13 years after the primary V/H/S made its debut, the franchise makes an attempt to return to the nastiness of the unique lo-fi horror anthology with V/H/S/Halloween. That includes 5 new segments (six, together with the wraparound) from rising and established style filmmakers, the newest installment is one other largely entertaining gore-fest with just a few gnarly methods up its sleeve.
Spanning the ’80s by means of the early 2000s (and a minimum of one alternate dimension), the eighth V/H/S movie – the fifth underneath the stewardship of beloved horror streamer Shudder – begins off sturdy with “Weight-reduction plan Phantasma,” a wraparound phase that is equal elements Cronenberg and bats**t cosmic horror. The “labeled” footage paperwork a company’s trials of a brand new food plan soda formulated with what primarily quantities to ectoplasm, which has more and more grotesque results on check members.
- Launch Date
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October 3, 2025
- Runtime
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115 Minutes
- Director
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Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Bryan M Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, R.H. Norman
- Writers
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Anna Zlokovic, Bryan M. Ferguson, Micheline Pitt, R.H. Norman
- Producers
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James Harris, Michael Schreiber, Brad Miska
Bryan M. Ferguson, a filmmaker greatest recognized for music movies for the likes of Rubbish and Alice Glass, units a darkly comedic tone that endures by means of the primary brief, “Coochie Coochie Coo,” a bonkers ode to the Bizarre Home on the finish of each avenue. Directed by Anna Zlokovic (Appendage), the brief makes in depth use of sensible results – and no small quantity of white, viscous liquids – for a phase that can draw comparisons to Zach Cregger’s Barbarian. The second brief, courtesy of REC co-creator Paco Plaza, sees a younger man serving to authorities reconstruct what occurred at a Halloween celebration, the place all of his associates have been discovered lifeless, their bones crushed, and their eyes gouged out (you do not wish to know the place the eyes went).
Each Zlokovic and Plaza’s segments really feel a bit lengthy, with the latter, “Ut Supra Sic Infra,” feeling tonally misplaced among the many others. Whereas pleasant, Plaza’s brief feels extra typical and lacks the nasty humor of the remainder, together with the third phase, “Enjoyable Measurement,” from “Too Many Cooks” mastermind Casper Kelly. 4 associates who’re too previous for trick-or-treating (a recurring theme in V/H/S/Halloween) uncover a bowl of sweet from manufacturers they’ve by no means heard of, accompanied by the basic obnoxious instruction: ONE PER PERSON. What follows is a hilariously off-putting journey to a different dimension in a brief that goes all-in on a sick stoner joke, and in the end feels precisely like a Casper Kelly joint on late-night Grownup Swim (complimentary).
The fourth and fifth segments, “Child Print” and “House Hang-out,” are hands-down the perfect that V/H/S/Halloween has to supply. Filmmaker Alex Ross Perry, whose credit embody Her Scent, Queen of Earth, and the current video-store doc Videoheaven, made what is definitely the darkest and most demented wanting the bunch. Set on the peak of the stranger hazard panic in 1992, “Child Print” revisits the idea of video IDs – mother and father may go to their native Blockbuster, the place an worker would make a videotape of their youngsters stating their names and info about themselves, which may then be circulated within the unlucky occasion of their kidnapping. In hindsight, the apply was extraordinarily morbid and absolutely insane, and it is good fodder for Perry’s exceedingly grisly brief, which validates each mum or dad’s worst concern whereas nearly suggesting a sinister self-fulfilling prophecy at play.
“Child Print” will probably be a troublesome sit for some viewers, however it’s the closest V/H/S/Halloween involves capturing the forbidden-footage vibe the franchise has been chasing since its flagship installment. It is also what makes “House Hang-out” such a satisfying nearer, a type of palate cleanser that throws you a handful of guffaws with the scares. Directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman, the rising filmmaking duo behind the upcoming Beauty, “House Hang-out” follows a dad who enlists his begrudging teen son for one final DIY haunted home – an annual custom that is misplaced its cool-factor because the son has gotten older. Dad finds the proper addition at their native antiques retailer, which causes absolute chaos on the eponymous occasion.
With few exceptions, V/H/S/Halloween is a solidly profitable addition to the long-running anthology sequence, although the almost two-hour runtime reiterates an ongoing situation with the franchise, which may stand to chop its regular 5 or 6 segments all the way down to 4. Within the streaming period, when cinephiles and filmmakers are advocating for elevated theatrical attendance, a two-hour horror anthology is sadly precisely the type of film you find yourself ready to observe at dwelling, when you possibly can zone out and in at will – which additionally makes Shudder the perfect dwelling for V/H/S.
V/H/S/Halloween releases October 3 on Shudder.