Halloween season is fast approaching, and therefore, it’s the perfect time for another entry in the V/H/S franchise. Instead of focusing on a specific decade like previous entries, V/H/S/Halloween hops around the decades with its found footage frights in the most chaotic ways imaginable. Each segment is set on Halloween, and whether they all embody the Halloween spirit is a matter of debate. However, there’s no denying that this is a horror franchise that delights in gore, practical effects, and isn’t afraid to kill its younger characters.
V/H/S/Halloween follows six separate horror segments, with the first one, in which we’re thrown in, being the wraparound story. All six segments take place on Halloween and aren’t connected, but could be part of the same universe. If so, then it’s one of the worst universes to live in because just about anything can happen to the characters.
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Just like the other V/H/S films that came before V/H/S/Halloween, some segments are better than others, and the wraparound story either works or it doesn’t. In the case of V/H/S/Halloween, it’s not the strongest segment of the bunch.
We kick off V/H/S/Halloween with the wraparound story titled “Diet Phantasma,” which is directed & written by Bryan M. Ferguson, and follows a corrupt corporation which is using folks to test out their deadly soda. Despite the early ’80s aesthetics being on point, especially in terms of grainy filming, the story itself isn’t nearly as intriguing as it should be.
“Cootchie Coo” may be the best segment out of V/H/S/Halloween and the franchise itself.
The idea of soda that’s been altered and affects people differently is fun in theory, though not as much in how “Diet Phantasma” executes it. If this segment weren’t a frame narrative, it wouldn’t be so disappointing. However, since it’s the story we keep going back to, there’s not enough payoff to warrant its position in the film. Thankfully, the next segment (and arguably one of the best in the franchise) makes up for the opening segment.
“Coochie Coochie Coo” is directed/written by Anna Zlokovic and is supposedly set during some point in the 2000s, following Kaleigh (Natalia Montgomery Fernandez) and Lacie (Samantha Cochran), who are enjoying their last time trick-or-treating. When they stumble upon and enter a creepy house, the mysterious urban legend of “The Mommy” is revealed to be more than just a legend.
There’s genuine terror throughout “Coochie Coochie Coo,” and it’s not just because the girls are filming it. The house is disgusting in the best way, the supernatural activity is unsettling, and the other surprises we get are downright disturbing. And the acting from both Natalia Montgomery and Samantha Cochran is very natural, making them feel like real people.
Segments like “Coochie Coochie Coo” serve as a reminder of why people love the V/H/S franchise. The stories the franchise is willing to tell aren’t mainstream, and it’s a refreshing break from what big studios sometimes release into the wild.
Much like many entries in the V/H/S franchise, some segments are stronger than others.
The next segment is the second, if not the primary, weakest of the bunch, and that’s “Ut Supra Sic Infra”. It’s directed by Paco Plaza and written by Paco Plaza & Alberto Marini. The segment is in Spanish, and while it’s very fantastic to support international horror, this segment falls mostly flat despite its premise. “Ut Supra Sic Infra” follows a young man who survived a massacre and aids the police in sorting out what happened that night.
Instead of properly exploring the night in question, the segment mostly follows Enric (Teo Planell) and the police in the present time. We get glimpses of the night of the massacre; however, we only see the aftermath via the police investigation. To put it plainly, “Ut Supra Sic Infra” is a possession segment where people are wandering a home where mediumship has occurred quite frequently. There’s great gore, a gnarly scene involving an eye, but as a whole, it’s one of those segments that you won’t be lingering on too long.
The V/H/S franchise is known for comedic horror beats, as well as outright scares. Therefore, “Fun Size,” written and directed by Casper Kelly, is an excellent segment to lead into after the seriousness of “Ut Supra Sic Infra.” This V/H/S/Halloween segment follows a group of friends who find themselves in dire circumstances when they eat more than one candy from a bowl outside of someone’s home.
It’s not what you might initially expect. One character is insufferable in a nearly comedic way, and there’s a twist regarding the Halloween candy that might make you want to puke. It’s a blast of a segment, and the ending is certainly not cookie-cutter.
V/H/S/Halloween doesn’t break new ground in horror, but it is still entertaining.
One thing that might not work for everyone is the fact that the franchise is willing to kill young people. It’s still relatively taboo in the American horror landscape, but the V/H/S films break that taboo. V/H/S/Halloween continues that tradition with “Kidprint,” directed & written by Alex Ross Perry.
The segment follows a videostore worker who realizes that the ID service they offer for children is linked to the kids who have gone missing in the area. The segment is like something out of a true crime case, and it’s truly frightening to see what happens to the characters in this one. All the practical effects make it feel like you’re watching snuff tapes, which only lends to the experience of “Kidprint”.
The final segment is titled “Home Haunt,” which is directed & written by Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman, and it follows a family whose Halloween decorations come to life after playing a cursed LP. What this segment does well is capture the frightening experience of seeing your haunted house become very real. It’s a stressful segment due to everyone having to run for their lives from various monsters, while also trying to save one another. Other than the premise itself, though, it’s not going to make the unofficial hall of fame for V/H/S segments.
V/H/S/Halloween is a good found footage film to throw on with your favorite snacks or watch during a Halloween marathon. It doesn’t break the mold for found footage as an entire anthology film, but if you’re a found footage fan who’s looking for gore, practical effects, lesser-known filmmakers, and ambitious swings, then you’ll enjoy yourself with this entry.
Will V/H/S/Halloween be your favorite of the most recent films? That’s for you to find out, and we’ll surely see what V/H/S has cooking for us next time around.
V/H/S/Halloween streams exclusively on Shudder on October 3, 2025.
