The following contains spoilers for V/H/S/HalloweenV/H/S/Halloween has six solid horror short-stories, but a few stand out above the rest. The eighth entry in the fan-favorite horror anthology series, V/H/S/Halloween brings together a new collection of filmmakers to explore frightening stories centered around Halloween traditions. Each filmmaker takes familiar concepts in new directions, all creating some effective scares.

Trick-or-treating is the central conceit for a lot of the segments, but they all come across in different ways. Some of them lean full horror, while others find a balance between scares and comedy. While none of the stories are bad, some do make a greater impression. Here are all six segments in V/H/S/Halloween, ranked.

6

“Kidprint”

The weakest of V/H/S/Halloween‘s six segments isn’t bad, but the more grounded approach and compressed storytelling of “Kidprint” simply can’t compare to the rest of the film’s more openly supernatural (and scary) segments. Alex Ross Perry’s “Kidprint” focuses on Tim Kaplan, who runs a local business creating tape recordings meant to ID children in case of abduction.

With the number of kidnappings increasing in the area, Kaplan finds himself caught in the crosshairs of the true killer. “Kidprint” is a creepy story with effective use of the found-footage approach, splicing video of the kidnapped children with their tape recordings to strong effect. The biggest knock against “Kidprint” is the fairly obvious twist that it sets up.

While it fits the tone of the story, the short doesn’t leave enough room for the nuance or character development this story deserves. “Kidprint” is the story that feels most hindered by the short film format. A solid and scary serial killer story, “Kidprint” is good but can’t quite work as тιԍнтly as the other segments in the film.

5

“Diet Phantasma”

The framing device of V/H/S/Halloween, “Diet Phantasma” benefits from a dark sense of humor and scary imagery. Helmed by Bryan M. Ferguson, the segments focus on the trial runs of an experimental soft drink, “Diet Phantasma” which keeps kicking in occasionally to showcase another casualty at the hands of the mysterious soda.

The demises get more bizarre with each sequence, taking the black comedy further by having people get possessed, explode, and generally have a bad time. Eventually, the retro body horror does wear a bit thin as a premise, and the purposefully ambiguous nature of the storytelling makes it hard to really connect to any of the events of the short.

Luckily, the dark comedy and increasingly gruesome turns keep things tense and entertaining throughout. “Diet Phantasma” is the segment that feels the most like classic V/H/S in its campy throwback approach. It’s a fun runner, though, with the lack overall plot and character ensuring that the segments just get to be bits of fun, practical creature effects.

4

“Coochie Coochie Coo”

An effective ghost story that feels most akin to typical found-footage horror films, Anna Zlokovic’s unsettling approach to the urban legend trope elevates it. The short keeps the attention focused on two young women trying to enjoy their final Halloween before college, only to be lured into the house of “the Mommy.”

The grainy footage has the aura of a movie like Rec or Paranormal Activity, but Zlokovic has a keen eye for keeping the tension high. Steady reveals of the Mommy’s other victims play out well, and there’s a strong handle on how to maintain that tone without becoming overwhelming. The biggest knock against “Coochie Coochie Coo” is the lead character.

While Samantha Cochran and Natalia Montgomery Fernandez are good (especially once they move into sheer panic), the characters themselves aren’t likable or comedic enough to be particularly compelling. Still, the actual horror and frightening imagery make this a solid short, especially as it builds to a genuinely unsettling ending that lingers with the viewer.

3

“Ut Supra Sic Infra”

The most purely scary entry in V/H/S/Halloween, “Ut Supra Sic Infra” is a Mexican-set scary story that blends true-crime investigation with found footage. While looking into a mysterious slaughter that left only one survivor, the authorities end up repeating the same process that unleashed a terrifying unseen enтιтy.

The blend of the formats works well for the segment, especially as a means of escalating the tension. As the short carries on, the horror only increases for characters across both periods. It builds to an ending that, in theory, could have come across as ridiculous, but the crafty shooting style makes it land with terrifying effectiveness, especially the ending.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, “Ut Supra Sic Infra” is a solid little scary story that works very well in practice. The short may be fairly straightforward, but Director Paco Plaza (who co-wrote the segment with Alberto Marini) finds plenty of ways to make the somewhat standard horror story land with a harsh and effective edge.

2

“Fun Size”

Equal parts unsettling and wacky, “Fun Size” is a perfectly silly scary story from Adult Swim veteran Casper Kelly. Focusing on two couples who are dragged into a monstrous candy factory, “Fun Size” is ridiculous. What makes the short work is it knows how bizarre it is, giving it confidence to use those absurd touches for comedic and horrifying effect.

The ways people are killed and have their bodies disposed of in the segment are haunting, especially because the more comedic leanings of the characters quickly establish personality and internal lives. The short finds a way to infuse a sense of childish whimsy and dark comedy into the entertaining story.

There’s a great sense of dark comedy that works very well for the segment. Especially once the тιтular mascot killer arrives on the scene or when one of the leads finally admits that she just wants to end her engagement at possibly the worst time, “Fun Size” embraces a sillier approach that isn’t afraid to become gruesome.

While the campy effects might make some hardcore horror fans balk, there’s a lot to love about “Fun Size” fusing the absurd comedy of Adult Swim’s infamous Infomercials with the body horror of the Saw films. “Fun Size” is the exact kind of slightly campy, very silly, and deeply unsettling that fans have come to expect from Kelly.

1

“Home Haunt”

The best entry in V/H/S/Halloween and the most visually ambitious, “Home Haunt” is able to fit a lot of unsettling scares and body horror into a тιԍнт package, all while telling a very character-driven story. “Home Haunt” focuses on a Halloween-loving father, whose yearly dedication to making a Halloween maze has worn thin for his teenage son.

His latest effort involves using a cursed record, which unleashes real monsters ᴀssuming the forms of classic Halloween monsters. The terrifying takes on childish scares like a green witch and bedsheet ghosts keep the segment in tone with much of V/H/S/Halloween‘s goofy approach to gore, while still finding ways to inflict some creatively brutal body horror.

Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman do a lot of creative things with the format, catching an unsettling level of gore while leaving just enough to the imagination to create a strong lingering effect. The scares are effective, and the premise of the short leads to plenty of great turns (especially once the witch’s hut is introduced) that are genuinely haunting.

At the core of the segment is one of the anthology’s better emotional arcs, with the strife between Keith and Zack laying strong groundwork that could have driven an entire feature-length film. It all builds to a terrific final sH๏τ that lingers for days after. “Home Haunt” is a great horror short and a highlight of V/H/S/Halloween.