V/H/S/Halloween

The movie did not offer anything outstanding, candidly. It is very normal for the vast majority of found footage horror movies to result in subpar quality, and this offering is right on track with it. I never expect any game-changing aspects; however, it did go the distance in disappointing. The acting seemed contrived, the CGI appeared rough, and the storyline was painfully predictable from start to finish. It failed to offer suspense, atmosphere, and any real terror. Unlike previous VHS found footage films that at least had some form of charm or innovation, this offering felt very impassive and easily forgettable. Nothing sets it apart, and it is hard to find any reason to recommend it.

It was high time a V/H/S flick got made with the Halloween theme. Like with each instalment, it's ideal to analyse segment-by-segment:

"Diet Phantasma" (wraparound narrative) - Prologue Written and directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, this one's my least favourite in the film overall. It has that late '80s look and solid practical effects, but given that the same thing repeats itself between segments (consume soda or get close to it, go insane), it became incredibly less impactful by the end. (2/5)

"Coochie Coochie Coo" The story takes place around 2009 and features some interesting lore. Two high schoolers go trick-or-treating (for the final time, ugh) and end up getting stuck at a house with a mysterious occupant (or occupants?). The one's a load of fun -- creepy make-up effects, some unexpectedly disgusting finds, shaky cam 101, and a pretty satisfying finale. (3/5)

"Ut Supra Sic Infra" Paco Plaza (of REC, Veronica, and Sister Death) comes up with a crime reconstruction plot at a supposed psychic's mansion. The setup and payoffs here are predictable, and there's a surprising amount of eye-gouging here, which made me want to look away. But besides the action-packed finale, there isn't much to write home about for a filmmaker of Plaza's calibre. (2.5/5)

"Fun Size" What a blast! This is, hands down, my pick. Casper Kelly's segment is the perfect mix of laughs, gross-out gore, and tension-driven thrills. Glad this segment was positioned as the "centrepiece" because it had pretty much everything I wanted from a V/H/S segment. The effects are great, the payoffs are solid, and there's scope for a full-length film here, if characters can be well-developed. Give this guy a budget! (4/5)

"Kidprint" Alex Rose Perry writes and directs the darkest segment in the film, revolving around a serial (kidnapper and) killer with a video fetish. The segment holds nothing back when it comes to depicting violence and harm against kids and adolescents, with some really gruesome imagery coming your way. The plot is quite thin and unfolds quickly, but the gnarly effects do capture your attention. (3/5)

"Home Haunt" Micheline Pitt-Norman & R. H. Norman's segment feels eerily familiar to a short story I wrote almost a decade ago, with a family haunt gradually turning into a hellish portal. It also has a bit of the Hell House LLC hangover to it, but there are some surprises too, with a really captivating (and brutal) finale. A pretty solid segment, if not a great one. (3/5)

Overall, it's good to see the impressive segments outnumbering the disappointing ones in this edition of V/H/S. Let's keep the yearly tradition going -- it not only gives rise to new, creative voices in the horror genre, but also opens the doors for them to materialise their larger ideas in the near future.

I'm not a huge fan of found footage horror but have always enjoyed most of the VHS entries. Loved the first two and the recent Beyond installment. This is probably my fourth favorite of the entire series and I primarily watched it as I'm a huge fan of REC and the director was involved with the second segment, "Ut Supra Sic Infra".

As for each segment:

Wraparound - Diet Phantasma - 5/10 Was ok but got a bit repetitive.

1st Segment - "Coochie Coochie Coo" - 4/10 Two older teens go into a haunted house on Halloween, encounter weird 'family' This one didn't work for me and seemed bland.

2nd Segment - "Ut Supra Sic Infra" - 6/10 Investigators take survivor to scene of a crime to re-enact how everyone died. Had high hopes for this coming from REC co-creator and wasn't too bad. Expected a bit more but you might enjoy more with lower expectations.

3rd Segment - "Fun Size" - 8/10 Two older couples go trick or treating and face the consequences of taking more than 1 candy. This was my favorite and was a horror comedy (but very gory). Seems like people will love it or hate it.

4th Segment - "Kidprint" - 5/10 Children are missing after visiting an electronics store. This segment was very gory and some people might not be able to stomach it. Not my type of horror but might be for others.

5th Segment - "Home Haunt" - 7/10 Family runs a haunted house on Halloween and gets more than they bargained for with mysterious record. Liked this episode even if it was predictable. Was also one of the gorier segments of this anthology.

Overall, this is one of the gorier entries in the VHS series and like others, has some segments that hit and others that miss. If you can get past the first underwhelming segment, you might find a few other segments you'll enjoy - especially 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.

What a great film to kickoff the season! This film is loads of fun!

I went in expecting another mediocre VHS film but instead was awesomely surprised with something that played like an amateurs masterpiece. Dark yet playful and fun. You get your violence and dark themes with plenty of laughs. Is the acting masterclass? Lol, it doesn't need to be.

The story about the candy making, one per person... wow, hahaha.

If you're going into this one without expectation and just looking for new spooky season films to sprinkle in with the classics you're undoubtedly watching...throw this one on and give it a chance.