V/H/S/Halloween (2025) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Anna Zlokovic, Alex Ross Perry, Casper Kelly, Paco Plaza, Bryan M. Ferguson, R.H. Norman
STARRING: David Haydn, Samantha Cochran, María Romanillos
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:78/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Acorn Media International
Just when you thought the V/H/S franchise had finally run out of cursed camcorders and morally questionable party invitations, along comes V/H/S/Halloween (2025) to remind you that found footage will never die — it will just keep glitching aggressively in your face.
And honestly? Thank goodness.
This entry leans all the way into the Halloween chaos: cheap masks, worse decisions, and at least one group of people who absolutely deserved to not split up. The wraparound segment is the usual “why are you still filming this?” scenario, but the anthology structure is where things get delightfully unhinged. Each segment feels like a different director was handed a fog machine, a GoPro, and the simple instruction: “Make it feral.”
Some stories land harder than others — that’s the V/H/S tradition. One segment will have you gripping the couch in genuine dread, while another feels like it was conceived at 2 a.m. during a sugar high. But even the weaker entries have a scrappy, DIY energy that’s hard not to love. It’s horror filmmaking with dirt under its fingernails.
The real star here is the atmosphere. This one understands Halloween. Not the cute, pumpkin-spice version — the grimy suburban-night one. The kind where the streets are too quiet, the decorations look slightly sinister in the dark, and that one house at the end of the block absolutely has something wrong with it. The film captures that “anything could happen tonight” vibe and then gleefully proves it.
And yes, the franchise is still committed to motion sickness as an artistic choice. The camera shakes. The audio spikes. At least one character insists on continuing to record while being pursued by something that very clearly wants to rearrange their internal organs. It’s tradition at this point.
But here’s the thing: when it works, it really works. There are a couple of sequences here that feel instantly iconic — inventive creature design, nasty practical effects, and that deliciously mean streak the series does so well. It’s not trying to be elevated horror. It’s trying to make you flinch, laugh nervously, and maybe reconsider attending any future costume parties.
Is it uneven? Of course. It’s an anthology. That’s part of the charm. But V/H/S/Halloween proves the franchise still has fresh nightmares tucked inside its battered tape case. It’s scrappy, sinister, and just self-aware enough to know how ridiculous it all is.
In other words: exactly what you want from a Halloween-night descent into analog madness.
Segments of note: the wrap-around “Diet Phantasma”. Just when you thought cokes wasn’t bad enough for you. “Home Haunt” for the blood and chaos in a fun house setting. And the opening “Coochie Coochie Coo” just for the monster with a whole lot of titties.
Extras
- Filmmaker Commentaries
- Behind the Scenes: Diet Phantasma, Coochie Coochie Coo
- KidPrint Deleted Scene
- Diet Phantasma Uninterrupted Cut
- Diet Phantasma Commercial
- Diet Phantasma Gallery
