Shudder is back with a new installment to the V/H/S franchise. This time instead of basing the premise around a certain time period like some of the previous installments such as V/H/S/94 or V/H/S/85 this one has segments all centered around Halloween. What we got is a variety bag of sweet, sour and downright disturbing segments in what could very well be the most violent installment in the V/H/S franchise. So crack open some candy corn and read to hear my thoughts on V/H/S/Halloween.
The film opens with the first piece of the wraparound segment, and while I usually find the wraparound portions of the V/H/S films to be the weakest this one was a blast. Bryan Fergusons Diet Phantasma segment was a darkly funny and bloody riff on processed Halloween specialty items, following a food company trying to make a scary Halloween soda, with each attempt at a new mixture resulting in a hilariously violent death to the test subject. This one had some standout effects and great dry comedy moments; when I spoke to Ferguson I described the segment as "The Thing if the alien was a can of soda". He felt that comparison was accurate.
The first official segment in the film was Coochie-Coochie Coo directed by Anna Zlokovic. This segment was a great kick off to the Halloween vibes, it takes pieces from various classic Halloween story tropes. A**hole teenagers, trick or treating, haunted houses and even some mad scientist and body horror elements are sprinkled in here. The segment follows two teenage girls, played by Samantha Cochran and Natalia Montgomery Fernandez, who stumble across what looks like a haunted house, but they soon find out that what lies within it is much darker and stranger than what they could ever imagine. This segment is weird and off putting in all the right ways, the practical effects and set design are some of the standout aspects of the short as well as the cinematography from Powell Robinson (Mr. Crockett, Appendage) and terrifying performances from the two leads. This one may end up being the strangest of the bunch for some viewers, but it's a great start to the films Halloween madness.
Following that is the segment is Ut Supra Sic Infra which translates to 'As Above So Below, reminiscent of another modern found footage classic. This segment was directed by Paco Plaza, best known for directing the haunting found footage horror film Rec, and with that knowledge I admittedly had high hopes for this segment. The segment follows a group of kids on Halloween night descending into the sewers to look for a haunted object that allegedly resides there intercut with police body camera footage of the sole survivor of the tragic events that befell the group of friends that same night as he walks them through the crime scene. Unfortunately I found it lacking in terms of scares, but it does make up for that in some great filmmaking tricks. The standouts here were the editing, going from the perspective of rowdy drunk teenagers to a police procedural were such compelling opposites that gave the segment a unique flavor. There's also some neat cinematography tricks at the end of the segment that were impressive to see as a nerd for filmmaking.
The next segment, Fun Size directed by Casper Kelly would end up becoming one of my favorites. Fun Size follows a group of teenagers out trick or treating who come across the classic "please take one" candy bowl, and in usual Halloween antics fashion, they help themselves to more than one piece of the noticeably strange candy, which sends them into a strange place where they find themselves hunted down and tortured by some sort of candy deity and his sidekick. Being a fan of some of Kelly's previous horror and horror adjacent work such as Too Many Cooks, This House Has People in It and The Scooby Doo Project it was a delight to finally see him take on a V/H/S segment and it didn't disappoint. This one has the dark absurd comedy that Kelly and some of the previous V/H/S installments have played with over the years as well as plenty of gore that as gross as it is you can’t help but laugh at. This segment was an absolute blast, and now I need a feature length film about the Fun Size creature and his sidekick as soon as possible.
The second to last segment Kidprint, directed by Alex Ross Perry is possibly the most violent V/H/S segment in the entire franchise. The segment follows a business making identification videos for parents to use and give to police in case their child goes missing, something that's happening a lot in the town. The owner of the kidprint business soon realizes his company maybe at the center of the mystery, with atrocious acts happening right under his nose. This segment was unapologetic in its violence, and I have all the more respect for it because of that. It's mean, ferocious and downright barbaric at times and the scenes of fun nostalgic Halloween festivities happening between all the violence make it even more haunting. Perry and his team craft a horror villain that feels like a deadly mix between Leatherface and William Afton, a diabolical child murderer who’s crimes will leave you stunned in your seat.
The final segment Home Haunt from Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman is a nostalgic blast! This segment follows a father trying to get his now teenage son excited again for their annual homemade haunted house as well as their attempt to push the haunt to the next level and make it the talk of the neighborhood. The ending result is a curse causing the haunt to come life, unleashing Halloween hell. This one is probably the most visually impressive of the bunch as it utilizes different camera tricks, practical effects and animation. The small haunt made with tarps and homemade items becomes a sprawling labyrinth with ghosts, witches and other monsters lurking in it and thirsting for blood. Kids are once again not safe from the destruction and the final moments of this segment feel like an apocalyptic event drenches in cheesy classic Halloween goodness.
Overall, V/H/S/Halloween is a treat for horror fans. It's costumed head to toe in Halloween fanfare. There's plenty of scares, dark comedy and an abundance of gore unbiased to age for viewers to gorge on, pure Halloween awesomeness. It may be the most violent in the franchise, yet at the same time, the most fun. Whether you're curling up by yourself in the dark with a bowl of candy corn or you're throwing a Halloween party, if you're looking for something to put on to satisfy your Samhain cravings, give this one a watch.