V/H/S/Halloween

Be prepared for a gore-a-thon of mayhem with this latest installment into the V/H/S family tree of terrifying tales.

Intro is a poor fool and a trial of some sort that goes horribly horribly wrong for him.

Next we've got tricks or treats Time for one and all, but seems like they're more tricks than treats this year, so you better watch out for "The Mommy" boys and girls, pssst "Coochie Coo." Freaking disturbing is an obvious understatement with this segment, be prepared. Our Halloween party goes awry, and we end up with a serious problem on our hands that needs to be reenacted as best as possible.

Remember only take one candy when trick or treating folks, no really... Fun Size...

If you're already a fan of the V/H/S franchise, chances are you'll find something to enjoy in V/H/S: Halloween. For me, it landed somewhere in the middle. One segment stood out as genuinely scary, original, immersive, and the kind of horror that lingers. Unfortunately, the rest leaned too heavily into gore for gore's sake, sacrificing storytelling for shock value.

That said, there's still plenty of chaotic fun to be had. The film balances flashes of strong direction with moments of pure absurdity, and even when it misses, it never stops being wild. The uneven quality of the segments makes it tricky to rate, but with only one standout and the rest feeling just okay, I'm settling on a 6/10.

This is head and shoulders above VHS beyond. What's so refreshing is that they actually stuck to the theme of Halloween. In VHS Beyond, half of the segments had nothing to do with Space or Aliens.

Framing device: "Diet Phantasma" by Bryan M. Ferguson - A silly tongue-in-cheek premise for the brief interludes throughout the movie. Kind of an homage to Stuart Gordon flicks and those 80's body/splatter horrors, or even early Peter Jackson horror. One thing this story introduces that is consistent throughout "VHS Halloween" has fun and impressive body-horror effects.

Story #1: "Coochie Coochie Coo" by Anna Zlokovic

Genuinely upsetting segment. The practical effects, acting, production design and editing are all top notch. The only thing a little off is some of the initial dialogue. Instant classic, definitely in the top 5 VHS moments. I'm not easily creeped out, the VHS movies can often feel cheap or derivative, but this one actually made me wince and cringe. What a strong start - 8.5/10

Story #2: "Ut Supra Sic Infra" by Paco Plaza - Another absolute banger. The VHS films are usually a pretty amateur affair with the occasional hit of great filmmaking, but by this point in the movie, it's clear the budget and filmmaking is a notch above the other movies in the franchise. The effects, concept and editing are all quality here. The climax with the roof is expertly done, the switching between cameras is super effective, the whole segment has a 70's horror vibe. Makes sense that this is the director of the "Rec" movies, because this is so professionally handled.

-8/10

Story #3: "Fun Size" by Casper Kelly - And.... We crash land back to earth. When I think of "VHS"; mediocre and unimpressive stuff like this segment is what comes to mind. Instantly obnoxious and frustrating. The dialogue and acting is stilted and unconvincing, plus the characters are super unlikeable. It's not scary, and everytime something happens, the characters explain it like they're expecting toddlers are in the audience. It's "show don't tell", not "show AND THEN tell". There's potential for a funny joke at the end and they botch it. What's sad is that this was directed by the guy who did Too Many Cooks. This is trash compared to that. The best thing was one good practical effect.

-4/10

Story #4: "Kidprint" by Alex Ross Perry- I love how this portion isn't supernatural. It's about a series of child serial killings. Doesn't make much sense when you think about it. Plus it devolves into nonsense at the end. But it's admirable that they don't shy away from the harming children. Too many horror films are too chicken to hurt kids. The lead actor is definitely channeling Tim Robinson. It's not up to the standards of the first two, but it's an interesting and well edited segment nonetheless.

-6/10

Story #5: "Home Haunt" by Micheline Pitt-Norman & R. H. Norman -

Extremely simple story about a haunted house that becomes real. It's not original or anything but it's really well done. Again, the gore effects are pretty stellar and the characters are actually likeable.

-7/10

All in all, if it wasn't for the bad 3rd segment and middling 4th segment, this would one of my favourite horror flicks of the year so far. But that being said, it's still by far and away the best VHS.

I love the first 2, and all the ones before vhs Halloween at least had some standouts...this one is by far the worst...so creepy stuff here and there, but far from where the original came from...it feels like it's thrown together, and way worse than the last couple of vhs's...in a world of constant over rated horror, Vhs Halloween is just one more...

It's Halloween season, which means a new V/H/S film. What a sweet, bloody treat. I'm surprised they're finally doing a holiday-themed movie, like a Halloween special. This opens up more possibilities for themed episodes. I mean, they could do a follow-up with a Volume 2 or something, because this entry only scratches the surface of its concept, yet it also leaves enough open to explore more Halloween-related themes.

While V/H/S/ Halloween might not be my favorite, all the segments were solid. The standout segments were 'Kid Print' and 'Home Haunt.' One was disturbing and violent, while the other was entertaining, creative, and very violent. Both involve kids in danger, and I was surprised at how far they went, especially in terms of killing kids. 'Kid Print' takes a more grounded approach and is the darkest entry I've seen in these movies. The main horror in that segment is every parent's worst nightmare for their child, combined with the presence of sick individuals out there who want to harm children. 'Home Haunt' is more fun, as it focuses on an amateur, homemade haunted house attraction that turns deadly and becomes very real.

The rest of the segments were also good. Every V/H/S film always has that weak or terrible segment, but in my opinion, this one didn't. 'Coochie Coochie Coo' was gross and might make you avoid drinking milk for a while. 'Ut Supra Sic Infra' is a straightforward segment about demon possession. 'Fun Size' feels and looks like one of those YouTube horror shorts, but it's still fun to watch. 'Diet Phantasma' is a dark comedy about a soda company testing a new soda through trials and experiments, even resorting to supernatural means out of desperation to find a new flavor.

What more is there to say? It's a bloody good time.