V/H/S /Halloween is the 8th film in the found footage anthology franchise V/H/S. It was produced by Bloody Disgusting, and each one of the short films has a different writer and is themed around Halloween. Even though the movie has not been greatly received, it still manages to deliver on the fun nature of the series.
The first segment presented is “Diet Phantasm” (written and directed by Bryan Ferguson), which plays out throughout the film in between the other segments. The story revolves around a group of scientists that are testing a new soda that has poltergeists as an ingredient. This was a great segment that helped to prepare for the upcoming parts of the movie, and the documentary style complements it greatly. Also, the mid-credit scene was a great way to tie out the story.
Next is “Coochie Coochie Coo” (written and directed by Anna Zlokovic), which follows two high schoolers going on their last trick-or-treating session that ends up with them becoming trapped in a house that appeared out of nowhere. This one managed to set up a very eerie tone inside the house, and the main ghost is a very well-done tragic character; she also has a couple of great scare moments.
Then there is “Ut Supra Sic Infra” (written and directed by Paco Plazo); it revolves around a police investigation trying to figure out what caused a massacre by having the sole survivor walk them through what happened. It was the weakest segment in the movie due to the very uninteresting events that unfold that don’t allow it to hold up compared to the others.
After that is “Fun Size” (written and directed by Casper Kelly); after taking two from a bowl of gag candy, two couples find themselves fighting for their lives in a reality-bending factory. The segment captures a more comedic tone compared to the others, which works as a good breath of fresh air. Also, the main villain is able to capture a great feeling of helplessness while still being very unique.
The scariest segment of the movie is “Kid Print” (written and directed by Alex Perry) and follows a local video store helps to combat his town’s mass disappearance of children by making kid prints; however, he stumbles upon a disturbing secret. All the kid prints playing build up the setting of the time greatly.
The director had this to say about his use of kid prints: “Amidst a then‑booming time of kidnapped children, electronic stores, specifically Blockbusters, in collaboration with John Walsh … I’ve always been fascinated by these.” Also, the final twist was great and leaves the viewer haunted by what they just saw.
The last segment is “Home Haunt” (written and directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman), where a dad tries to use their home haunt to connect with his son, but after the haunt comes to life, they join together to escape. The effects of the monsters in this film look extremely nice, and the deaths are all engaging. Also, the story is very emotional between the dad and the son the directors had to say this about the emotional moments of the story “We wanted to do the first, at least partially wholesome V/H/S segment because no one’s ever done that”.
Despite the poor reviews “V/H/S/ Halloween” is able to keep to the quality of the older films while still feeling unique. The film is good for anybody that is a fan of the previous ones or is just looking for a more low-commitment horror movie to watch.
