‘V/H/S/Halloween’ (Shudder) Review – A Chaos-Induced Franchise Installation

V/H/S is a cult classic film franchise that began in 2012. The franchise has now accumulated eight installments and two spin-off movies. The eighth installment, V/H/S/Halloween, may be the most chaotic of them all. It follows a bit of the usual V/H/S formula, but with a twist. Usually, the found footage anthology segments are all pretty much within the same horror sub-genre, which is based on the subtitle or the main segment within the film. This installation includes various types of sub-genres in each segment, and some are extremely sadistic and twisted. Shudder’s newest film includes two of the sickest segments of the franchise so far. Possession, slasher, and horror-comedy are some of the different genres within the segments. They find different ways to engage you as V/H/S/Halloween moves forward.

Discussion

The main segment of V/H/S/Halloween is “Diet Phantasma”, directed and written by Bryan M. Ferguson. He brings a unique style and vision to this segment based on a soda company testing their new drink, which keeps being met with issues as they test it. It’s the segment that runs throughout the entire film, and it’s shot in a grainy old-school ’80s style. We know a lot of things produced in the ’80s and ’90s were not safe for consumption, and that’s mainly what this segment is reliant on. David Haydn portrays Blaine Rothschild, the top scientist producing the soda that has a very secret ingredient in it, and he will do whatever it takes to get the item into production and on shelves.

V/H/S/Halloween‘s Segments

The first segment of V/H/S/Halloween is titled “Coochie Coochie Coo”. Anna Zlokovic wrote and directed this very creepy and sadistic segment that is a bit disturbing, but horror fans will love it. Lacie (Samantha Cochran) and Kaleigh (Natalia Montgomery) are two high school seniors headed to Yale, on their last night of trick-or-treating, maybe or maybe not literally. They are met by children who mention a neighborhood urban legend known as “The Mommy” (Elena Musser). As they go trick-or-treating, they stumble upon a house with insane decorations and run into an insane house of horrors. A little bit of comedy is sprinkled in this segment, but it’s full-on terror for the most part.

V/H/S/Halloween‘s second segment is pure chaos, directed by Paco Plaza, with some screenwriting help from Alberto Marini. “Ut Supra Sic Infra, As Above, So Below” is a Spanish-language segment that definitely leans into the foreign horror film tropes of it all. It’s sadistic and terrifying; you can try to brace yourself, but it’s an insane segment that rips at you. Enric (Teo Planell) is a young man trying to help the police solve a night of horrors he endured, but doesn’t want to go through again. He and his friends traveled to a home on Halloween night after leaving a party, and what they found was something horrifying. Enric warns the police, but they want to find out what happened at any cost.

Brought to life by Casper Kelly, “Fun Size” is one of V/H/S/Halloween‘s more insane segments. A friend group, Lauren (Lawson Greyson), Josh (Riley Nottingham), Haley (Jenna Hogan), and Austin (Jake Ellworth), goes double dating and trick-or-treating and finds a house with a bowl full of oddly named candies. This bowl has a sign that says “one per person.” Undoubtedly, they grab more than one, and what they endure after is no fault but their own. They find a warehouse filled with two characters hell bent on making them pay for taking more than two pieces. A horror-comedy of chaotic proportions that, while goofy, was well thought out.

And Now, For More Intrigue

“Kidprint”, written and directed by Alex Ross Perry, as his contribution to V/H/S/Halloween, is something that nightmares are made of. Parents have their kids’ pictures taken and information recorded to make sure they can be found if they go missing. There’s a sick twist in this segment, as the children all go missing shortly after their information and photos are taken, and it seems our main character, Tim (Stephen Gurewitz), is trying to ignore it. As the segment moves along, we find out what’s happening, and it’s far more disturbing than anything we can imagine. I wish this segment came with a trigger warning—not for me, but for others. However, this is a V/H/S film, and we should expect some sick things in at least one of these segments.

“Home Haunt” may be my personal favorite segment of V/H/S/Halloween, written and directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman. It’s about a family doing their last Halloween together before the son, Zack (Noah Diamond), goes off to college. They do a haunted house of horrors called Dr. Mortis’ House of Horrors. The father, Keith (Jeff Harms), wants Zack to help, but he feels he’s too old. His mother, Nancy (Sarah Nicklin), convinces him to join.

Keith and Zack go to a Halloween store, and while inside, Keith takes an album that literally has the most insane warning label ever. He completely ignores it, he plays the vinyl, and what he opens is something that cannot be undone. He brings all of the monsters in his house of horrors to life. The kills are fun and some of the best effects that I’ve seen in a V/H/S segment in a while. So much fun in this segment, even though it’s a bit short.

Final Thoughts on V/H/S/Halloween

Each segment of V/H/S/Halloween has its own style and elements, just like the other installments of the franchise. I think what makes this film different from the others is that it’s concise and flows so well. Not all of them can do that, and some of the segments are just flat-out not good. This is reminiscent of the first two V/H/S movies, where things were flowing and consistent. While this isn’t some guy finding V/H/S tapes in a house, it still is very consistent with how it flows, which is what ultimately makes these films so fun to watch.

V/H/S/Halloween is legitimately what nightmares are made of. Every segment seems like something out of a Goosebumps book made for adults, or Stephen King’s children of horror. Imagine every single horrible thing you could imagine happening around Halloween, and this is what you’d get. Foreign horror, possession, comedy elements, and just flat-out chaos. Some of this film is extremely disturbing, but it has a great payoff in each segment. This overall may be the strongest installment in the franchise. Whether you love or hate the V/H/S films, they have become a staple and cult favorite within the found footage sub-genre. V/H/S/Halloween makes sure that continues.

Rating: 4.5/5

V/H/S/Halloween streams via Shudder starting tomorrow, Friday, October 3rd!

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Cleve Barber Jr

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