote another review. “It’s got a great story, amazing cinematography, excellent production design, phenomenal editing, and a killer monster.”

With all that said, while Young and Shep are currently starring in their breakout roles on SNL UK, ones that will solidify them as comedy stars on the rise, the actors hit comedy gold previously in their short, This Place is a Sh*thole. For fans of the show and the actors, the short is an easy, four-minute must-watch.