Fantastic Fest 2025 once again proves why it’s the most reliably unhinged genre festival in the world—a delirious marathon of blood, guts, and ideas, all baked in muggy Austin heat and Alamo popcorn butter. By the time “V/H/S/Halloween” hit the screen, the crowd was ready for something gnarly, and the latest entry in this long-running horror anthology didn’t disappoint. And few series better embody Fantastic Fest’s late-night, anything-goes energy than “V/H/S.”
The “V/H/S” franchise started as an offshoot of the early-2010s mumblegore scene and has, over time, mutated into one of Shudder’s most dependable properties. It’s become an annual ritual for horror fans—a reliable, grimy showcase that either introduces new directors or gives established ones a playground for wild visual ideas. It’s the horror world’s mixtape: messy, uneven, and often thrilling.
This year’s edition, “V/H/S/HALLOWEEN,” is one of the stronger entries in the series—consistently fun, sometimes nasty, and always inventive. If there’s a complaint, it’s that it could lean even harder into the holiday aesthetic its title promises, but it’s still got plenty of spooky-season spirit where it counts.
‘Diet Phantasma‘
Serving as the wraparound segment, “Diet Phantasma” is directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, a music video stylist for Garbage, Alice Glass, Ladytron, Arab Strap, and Boy Harsher. Here, he applies that same neon-grunge sensibility to a corporate horror story about a company documenting the lethal side effects of its new diet soda on a group of test subjects. It uses the “V/H/S” aesthetic well and delivers some fun, fizzy gore—a nasty, demented, caffeinated wraparound that fizzes with the kind of body horror you can almost taste.
‘Coochie Coochie Coo‘
Directed by Anna Zlokovic (“Appendage”), this one’s a great sick joke that turns into a creepy spookhouse of maternal terror. A group of teens, too old to be trick-or-treating, cross paths with a malevolent spirit called “The Mommy,” an urban legend who kidnaps kids still begging for candy after they’ve outgrown it. What starts as a funny idea about not knowing when to grow up becomes a gross, clever play on motherhood imagery—the kind of segment that earns both nervous laughs and horrified gasps.
‘Ut Supra Sic Infra‘
From “[REC]” co-director Paco Plaza, this one follows the sole survivor of a massacre revisiting the scene with police to help piece together what happened. After the inventiveness of the first two segments, Plaza’s entry feels like it’s just going through the motions—familiar beats, predictable scares. Despite some solid atmosphere and one particularly squirmy bit of eye trauma (ewww), it ends up being the weakest segment of the bunch. Plaza can do this kind of horror in his sleep, and unfortunately, it kind of feels like he did.
‘Fun Size‘
Casper Kelly—the “Too Many Cooks” guy—delivers the absolute standout of “V/H/S/Halloween” with “Fun Size,” a deliriously funny and inventive short about four adults who can’t resist a bowl of Halloween candy clearly marked “one per person.” What follows is pure chaos: part moral fable, part sugar-rush fever dream. It’s silly, mean, and perfectly tuned to the “V/H/S” spirit. Kelly’s absurdist energy translates beautifully to found footage—like an “Adult Swim” nightmare broadcast from a cursed camcorder. It’s not just the standout of this collection; it’s one of the best “V/H/S” segments, period.
‘Kidprint‘
Where “Fun Size” is chaos and candy, “Kidprint” is slow dread and cold sweat. Alex Ross Perry (“Her Smell”) directs the anthology’s most disturbing and effective horror piece. Set in a video store offering “kidprint” tapes—recordings meant to help identify children if they ever go missing—it slowly unravels into the very nightmare it was designed to prevent. “Kidprint” is absolutely demented and chilling, turning Perry’s fascination with media and nostalgia into something deeply wrong. It’s the scariest segment here and one of the best in the entire franchise.
‘Home Haunt‘
A family’s yearly tradition of building a homemade haunted house takes a dark turn when a mysterious cursed LP brings their props—and monsters—to life. It’s a kinetic, playful finale that fully captures the Halloween vibe: glowing pumpkins, creaky decorations, and the line between fun fright and real danger blurring in just the right way. It’s a perfect closer—one that ends the anthology on a high note of pure seasonal joy and spooky invention, the only segment that truly feels like Halloween night captured on tape.
Final Thoughts
“V/H/S/Halloween” stands as one of the better, more consistent entries in the franchise—playful, well-paced, and full of smart visual ideas. It doesn’t reinvent anything, but it doesn’t need to; the joy of “V/H/S” has always been watching filmmakers go for broke within the limitations of found footage, and this one delivers.
With “Fun Size” as the sugar-high centerpiece, “Kidprint” delivering the chills, and “Home Haunt” nailing the Halloween spirit, this installment feels like the best kind of spooky anthology: messy, funny, scary, and just dangerous enough to keep you coming back for more.
Fantastic Fest ran from Sep 18, 2025 – Sep 25, 2025. Follow us for more coverage.
