With a strong cult following behind them, the V/H/S movies are a must-see for fans of anthology horror, but they’re far from perfect. They fill a highly specific subgenre, which isn’t for everyone, but is ideal for those seeking something a little different from a standard slasher or haunted house horror film. The Bloody Disgusting-produced V/H/S was released in 2012, alongside a handful of horror anthologies. Since then the V/H/S franchise has gained notoriety with horror fan circles as being a go-to for unforgettable — if at times inconsistent — frights.
Horror anthologies like The ABCs of Death and All Hallow’s Eve all came out within a two-to-three-year period of 2012, but the V/H/S movies at their best are arguably a step above in terms of quality. The first two V/H/S sequels from 2013 and 2014 retain the overall structure of the first, while introducing new elements of their own. V/H/S/94 hit Shudder in 2021, with V/H/S 99 arriving one year later. Each of the horror anthology films offers something unique, but there is definitely a best V/H/S movie.
7 V/H/S: Viral (2014)
Segments: Dante The Great, Parallel Monsters, Bonestorm
The third film in the horror anthology franchise, V/H/S: Viral, continues the series’ tradition of found footage horror with a new collection of writers and directors coming together to tell a series of stories interconnected by a larger narrative. Viral’s core story centers on a videographer named Kevin, whose obsession with filming drags him into the middle of a deadly police chase – while images being sent to various people throughout the neighborhood begin to cause them to act violently.
- Director
- Marcel Sarmiento , Gregg Bishop , Nacho Vigalondo , Justin Benson , Aaron Scott Moorhead , Todd Lincoln
- Release Date
- October 23, 2014
- Cast
- Patrick Lawrie , Emilia Ares , Justin Welborn , Emmy Argo , Gustavo Salmerón , Marian Álvarez , Nick Blanco , Chase Newton
- Runtime
- 81 Minutes
V/H/S: Viral was the third V/H/S/ movie and had its moments but failed to live up to its predecessors. It’s certainly ambitious, but it can sometimes seem like it’s not part of the horror anthology franchise.
The tone is notably more lighthearted throughout, which isn’t a boon when the movies are known for the unrelenting dread they inspire. For instance, one of the shorts, Dante the Great, feels like a dark version of Now You See Me. Throw in some people with demonic genitalia and a police chase, and you have V/H/S: Viral in a nutshell.
Related
The 40 Best Horror Movies Of The Last Five Years, Ranked
2019-2024 marks a strong time for the horror genre, and the best horror movies of the last five years showcases exactly why.
The standout sequence in V/H/S: Viral is called Bonestorm. The short is headed up by writer/director duo Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, who are responsible for The Endless, Spring, and Resolution. It featured a Mexican demon-summoning cult and a small squad of skateboarders who have to deal with just that. The entry is a lot of fun, totally ridiculous, creepy as hell, and fits into the V/H/S canon more than any other segment Viral brings to the table. Even still, this is the weakest film of all V/H/S movies.
6 V/H/S/85 (2023)
Segment: Total Copy, No Wake, God Of Death, TKNOGD, Ambrosia, Dreamkill
V/H/S/85 is the sixth main installment in the horror-anthology franchise, with five directors weaving fresh tales of terror in a found footage format. Set in the 1980s, V/H/S/85 tells five unique stories tied together by director Scott Derrickson. Unsuspecting victims watch five mysterious tapes linked to an ancient Aztec cult, each viewing dragging them deeper into its horrifying world.
- Director
- David Bruckner , Scott Derrickson , Gigi Saul Guerrero , Natasha Kermani , Mike P. Nelson
- Release Date
- October 6, 2023
- Runtime
- 110 Minutes
- Distributor(s)
- Shudder
By the time 2023 rolled around, the V/H/S franchise was putting out movies annually. However, not all the new releases matched up to what came before. While V/H/S/99 and V/H/S/Beyond were among the better installments in the franchise, V/H/S/85 fell a little short. This edition came out the year after 99 and took the story back 14 years to 1985. The movie had five segments and it was the first in the franchise to have two segments’s stories connected (“No Wake” and “Ambrosia”).
The film received a 74% Rotten Tomatoes score, with praise going to its consistency.
The biggest name director in this edition was Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), who helmed the “Dreamkill” segment, which he co-wrote with his Black Phone collaborator C. Robert Cargill. That segment was the best of the anthology, although “No Wake” and “Ambrosia” were also great, with a cast of child characters who didn’t make bad decisions like most stereotypical horror movies. The film received a 74% Rotten Tomatoes score, with praise going to its consistency.
5 V/H/S/ 99 (2022)
Shredding, Suicide Bid, Ozzy’s Dungeon, The Gawkers, To Hell and Back
V/H/S/99 is the fifth installment in the horror anthology film franchise, which centers around five unrelated stories of terror explored through video tapes in 1999. Six directors come together to tell five tails that examine the fates of those captured on the recordings, each with ghostly, gruesome, and unsettling results.
- Director
- Johannes Roberts , Vanessa Winter , Joseph Winter , Maggie Levin , Tyler MacIntyre , Flying Lotus
- Release Date
- October 20, 2022
- Cast
- Verona Blue , Dashiell Derrickson , Ally Ioannides , Isabelle Hahn , Steven Ogg , Amelia Ann , Luke Mullen , Emily Sweet , Joseph Winter , Archelaus Crisanto
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Distributor(s)
- Shudder
With the success of V/H/S 94, it was time to get the franchise rolling again, and in 2022, V/H/S 99 debuted as a Shudder Original after premiering at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. V/H/S 99 ended up breaking streaming records on Shudder and was the service’s most-watched premiere (via Comicbook.com), but the movie itself was a mixed bag.
These segments all call to memory the horror of the 90s, which provides some nostalgic fun that makes up for the weaker aspects.
It was better than V/H/S Viral but wasn’t quite up to the levels of the first three movies in the franchise. There are some great segments, and there are some weaker ones, but they all have something worth seeing. There is no framing device in this one, making it stand out, and it looks a lot like viewers are watching an old VHS tape. The best of the segments in V/H/S 99 is Ozzy’s Dungeon, directed by Flying Lotus — a segment about a kid’s game show.
It does get horrifically disgusting at moments, but when it comes to the best V/H/S movies, this is par for the course, and V/H/S 99 doesn’t quite pack the punch of its predecessors (Viral notwithstanding). These segments all call to memory the horror of the 90s, which provides some nostalgic fun that makes up for the weaker aspects.
4 V/H/S (2012)
Segments: Amateur Night, Second Honeymoon, Tuesday The 17th, The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger, 10/31/98
Shot as a found footage experience, V/H/S explores several horror tales in this anthology series from Radio Silence. A group of amateur criminals films themselves heading into a mysterious house after an anonymous tipster hires them to break in and steal a specific videotape. Upon infiltrating the home, they discover the decaying body of an older man in front of a TV, prompting them to explore the last video he watched. However, what waits for them is a series of supernatural and horrific events captured on film that may endanger them as much as the victims they’re watching.
- Director
- David Bruckner
- Release Date
- October 5, 2012
- Cast
- Simon Barrett , Adam Wingard
- Runtime
- 116minutes
- Distributor(s)
- Magnolia Pictures
The original V/H/S has some of the hands-down best short horror films, and it rightly ensured V/H/S would become a franchise thanks to how genuinely disturbing some moments in it are. The film features shorts from now well-known names in the horror scene, including duo Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (The Guest), David Bruckner (The Ritual), and Ti West (Pearl), among others.
Related
25 Best Horror Movies To Watch With Friends
Horror fans looking to have a Halloween bingefest with friends should check out scary movies like The Blair Witch Project and Get Out.
Not only that, the antagonist from the film’s first segment, Amateur Night, received its own spin-off movie, Siren. While Amateur Night may be the most memorable short for most, the first V/H/S has some clever and highly creepy segments. The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger and 10/31/98 are otherworldly and horrifying, both of which demand to be watched again.
3 V/H/S/94 (2021)
Segment: Storm Drain, The Empty Wake, The Subject, Terror
V/H/S/94 is the fourth film in the horror anthology franchise. It continues the series’ found footage format with a new story surrounding a police SWAT team who discovers a cult’s collection of disturbing VHS tapes. Each tape (written and directed by different people) covers an event linked to the overarching plotline. From an incident involving a sewer cult to a terrifying science experiment that leaves a man with mechanical spider legs, the SWAT team digs deeper into the mystery, unknowingly endangering themselves with each subsequent viewing.
- Director
- Jennifer Reeder , Chloe Okuno , Simon Barrett , Timo Tjahjanto , Ryan Prows
- Release Date
- October 6, 2021
- Cast
- Kimmy Choi , Nicolette Pearse , Anna Hopkins , Christian Potenza , Conor Sweeney , Kyal Legend , Devin Chin-Cheong , Shania Sree Maharani , Shahabi Sakri , Christian Lloyd , Thomas Mitchell Barnet
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Distributor(s)
- Shudder
After a brief hiatus, the V/H/S movies started rolling again with 2021’s V/H/S/94. However, to say it got the series firing on all cylinders once again doesn’t do V/H/S 94 justice. It brings the grainy proto-reality show look of early ’90s TV into play.
The framing story, titled “Holy Hell,” follows a SWAT team entering an abandoned warehouse, with television displays playing the different shorts. It makes the film feel totally different from the intentionally ultra-low-budget look of V/H/S and the more polished documentary feel of V/H/S 2, which is how V/H/S dodged the biggest complaint about found footage movies.
The shorts “Storm Drain” and “The Empty Wake” bring V/H/S/94 close to becoming the best of the franchise, and Timo Tjahanto’s return with “The Subject” rivals his work on V/H/S 2‘s “Safe Haven.” V/H/S/94 loses its footing ever so slightly in the final short “Terror,” and the ending to “Holy Hell” feels a bit abrupt. Nevertheless, the franchise was in good shape once again thanks to V/H/S/94.
2 V/H/S 2 (2013)
Segments: Phase I Clinical Trials, A Ride In The Park, Safe Haven, Slumber Party Alien Abduction
V/H/S/2 is the sequel to the 2012 horror anthology film and brings together a new group of writers and directors to tell five tales of terror tied together by an overarching narrative. The core story follows two private investigators as they look into the disappearance of a missing college student. While on his trail, they discover a collection of VHS tapes in his dorm room that all play out in sequence as the main story unfolds between each viewing.
- Director
- Simon Barrett , Adam Wingard , Eduardo Sánchez , Gregg Hale , Timo Tjahjanto , Gareth Evans , Jason Eisener
- Release Date
- June 6, 2013
- Cast
- Lawrence Michael Levine , Kelsy Abbott , L.C. Holt , Simon Barrett , Mindy Robinson , Adam Wingard
- Runtime
- 92 Minutes
- Distributor(s)
- Magnet Releasing
While V/H/S spawned the franchise and V/H/S 94 breathed life back into it, neither matches up to the absolute nightmare fuel that is V/H/S 2. The 2013 sequel to the original is still the best V/H/S movie, and stands out among the anthology horror genre for both consistency and ability to inspire genuine fear.
Of all V/H/S movies, V/H/S 2 was the first to receive a fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While V/H/S/94 blew right past it in that regard (95% to 70%, respectively), the second film was where the series really showed it could stick the landing.
There are a handful of great segments in
V/H/S 2
, but one stands above the rest, and that’s
Safe Haven
.
V/H/S 2 kept most of what worked from V/H/S and added a few new tricks along the way. The most notable change is how the film plays perspective via different types of camera. There’s a short filmed from a bionic eye, a zombie wearing a GoPro, and a camera that’s strapped to a dog. The changes weren’t terribly necessary, but it did make for a unique twist to how the stories unfolded.
There are a handful of great segments in V/H/S 2, but one stands above the rest, and that’s Safe Haven. In a way, this segment makes the entire film, and it’s a pretty tough act to follow. It gives off a Jonestown-meets-Silent Hill vibe and even when it’s funny or hokey, it’s still terrifying.
1 V/H/S Beyond (2024)
Segment: Abduction/Adduction, Stork, Dream Girl, Live and Let Dive, Fur Babies, Stowaway
V/H/S/Beyond is the seventh entry in the long-running horror anthology series. V/H/S/Beyond is a collection of six different horror shorts with their own creative teams. Unlike other entries in the V/H/S franchise, V/H/S/Beyond focuses on horror that leans into sci-fi.
- Director
- Jordan Downey , Christian Long , Justin Long , Justin Martinez , Virat Pal , Kate Siegel , Jay Cheel
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- Cast
- Alanah Pearce , Phillip Andre Botello , Jolene Andersen , Tyler Andrews , Brian Baker , Kevin Bohleber , Braedyn Bruner , Jerry Campisi , Dane DiLiegro , Mike Ferguson , Sam Gorski , Thom Hallum , Mitch Horowitz , Skip Howland , Bix Krieger , Cameron Krugman , Matthew Layton , Libby Letlow , Phillip Lundquist , Vas Provatakis , Niko Pueringer , Dominique Star , Matt Tramel
- Runtime
- 125 Minutes
In 2024, the V/H/S franchise did the unthinkable. It released a sequel that was better than anything that came before it. In V/H/S/Beyond, the story takes a new format, with it playing out like a documentary with interviews with experts in the realm of extraterrestrials and digital effects. That’s the basis of the bookend stories, where a man claims he bought a series of VHS tapes from a flea market with evidence of alien abductions, and the interviews play out in between each of the more sci-horror-related segments.
Regarding the stand-out segment, “Live and Let Dive” might be the best since “Safe Haven” in
V/H/S/2
.
Taking the stories in a more sci-fi direction was an interesting choice, but it still presents the terrifying horror tales that fans of the franchise have fallen in love with. Regarding the stand-out segment, “Live and Let Dive” might be the best since “Safe Haven” in V/H/S/2. Critics loved the movie, giving it a 90% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Matthew Jackson of AV Club wrote, “It’s that sense of focus, no matter how far into various subgenres the film strays, that makes V/H/S/Beyond one of the best films in the series.“
The V/H/S/ Spinoffs
In addition to the main movies, there are also two spinoff films that take things in a different direction. The first spinoff was Siren, released in 2016 during the long break between Viral and 94. This is a feature-length adaptation of “Amateur Night,” which is a segment from the original movie. A man and his groomsmen have a party before his wedding, but they find it a fight for survival against a deadly predator. The film received mixed reviews and was seen as a decent adaptation but only an average horror movie.
The second spinoff came in between 99 and 85, with only a few months between each release. This was Kids vs. Aliens, directed by Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun). The feature-length film is the adaptation of “Slumber Party Alien Abduction” from V/H/S/2. Much like Siren, the spinoff received only mixed reviews, with critics calling it “goofy fun” but mostly “forgettable.” What is most noticeable about the spinoffs is that they are not as intense as the main V/H/S series, and rather are basic horror releases.
