Since its inception way back in 2012 (truly a different time), the “V/H/S” horror anthology series has delivered a reliable selection of thrills and chills with only slightly truncated regularity (the first three films arrived in 2012, 2013, and 2014, before putting a pause on the whole caboodle, only to come roaring back in 2021 and banging out entry out a year). And while the series has often been released in the prime of spooky time (read: October), the eighth entry into the franchise is now going full Halloween.
Naturally, it’s entitled “V/H/S/Halloween,” and the latest feature promises all sorts of holiday-appropriate tricks and treats. Per its official synopsis: “A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.”
The film just had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest over the weekend, and early reviews have been largely positive, hailing its combination of laugh-out-loud jokes and gory scares. Per usual, the anthology film is built on found-footage conceits, offering up five horror shorts and sixth that serves as both the frame for the entire endeavor and its own chilling entry.
On offer this time around: stories about the evils of diet soda, suburban moms, crime scenes, Halloween candy, video stores, and even a cursed LP. In other words, it’s got it all.
The film’s six segments include “Diet Phantasma” directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, “Fun Size” directed by Casper Kelly, “Home Haunt” directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman, “Kidprint” directed by Alex Ross Perry, “Ut Supra Sic Infra” directed by Paco Plaza, and “Coochie Coochie Coo” directed by Anna Zlokovic.
The full trailer for “V/H/S/Halloween” leans way into its perfectly calibrated scary setting, but for all the obviously dark stuff this new look shows off (dark spaces, bone-crunching sound effects, and what is clearly a super evil crime scene), it’s the specific Halloween stuff that really pops. Haven’t you ever thought how odd it is that we go to strangers’ houses one night a year to ask them to give our children candy? Or that we pay money for people to jump out at us in confined spaces? Halloween, naturally scary, but also naturally really weird.
Check out the full trailer for “V/H/S/Halloween” below. It will start streaming on Shudder on Friday, October 3.