V/H/S/Halloween

The thing is, I feel like increasingly I am not the audience for these. Every year, a new anthology of horror shorts. Last year (V/H/S Beyond) was the most I'd enjoyed these since the first one.

Getting a taste of enjoyment out of the previous entry has shined a pretty stark light on this one, which goes right back to being full of more misses than hits. And the problem is the simple fact that V/H/S is clearly aimed more at a demographic that probably still reads, like, Fangoria Magazine. People who really, REALLY love horror and worship gore on a level that is not me.

Because it's the same old story: a lot of these shorts feel too simple, too weird, too chaotic, or too mean spirited. The only shorts I really enjoyed here were "Fun Size," about haunted candy, and the final short, "Home Haunt," about a family trying to level up their Halloween decoration game at all costs.

Most of the shorts are unnecessarily nasty or random, or both. It's a lot of blood, and screaming, and unrepentant killing. Not saying anything, not making a point, just here to make a mess and flash a sinister smile. Horror at its most base level.

The notable example here being "Kidprint," which seems to flirt with the vibe of Tim Robinson's "I Think You Should Leave" -- even having an actor that somewhat resembles Tim Robinson, named Tim in the story, that eventually gives you the middle finger for expecting anything funny. It devolves into just suffering.

And the opening short, "Coochie Coochie Coo," is something I found too ridiculous to be very scary or funny.

The wrap-around this time is about product testing for a haunted soda named Diet Phantasma. This seems funny at first, but it really only has two or three jokes and it goes back to the well several times.

I dunno man, this is another C- at best.

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.

This movie tries and the Adult Swim segment is hilarious, but the rest just seem forced. The connecting story is lame and doesn't really have any tie to the others stories or a reason for them. The neighborhood haunted house story is probably the most entertaining. As above, so below is the most erie and best directed segment.

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.