The V/H/S series is probably one of the best anthology series today. For those who have never seen it, the series is a found footage-style anthology where horrific and terrifying stories — all caught on camera — are presented in a series of mysterious VHS tapes. The films have wraparound stories about the tapes themselves, hinting at some evil force luring others to their demise by watching the tapes. V/H/S/Halloween is the eighth in the series and is my most favorite as all of the individual stories happen on Halloween night.
A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
V/H/S/Halloween, IMDB
As is with the seven previous entries to the V/H/S series, V/H/S/Halloween starts with a wraparound.
Diet Phantasma (Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson)
A corporate testing facility is using test subjects to try their new soda, “Diet Phantasma,” which is said to contain real ghost material. After many gruesome deaths, the soda makes it to the mass market, hinting at chaos to come.
A great start to the movie, we can guess by the name how dangerous this new drink is. It’s hilarious seeing how serious the main antagonist is compared to the silliness of the plot. On top of that, each tester says how bad the drink smells, but then goes on to try it anyway. Do ghosts smell? Whatever the end goal of the company is, it’s just an awesome concept.
Coochi Coochie Coo (Directed by Anna Zlokovic)
Two teens decide to make their last Halloween before college a night to remember. They go trick-or-treating, stealing candy and disturbing neighbors. At one mysterious house, they step inside and become trapped, forced to become “babies” for a mutated mother inside.
This one gave me chills. I knew entering that house was going to be a big problem, and I was right. It’s pretty gross and I was genuinely worried for these girls. The dark spaces filled with rotting breast milk and what I can only imagine is “baby” poop make it even worse.
Ut Supra Sic Infra (Directed by Paco Plaza)
In Spain, a group of friends travel inside a rumored haunted house. After reading a questionable Latin phrase on the wall, all of the friends are killed, leaving one survivor. In a search for answers, the police take the survivor back to the crime scene to reenact that night.
If you like As Above, So Below, you’ll like this segment. Parsing back and forth between the murders and the detectives, we inch closer and closer to the mystery of the house and how the friends met their fate. A possession is one thing, but what happens to them in the end is wild.
Fun Size (Directed by Casper Kelly)
Two couples go trick-or-treating and come upon a bowl of candies of dubious quality. Taking more than one, as a note by the bowl says blatantly not to do, they are transported to a candy factory straight from their nightmares.
This is for sure the funniest segment. From the names of the candies to the “monster” and the rapport between the friends, I was constantly laughing. Makes you think twice before taking that second piece of chocolate!
Kidprint (Directed by Alex Ross Perry)
After a series of child kidnappings, parents come to local film store “Kidprint” to get pictures of their children in hopes of having updated photos in case of an emergency. When a teen disappears during a police-sponsored trick-or-treating event, the Kidprint owner travels back to his store to find an employee is behind the murders.
Kidprint was unnerving because of how real it could be. People disappear all the time, and the victims being children makes it all the more sinister.
Home Haunt (Directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman)
A father-son duo put on one last home haunt before the son leaves home for college. Over the years, the son has grown tired of the haunt, stating his friends made fun of him for their spooky act. During the haunt, they team up with the wife/mother and after playing a record found behind closed doors of their local thrift shop, the haunt becomes alive, killing the patrons and terrorizing the neighborhood.
And to end this Hallow-rific V/H/S installment is the most Halloween-inspired one of all! Everyone loves a home haunt, including the bad ones. Even if this haunt didn’t come to life and start killing everyone, it would still be awesome. It’s fun, nostalgic, and filled with a few cameos in there as well (do I spot Sarah Nicklin and Rick Baker?!).
With each addition to the franchise, the stories, effects, and overall vibes get better and better. V/H/S/Halloween is no different. Part scary, part gross, part laugh-inducing, and all awesome, I have no doubt this will be a yearly viewing experience for me, especially as all of the segments fit so nicely together in one spooky film.
V/H/S/Halloween — as well as the rest of the series — is available to stream on Shudder!
