Tags:
Film: V/H/S/Halloween
Year: 2025
Directors: Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt, Paco Plaza and Anna Zlokovic
Writers: Bryan M. Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, Alberto Marini, Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt and R.H. Norman
Starring: David Haydn, Anna McKelvie and Adam James Johnson
Review:
This sequel was one that I wasn’t shocked to learn was coming out. This series of films was one that I stumbled on when working at Family Video. Since then, I’ve kept up with the installments each year. Seeing that this year's version was themed around Halloween, I pushed this out for that episode. A fun thing as well, I got the chance to see this in the theater as part of Nightmares Film Festival. It kicked off day four.
Synopsis: a collection of Halloween-themed videotapes, unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.
Now this sequel’s wraparound is called ‘Diet Phantasma’. There is a corporation that is trying out a diet version of their most popular drink, having test groups give their feedback. The gimmick with this product is that it is supposedly made with real ghost extract. They’re trying to get it right and it has dangerous consequences.
Then the first story we see play out is ‘Coochie Coochie Coo’. This is the last hurray for two teens, before they go off to college. There is Lacie (Samantha Cochran) and Kaliegh (Natalia Montgomery Fernandez). They go off trick-or-treating, running amok. While they’re out, we hear about a young woman who disappeared. There’s also a local legend about a witch. These two come to realize that it is all too real.
We then go to ‘Ut Supra Sic Infra’, which is our next story. This jumps back and forth between the past and the present. There were a group of teens that went into a room where a medium used to conduct seances. On the wall is a phrase. The only survivor, Enric (Teo Planell), read it. A black phone appeared in the middle of the room. What happens next terrifies everyone. It also happens again when the police investigate, forcing Enric to re-enact what they did.
Our next story is ‘Fun Size’. Another older group of trick-or-treaters—Haley (Jenna Hogan) and her boyfriend, Josh (Riley Nottingham), along with a newly engaged couple, Lauren (Lawson Greyson) and Austin (Jake Ellsworth)—face dire consequences when not following a sign to just ‘take one’ from a candy bowl. They encounter a severe punishment from Fun Size (Michael J. Sielaff) and his side kick, played by Joey B.
Next up is ‘Kidprint’. This is a service that a local company offers to help take an up to date video of your children in case they go missing. This is run by Tim Kaplan (Stephen Gurewitz). There is a string of disappearances in this town that is making the authorities all but cancel Halloween. A grisly discovery is made, not everyone is as they seem and evidence can be altered.
The last story before the wraparound ends is ‘Home Haunt’. We see home videos of when Keith (Jeff Harms) and his son used to have a blast setting up a haunted house in the backyard. Now that Zack (Noah Diamond) is older and he’s mocked in school, causing him to not want to help anymore. He does agree to one last one. Keith takes a strange record from a local antique shop. It will then create the most realistic iteration yet, but can they survive?
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Let me then say that I had a blast with this installment. Much like I do with the previous ones, I’ll break down each segment, give it a score and then do an average in the end.
I’ll briefly go over the wraparound of ‘Diet Phantasma’. I think the concept is hilarious. It does get repetitive, but it reminded me of different versions of soda pop and the commercials for them when I was growing up. The acting is a bit over the top. That fits the campy nature. Tying in a bit more as to why we’re seeing the other videos would help. Not necessarily required though.
What I will be circling back to the commercials and iterations of soft drinks makes sense. It is a theme of corporate greed, along with hazardous products. In this case, it is supposedly made from real poltergeist extract. Blaine Rothschild (David Haydn) is in charge and we see his disregard for the test audiences. That fits in with the theme but also ramped up to eleven with what he yells at his employees. It worked well.
Then to look at ‘Coochie Coochie Coo’. I do love the overall idea. I remember the last time I went out before having children. There is that idea of clinging to childhood one more go before moving on to college or working. Cochran and Fernandez were solid as the leads. I did see this being compared to a movie that came out a couple years ago. That connection jumped out to me too.
This does go more supernatural. The woman, Elena Musser, is a witch. I did like the subtle reveal to explain why she’s doing what she is. It leans into ‘motherhood’ horror. This is gross, I appreciated that. There is probably a bit of CGI here, but that didn’t necessarily bother me. The practical effects were good. I also like the setting of this house, seeing a father and daughter walk by, not noticing the house is a good element. With things that happen inside, it makes it scarier. This one set a good tone for the rest of the anthology.
We then go international with ‘Ut Supra Sic Infra’. What worked here for me would be this different approach to a seance. Using a telephone is a cool idea. It is interesting that I’ve seen multiple reviews reference how this reminds them of The Black Phone. I can see that, but it goes into a much different direction.
There’s also an interesting use of the phrase, ‘As Above, So Below’. That comes into play with what we see. This short goes darker, which is a good progression. The acting was solid across the board, led by Planell. It is interesting to correlate what is happening in the present by intercutting with how things happened the same way in the past to the police having it be re-enacted. A theme I picked up on this time around is what happens to the victims, their eyes being removed. It can be correlated to seeing things humans aren’t meant to. Another strong short.
Then probably my favorite short is one that actually goes whimsical with ‘Fun Size’. I thought the group we follow was good. Greyson, Nottingham, Hogan and Ellsworth were solid. What I like about them is that they are showing off. Josh is ignoring the warning, believing since no one is watching he can get away with it. Also violating the mortal sin of gluttony. His jokes with the candy bar he opens are gross and I appreciate how mean spirited this went with the surreal body horror.
The filmmaking also helps here. I like the cinematography and framing. Going to this factory becomes a nightmare because no matter what they do, they can’t escape. The effects were good. The Fun Size character and his helpers are terrifying. I love how campy and twisted this short is. We also have a theme of not hiding your feelings with Lauren won’t tell Austin that she doesn’t want to marry him. I appreciated how this presented this story.
We then go to the darkest short of the group with ‘Kidprint’. I saw this with my buddy Tony and he alerted me to the backlash about this segment. Dealing with children disappearing and then us seeing what happens to them, I can see how it bothers people. As a parent, even more so. I also don’t think this goes over the top with what they do. I won’t reveal what happened, but it reminded me of John Wayne Gacy.
The acting is good with Gurewitz being good as the lead and a subtle performance by Carl Garrison. The premise is effective. While the reveal wasn't shocking, it made sense. The cinematography and framing were good to bring the era to life. The editing cleverly shifts between films intended to protect children and a darker form, which was a good touch. Everything was well-made. The themes of child safety and suburban paranoia are effective, highlighting the "stranger danger" aspect of a predator hiding in plain sight.
That then goes to the final segment, ‘Home Haunt’. This one was also strong. I love how we set this up so that this father and son have a great time doing their haunt. That was when he was a child. Now that he’s closer to high school, he gets mocked for it. The father also deals with a rude neighbor. There is that nostalgia of losing what he thought was something the family loved to do together. It is fitting the last one is one no one will ever forget, if they survive.
This one, with a concept similar to Ghoulies or Waxwork, features a haunt so scary it's lethal. The cinematography and effects were strong. Like 'Coochie Coochie Coo,' it uses fading rituals as a horror basis, but here a cursed object makes the haunt Keith's best ever. Harms, Diamond, and Nicklin effectively portray the family, and Rick Baker's cameo is a nice touch as the rude neighbor.
In conclusion, this is a strong entry into the long-running found footage anthology series, delivering a solid Halloween-themed cinematic experience. The wraparound, 'Diet Phantasma,' sets a campy, intriguing tone, while the segments—'Coochie Coochie Coo,' 'Ut Supra Sic Infra,' 'Fun Size,' 'Kidprint,' and 'Home Haunt'—each offer distinct, well-crafted scares, ranging from supernatural folk horror and dark cosmic dread to whimsical mean-spiritedness and gut-wrenching darkness. While some segments push boundaries and touch on sensitive subjects, the overall technical execution, strong acting, and effective use of practical and digital effects make this a highly recommended watch for fans of the franchise and the horror genre.
My Rating: 8 out of 10