Found-footage horror will never die—especially as long as the V/H/S anthology series keeps offering evidence there are still creative ways to use the format. Since 2012 we’ve had seven V/H/S entries, with an eighth, V/H/S/Halloween, arriving October 3. The series as a whole has captured a range of repulsive imagery, as its characters stumble into an alarming range of unnatural situations—with recording devices conveniently capturing everything.
It was hard to narrow it down to just 10 standouts, so if we don’t shout out your top V/H/S segment, please sing its praises in the comments! Here are our picks in chronological order.
“10/31/98” – V/H/S (2012)
With future Hollywood heavy-hitters like Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Ti West (MaXXXine) on the roster of the first V/H/S entry, this pick comes from another talent then on the rise: Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
The directing team’s V/H/S segment (credited to Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, and Chad Villella) foreshadows V/H/S/Halloween; it’s titled “10/31/98” and takes place on you know which holiday. It follows a goofy group of costumed, camera-toting bros (including members of Radio Silence) who stumble into the wrong address, uncovering not a spooky party but a ritual powered by an evil that chases after them as they try to escape.
“10/31/98” is the final segment in V/H/S, bringing a jolt of energy as the credits roll. The running time of V/H/S is a bit overlong—but Radio Silence’s pleasingly freaky capper shouldn’t be overlooked.
“A Ride in the Park” – V/H/S/2 (2013)
The V/H/S series would not exist without 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, which propelled found-footage horror into the mainstream. So it makes sense that a Blair Witch director (Eduardo Sánchez) and producer (Gregg Hale) would be called upon to contribute to the franchise’s first sequel.
A mountain biker wearing a GoPro encounters a hysterical woman on the trail—and realizes too late he’s cycled right into a burgeoning zombie apocalypse. We follow along as he gets chomped and then does his own chomping; the ensuing chaos includes a gory rampage through a random family’s birthday party. It unfolds at a breathless pace and manages to be both ferocious and weirdly poignant.
V/H/S/2 also features “Slumber Party Alien Abduction,” which would make a best-of list if not for the fact that it was expanded into the feature Kids vs. Aliens—a more satisfying take on the story, with an equally self-explanatory title.
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