The film is presented as an [[anthology]] of five short horror films, built into a [[frame narrative]] which acts as its own sixth short horror film. Each short is linked together with the concept of [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] as each segment is from various [[VHS]] tapes.
The film is presented as an [[anthology]] of five short horror films, built into a [[frame narrative]] which acts as its own sixth short horror film. Each short is linked together with the concept of [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] as each segment is from various [[VHS]] tapes.
=== “Diet Phantasma” (frame narrative)===
=== “Diet Phantasma” (frame narrative)===
* Directed and Written by [[Bryan M. Ferguson]]
* Directed and Written by [[Bryan M. Ferguson]]
The Octagon Corporation is attempting to create a new soda called Diet Phantasma. Led by Blaine Rothschild, he and his associates have various test subjects drink variations of the new soda formula in the United Kingdom. Whenever the test subjects interact with the soda, it violently kills them in multiple ways: face-melting, possession, and spontaneous combustion, among others. Rothschield and co. initially start with young adults, eventually bringing in children as subjects. The last subject is a little girl who survives drinking the soda. While under the influence of a phantom, she admits to liking the drink. Rothschild considers it a success and demands that the soda be rolled out in time for Halloween.
During the credits, a commercial for Diet Phantasma, featuring the little girl, plays, advertising it is made out of poltergeists.
=== “Coochie Coochie Coo” ===
=== “Coochie Coochie Coo” ===
Lacie and Kaleigh come across three other individuals including the cheerleader, implied to have all been victims of the Mommy. They all have malformed faces and act like babies. They also learn that The Mommy was once a pregnant mother who lost her child and thus beckons victims into being her children. The Mommy attacks them, breaking Lacie’s ribs, and she is later dragged away into the basement. Kaleigh chases after her and discovers that The Mommy has already converted Lacie into one of her children. Resigned, Kaleigh lays down with the other victims as The Mommy sings to them a lullaby.
Lacie and Kaleigh come across three other individuals including the cheerleader, implied to have all been victims of the Mommy. They all have malformed faces and act like babies. They also learn that The Mommy was once a pregnant mother who lost her child and thus beckons victims into being her children. The Mommy attacks them, breaking Lacie’s ribs, and she is later dragged away into the basement. Kaleigh chases after her and discovers that The Mommy has already converted Lacie into one of her children. Resigned, Kaleigh lays down with the other victims as The Mommy sings to them a lullaby.
=== “Diet Phantasma” — First interlude===
=== “Ut Supra Sic Infra” ===
=== “Ut Supra Sic Infra” ===
In the present, the investigators take a traumatized Enric back to the house. He is reluctant to re-enter the room, but the psychiatrist attending tells him that it is all in his head. They enter the cupola and Enric repeats the phrase. This time, someone else picks up the phone, but Enric once again convulses and spits out the partygoers’ eyeballs before sending everyone in the room towards the ceiling. He proceeds to pull everyone’s eyeballs out of their head before dropping them back onto the floor.
In the present, the investigators take a traumatized Enric back to the house. He is reluctant to re-enter the room, but the psychiatrist attending tells him that it is all in his head. They enter the cupola and Enric repeats the phrase. This time, someone else picks up the phone, but Enric once again convulses and spits out the partygoers’ eyeballs before sending everyone in the room towards the ceiling. He proceeds to pull everyone’s eyeballs out of their head before dropping them back onto the floor.
=== “Diet Phantasma” — Second interlude===
=== “Fun Size” ===
=== “Fun Size” ===
Later, two children take candy from Fun Size’s bowl. The son admits that he took two as the bowl comes to life and attacks their mother.
Later, two children take candy from Fun Size’s bowl. The son admits that he took two as the bowl comes to life and attacks their mother.
=== “Diet Phantasma” — Third interlude===
=== “Kidprint” ===
=== “Kidprint” ===
A news report has everyone believing that Tim was the murderer, causing his family to have police protecting their home. Bruce, having gotten away clean, tells news reporters that he will take over Kaplan Electronics and continue the Kidprint videos.
A news report has everyone believing that Tim was the murderer, causing his family to have police protecting their home. Bruce, having gotten away clean, tells news reporters that he will take over Kaplan Electronics and continue the Kidprint videos.
=== “Diet Phantasma” — Fourth interlude===
=== “Home Haunt” ===
=== “Home Haunt” ===
The group go through a crypt, a dungeon, and witch’s house, resulting in several people dying along the way. Keith, Zack, and Nancy manage to survive and escape outside the haunted house, only for a witch to fly out and grab Zack’s camera. The witch proceeds to massacre at least two children who are out trick or treating. The entrance to the haunted house, resembling a giant demon’s mouth, suddenly comes to life as it breaks free from the building.
The group go through a crypt, a dungeon, and witch’s house, resulting in several people dying along the way. Keith, Zack, and Nancy manage to survive and escape outside the haunted house, only for a witch to fly out and grab Zack’s camera. The witch proceeds to massacre at least two children who are out trick or treating. The entrance to the haunted house, resembling a giant demon’s mouth, suddenly comes to life as it breaks free from the building.
=== “Diet Phantasma” — Epilogue===
==Cast ==
==Cast ==
2025 American film
V/H/S/Halloween (stylized as V/H/S/Ha//oween in marketing)[2] is a 2025 American found footage horror anthology film produced by Bloody Disgusting. The sequel to V/H/S/Beyond (2024), it is the eighth installment in the V/H/S franchise.[3] It is directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza, and Anna Zlokovic.
The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2025, and was released by Shudder in the United States on October 3, 2025.
The film is presented as an anthology of five short horror films, built into a frame narrative which acts as its own sixth short horror film. Each short is linked together with the concept of found footage as each segment is from various VHS tapes.
“Diet Phantasma” (frame narrative) — Prologue
[edit]
“Coochie Coochie Coo”
[edit]
- Directed and Written by Anna Zlokovic
Lacie and Kaleigh are high schoolers who, despite their age, decide to go one last night of trick or treating. They come across a trio of boys who tell them that “The Mommy” will get them because they are old. The girls continue on and begin to ruin other trick or treater’s night by stealing their candy. Kaleigh briefly mentions to Lacie that a friend of theirs dressed as a cheerleader, mysteriously disappeared last year, though Lacie blows it off. They soon come across a house that seemingly appears out of nowhere and knock on the door, being greeted by a feminine voice offering them candy. They go inside, but discover too late that they are trapped by The Mommy who leaves behind malformed baby fetuses and milk trails.
Lacie and Kaleigh come across three other individuals including the cheerleader, implied to have all been victims of the Mommy. They all have malformed faces and act like babies. They also learn that The Mommy was once a pregnant mother who lost her child and thus beckons victims into being her children. The Mommy attacks them, breaking Lacie’s ribs, and she is later dragged away into the basement. Kaleigh chases after her and discovers that The Mommy has already converted Lacie into one of her children. Resigned, Kaleigh lays down with the other victims as The Mommy sings to them a lullaby.
“Diet Phantasma” — First interlude
[edit]
“Ut Supra Sic Infra”
[edit]
Following a violent massacre of Halloween party goers, Enric is questioned by police over him being the sole survivor. The segment flashes back and forth between the party Enric was at and the police investigation. Enric and several of his friends, lead by Vicky, entered a house belonging to a supposed psychic. Upon entering a cupola, the group find a disconnected telephone in the center of the room. Enric finds writing on the wall reading “Ut Supra Sic Infra” (“As Above, So Below”) and reads it out loud three times. The phone begins to ring and despite Vicky’s warnings, Enric picks it up. He begins to convulse as the video feed cuts out.
In the present, the investigators take a traumatized Enric back to the house. He is reluctant to re-enter the room, but the psychiatrist attending tells him that it is all in his head. They enter the cupola and Enric repeats the phrase. This time, someone else picks up the phone, but Enric once again convulses and spits out the partygoers’ eyeballs before sending everyone in the room towards the ceiling. He proceeds to pull everyone’s eyeballs out of their head before dropping them back onto the floor.
“Diet Phantasma” — Second interlude
[edit]
Lauren, Josh, Haley, and Austin leave a Halloween party disappointed as there was no candy. Together, they decide to go and trick or treat to get some. Lauren and Josh are celebrating their recent engagement, but Lauren confides in Haley that she is having second thoughts. They come across a bowl of candy with a sign asking that they only take one. They are confused by the strange candy names and further baffled by an odd phallic shaped chocolate bar. When they attempt to take another candy, despite the warning, the bowl comes to life and swallows the four of them.
The four find themselves in a factory warehouse where they are stalked by a candy headed being named Fun Size who appears to have supernatural powers. As they try to escape, Fun Size takes Austin and has him sent into a machine where he is chopped up and turned into candy (explaining the odd phallic shaped bars). Haley is also taken and has her face blown off with gumballs. Lauren and Josh try to escape via an air duct, which turns out to be a conveyor belt. Lauren admits that she didn’t want to marry Josh as he is killed. Lauren escapes outside of the factory, only for Fun Size to materialize in front of her and kill her.
Later, two children take candy from Fun Size’s bowl. The son admits that he took two as the bowl comes to life and attacks their mother.
“Diet Phantasma” — Third interlude
[edit]
Tim Kaplan runs an electronics store where he runs “Kidprint”, a children’s video ID service that is meant to help identify and save kids that have been kidnapped. Tim is haunted by the frequent news reports of children going missing and showing up dead and wants to protect his two daughters and wife. While at a Halloween gathering, he is informed by a concerned mother that a young girl has gone missing, with the police officer asking him to go back and get a video for Maria Comstock. When Tim arrives at the closed video store, he discovers alternate tapes of several missing children either being tortured or begging for their lives. He discovers Maria, only to get attacked by his employee Bruce Dittman.
Several videos reveal that Bruce has been using Tim’s Kidprint videos to locate and coerce several kids and teens for him to torture and kill. Before Maria, he also captured and tortured a boy named Drew Stackhouse by ripping the skin off his face. Tim is beaten up and left by Bruce. When Tim attempts to help Maria and Drew, they assume that he is in league with Bruce and kill him. They attempt to leave, only for Bruce to capture and kill them too.
A news report has everyone believing that Tim was the murderer, causing his family to have police protecting their home. Bruce, having gotten away clean, tells news reporters that he will take over Kaplan Electronics and continue the Kidprint videos.
“Diet Phantasma” — Fourth interlude
[edit]
- Directed and Written by Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman
For years, Keith has set up his yearly home made haunted house with his wife Nancy and son Zack. Unfortunately, Zack has grown up to become a bitter teenager who no longer wants to participate in his yearly tradition. Despite this, Keith convinces Zack to go to the antique store to pick up some items for the haunted house. Keith sneaks into the back and finds a cheesy looking music record called “Halloween Horror”. On Halloween night, Keith opens his haunted house for the neighborhood. Upon playing the record, strange things begin to happen as it suddenly bursts into flames. Upon entering the graveyard, the ghosts come to life and start killing the guests, forcing everyone to flee.
The group go through a crypt, a dungeon, and witch’s house, resulting in several people dying along the way. Keith, Zack, and Nancy manage to survive and escape outside the haunted house, only for a witch to fly out and grab Zack’s camera. The witch proceeds to massacre at least two children who are out trick or treating. The entrance to the haunted house, resembling a giant demon’s mouth, suddenly comes to life as it breaks free from the building.
“Diet Phantasma” — Epilogue
[edit]
- David Haydn as Blaine Rothschild
- Anna McKelvie as Linda
- Adam James Johnston as Larry
- Eddie MacKenzie as Lenny
- Joshua Haynes as Subject 37
- Alexander Cox as Subject 38
- Aisha Lawal as Subject 39
- Becca Murphy as Subject 40
- Ivor Navarrete Jack as Subject 41
- Yui Minari as Subject 42
- Tom Lowes as Subject 43
- Joshua Frate-Loughlin as Subject 44
- Daniel Kabanda as Subject 45
- Greer Montgomery as Subject 46
- Milana Ross as Subject 47
- Bryan M. Ferguson as Commercial Voiceover (voice)
“Coochie Coochie Coo”
[edit]
- Samantha Cochran as Lacie
- Natalia Montgomery Fernandez as Kaleigh
- Elena Musser as The Mommy
- Adam Carr as Diaper Man
- Charlotte Mae Curtis as Cheerleader
- Rebekah Kennedy as Swaddled Woman
- Charlie Gehrt as Kid #1
- Samuel Charles as Kid #2
- Brayon Cutrer as Kid #3
- Jodi Fleisher as Mom #1
- Anna Zlokovic as Mom #2
“Ut Supra Sic Infra”
[edit]
- Teo Planell as Enric
- María Romanillos as Vicky
- Ismael Martínez as Inspector
- Almudena Amor as Abdogada
- Sonia Almarcha as Jueza
- Nestor Aguilera as Secretario Judicial
- Adrián Hernández as Operador
- Raúl Romanillos as Policía 1
- Ana Esteban as Policía 2
- Javier Vivar as Policía 3
- Andrés Ciro Martínez as Demonio
- Roberta Benítez as Demonia
- Sergio Argüeso Mercero as Chico Catrina
- María Sampedro as Muñeca
- Leo Rodríguez as Freddy
- Nicolás Martín as Zombie
- Sandra Escacena as Verónica
- Mateo Fernández as Surfero
- Chloe Carzola as Papá Noel
- Lawson Greyson as Lauren
- Riley Nottingham as Josh
- Jenna Hogan as Haley
- Jake Ellsworth as Austin
- Michael J. Sielaff as Fun Size
- Joey B as Fun Size’s Assistant
- Eric Blitzer as Older Man
- Deborah Ramaglia as Older Woman
- Sami Nye as Mom
- Falcon Franco as Liam
- Sloan Lucas Muldown as Daughter
- Stephen Gurewitz as Tim Kaplan
- Carl William Garrison as Bruce Dittman
- Siobhan McGroarty as Olivia
- Harlo Cozzens as Drew Stackhouse
- Christian Paxton as Ashley
- Bailey Paulson as Lindsay
- Miles Emanuel as Miles
- Lily Speiser as Maria Comstock
- Sarah Nedwek as Emily Kaplan
- Nori Levitt as Michaela Kaplan
- Pepper Guerrieri as Charlotte Kaplan
- Shino Nakamichi as Alicia Kernson
- Evelyn Spahr as Nicole
- Sal Rendino as Local Cop
- Juliana Danielle Ferriera as Betsey
- Declan Foley as Ethan
- Kidprints
- Calvin Wise
- Cleo Kennedy
- Maureen Abedin
- Leo Mennella
- Loa Moon
- Lila Coopersmith
- Ruby Dixon Fleming
- Brandon Treloar
- Sadie Peters
- Aine Fortuna
- Maisie Matthews
- Cadence Degraaf
- Mary Waugh
- Jeff Harms as Keith
- Noah Diamond as Zack
- Oliver Durante as Zack (7-Year-Old)
- Sarah Nicklin as Nancy
- Rick Baker as Rich
- Silamith Maclean as Judy
- Jennifer Jonassen as Antique Store Clerk
- Hallie Ruth Jacobs as Samantha (Ballerina Girl)
- Iris Rich as Ballerina Girl Double
- Matt Dizon as Bumblebee Boy
- Sean Berube as The Executioner
- Layton Khan as Billy (Kid Eaten By Ghost)
- Manuel Rafael Lozano as Bumblebee Dad
- Monica Evans as Ashley (Scalped Teenage Girl)
- Isabella Feliciana as Brittany (Electric Chair Girl)
- Lize Johnston as Witch/Female Rotting Ghoul
- Witcheline as Flying Witch
- Ashley Thomson as Cat Girl’s Mom
- Erich Edward as Male Rotting Ghoul
- Mikel Martín as Mummy Boy
- Bianca Thomson as Girl in Cat Costume
- Jim Barnes as Middle Aged Man
In October 2024 at the New York Comic Con 2024, it was announced that an eighth V/H/S film was in development. Josh Goldbloom, Brad Miska, and James Harris would serve as producers. The project would be a joint-venture production between Shudder Original Films and Bloody Disgusting.[4]
In July 2025, Bloody Disgusting announced the film’s directors as Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza, and Anna Zlokovic, and announced the official title as V/H/S/Halloween.[5]
In September 2025, Collider shared a behind-the-scenes preview of the segment “Home Haunt” — about a cursed antique that brings the several props of a home-made Halloween haunt to life — featuring various images of its monsters inspired by “Americana classic home haunt mazes”.[6]
V/H/S/Halloween had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 19, 2025,[7][1] and debuted as an exclusive release on Shudder on October 3, 2025.[5]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 37 critics’ reviews are positive.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating “generally favorable” reviews.[9] V/H/S/Halloween was met with positive reviews following its Fantastic Fest premiere, with critics and attendees praising it as one of the franchise’s best entries.
Writing for RogerEbert.com, critic Brian Tallerico mentioned that the film “feels the most tonally consistent” of the franchise, having “maybe the best batting average,” and awarding it 3 out of 4 stars.[10] Similarly, Ryan Scott from /Film praised V/H/S/Halloween for being both “darkly fun” and disturbing, highlighting the quality of the wraparound and also Perry’s segment as “the darkest moment in ‘V/H/S’ history,” scoring the film 8.5 out of 10.[11]
In a positive review, The Austin Chronicle‘s Richard Whittaker wrote that the antagonist from Zlokovic’s segment “may go down as one of the series’ creepiest monsters,” while also praising the Normans’ closing segment as “surprisingly epic” and the preceding short from Perry as “the closest a segment has come in years to the early, edgy, innovative shocks of the first two V/H/S movies.”[12] Slant Magazine rated the film 3 out of 4 stars, reporting that “[t]hough each segment has a slightly different stylistic flavor, they’re united by a devilish mean-spiritedness,” also highlighting “the sadistic acts of torture carried out in ‘Kidprint'”.[13]
In a more lukewarm review, Britt Hayes of MovieWeb.com commented on the anthology’s uneavenness as “a mixed bag of treats,” criticising the first two segments as “a little long” but overall saying the film is “another mostly entertaining gore-fest with a few gnarly tricks up its sleeve.”[14] Similarly, Mike Boltz of JoBlo.com praised it as “perfect spooky season viewing for the initiated,” comparing it to a modern Faces of Death, while criticizing the long running time, and giving the film a 7 out of 10.[15]
- ^ a b “Fantastic Fest 2025”. Fantastic Fest. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ “V/H/S/Halloween Official Trailer”. Shudder. Shudder. August 28, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ Hamman, Cody (July 23, 2025). “V/H/S/Halloween: title, release date, and director line-up revealed for the new found footage horror anthology sequel”. JoBlo.com. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Squires, John (October 19, 2024). “Shudder Officially Announces ‘V/H/S/8’ for 2025 Release!”. Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Earl, William (July 23, 2025). “Shudder Announces ‘V/H/S/Halloween’ With Directors Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza and More (EXCLUSIVE)”. Variety. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ Nemiroff, Perri (September 15, 2025). “We’ve Seen the Green Witch in ‘Wizard of Oz’ But Never in a Horror Movie — Until Now [Exclusive]”. Collider. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (August 14, 2025). “Fantastic Fest Lineup: Black Phone 2, Sisu: Road To Revenge, Shelby Oaks, Primate, Vicious & More Set For 20th Anniversary Edition”. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ “V/H/S/Halloween“. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ^ “V/H/S/Halloween”. Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ^ “V/H/S/HALLOWEEN movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert”. www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ Scott, Ryan (September 20, 2025). “V/H/S/Halloween Review: The Funniest (And Darkest) Entry Yet [Fantastic Fest]”. SlashFilm. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ “Fantastic Fest Review: V/H/S/Halloween”. www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ McIndoe, Ross (September 29, 2025). “‘V/H/S/Halloween’ Review: A Devilishly Mean-Spirited Anthology Film”. Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Hayes, Britt (September 21, 2025). “‘V/H/S/Halloween’ Is a Mixed Bag of Treats With Some Nasty Tricks Up Its Sleeve”. MovieWeb. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ Holtz, Mike (September 22, 2025). “V/H/S: Halloween (Fantastic Fest) Review: VHS Uses Their Own Brand of Halloween Atmosphere To Up The Fun Factor”. JoBlo. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
