Written and directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Casper Kelly, Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Paco Plaza and Anna Zlokovic. A collection of Halloween-themed videotapes unleashes a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival. Starring: Samantha Cochran, Natalia Montgomery Fernandez, Teo Planell, María Romanillos, Ismael Martínez, Lawson Greyson, Riley Nottingham, Jenna Hogan, Jake Ellsworth, Stephen Gurewitz, Jeff Harms, Noah Diamond, Sarah Nicklin, David Haydn, Anna McKelvie and many more.
Undeniably, the concept of putting together an anthology of shorts, inspired by a VHS home-video style to delve into various stories of bloody survival on Halloween night, is a great one. There are some that do justice to that and a couple that fall short. The first interesting choice is to split the initial short ‘Diet Phantasma’ into segments throughout the whole film, which works surprisingly well. Each chapter of it feels like its own short, with each addition growing increasingly chaotic than the last. Bryan M. Ferguson definitely goes hardest with finding that VHS style, really embracing a 1980s feel and unafraid to mess with the visual, it’s not about perfection, it’s finding that fit for the era. It’s a great short and opens V/H/S/Halloween on a strong note, followed by possibly its strongest short overall.
‘Coochie Coochie Coo’ by Anna Zlokovic is everything you want out of a videotape horror. It’s familiar yet original, it gets the tone and atmosphere right on the money. It captures that classic feel of teens who are perfectly well intentioned but don’t take the local legend seriously enough and fall foul of its sinister ways. It’s fun, twisted and just the right amount of disturbing as to creep you out but not leave you with terrible nightmares.
Coming later in V/H/S/Halloween but following hot on the heels of the quality of Zlokovic’s work, is ‘Kidprint’ by Alex Ross Perry. Not exactly a filmmaker known for horror, Perry tends to excel in niche territory and surprisingly this goes more mainstream, but in a good way. It has that quintessential creepy feel right from the beginning, as well as the air of being a pawn in a larger game that hasn’t revealed itself yet. It plays out really well, it’s patient yet not slow, it also has the level of violence balanced perfectly, it’s one you could actually see being a dark, sinister mini-series.
Then there’s Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman’s ‘Home Haunt’ which truly leans into that home-movie aesthetic and atmosphere. It starts off with wholesome, family notes, and gradually leads itself into mayhem. It’s well done and has a lot of really great creative choices that embody the old home-made, indie movie feel. Those four shorts all perfectly understood the assignment and achieved it in their own original way, however the remaining two don’t feel as satisfying.
Paco Plaza’s‘Ut Supra Sic Infra’ felt more like a true crime doc and the style felt too simple and finished, it didn’t have the nostalgically messy edge of the others. The use of vertical video was also disappointing, there’s potential there, but the style didn’t match the story, and it took a little too long to arrive at its destination. Casper Kelly’s ‘Fun Size’ gives the impression of being made for and by teenagers. It’s leaning more towards comedy but doesn’t have a strong sense of humour. It’s attempting a modern style and tone which clashes with the other shorts, so while you can see the intention to create something devilishly twisted, it feels fairly empty.
While not every short in V/H/S/Halloween manages to fit together perfectly, it’s still a strong collection of horror outings. Anna Zlokovic’s ‘Coochie Coochie Coo’ is a particular highlight, while Alex Ross Perry’s foray into the genre is an intriguing change of pace, it will be interesting to see if he attempts a horror feature. Bryan M. Ferguson captures that VHS feel to perfection, while creating a nicely violent short that also doesn’t take itself too seriously. While Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman bring the most creativity to the table, mixing the nostalgic feel of a quintessential home-movie with bloody mayhem, almost like an adult version of Haunted Mansion, without the intense commercialism. It may have Halloween in the title but it’s definitely one you can enjoy any time of year.
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