With a strong cult following behind them, the V/H/S movies are a must-see for fans of anthology horror, but they’re far from perfect. They fill a highly specific subgenre, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but can be a blast for those seeking something a little different from a standard slasher or haunted house horror film. The Bloody Disgusting-produced V/H/S was released in 2012, alongside a handful of horror anthologies. Since then the V/H/S franchise has gained notoriety with horror fan circles as being a go-to for unforgettable — if at times inconsistent — frights.
Horror anthologies The Theatre Bizarre, The ABCs of Death, Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear, All Hallow’s Eve, and All Hallow’s Eve 2, all came out within a two-to-three-year period of 2012, but the V/H/S movies at their best are arguably a step above in terms of quality. The first two V/H/S sequels from 2013 and 2014 retain the overall structure of the first, while introducing new elements of their own. V/H/S/94 hit Shudder in 2021, with V/H/S 99 arriving one year later. Each of the anthology films offers something unique, but there is definitely a best V/H/S movie.
5 V/H/S: Viral (2014)
If the third time’s a charm, it was an unlucky charm for V/H/S: Viral. The third entry had its moments but failed to live up to its predecessors. It’s certainly ambitious, but it can sometimes seem like it’s not part of the horror anthology franchise. The tone is notably more lighthearted throughout, which isn’t a boon when the movies are known for the unrelenting dread they inspire. For instance, one of the shorts, Dante the Great, feels like a dark version of Now You See Me. Throw in some people with demonic genitalia and a police chase, and you have V/H/S: Viral in a nutshell.
The standout sequence in V/H/S:Viral is called Bonestorm. The short is headed up by writer/director duo Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, who are responsible for The Endless, Spring, and Resolution. Nothing says V/H/S quite like a Mexican demon-summoning cult and small squad of skateboarders who have to deal with just that. The entry is a lot of fun, totally ridiculous, creepy as hell, and fits into the V/H/S canon more than any other segment Viral brings to the table. Even still, this is the weakest film of all V/H/S movies.
4 V/H/S/ 99 (2022)
With the success of V/H/S 94, it was time to get the franchise rolling again and in 2022, V/H/S 99 premiered as a Shudder Original after premiering at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. V/H/S 99 ended up breaking streaming records on Shudder and was the service’s most-watched premiere (via Comicbook.com), but the movie itself was a mixed bag. It was better than V/H/S Viral but wasn’t quite up to the levels of the first three movies in the franchise. There are some great segments, and there are some weaker ones, but they all have something worth seeing,
There is no framing device in this one, making it stand out, and it looks a lot like viewers are watching an old VHS tape. The best of the segments in V/H/S 99 is Ozzy’s Dungeon, directed by Flying Lotus — a segment about a kid’s game show. It does get horrifically disgusting at moments, but when it comes to the best V/H/S movies this is par for the course, and V/H/S 99 doesn’t quite pack the punch of its predecessors (Viral notwithstanding). These segments all call to memory the horror of the 90s, and while not the best, it is a worthy watch for fans of the franchise.
3 V/H/S (2012)
The original V/H/S has some of the hands-down best short horror films, and it rightly ensured the franchise would become a franchise thanks to how genuinely disturbing some moments in it are. The film features shorts from now well-known names in the horror scene, including duo Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (The Guest), David Bruckner (The Ritual), Ti West (The Sacrament), among others.
Not only that, the antagonist from the film’s first segment, Amateur Night, received its own spin-off movie, Siren. While Amateur Night may be the most memorable short for most, the first V/H/S has some insanely clever and highly creepy segments. The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger and 10/31/98 are otherworldly and horrifying, both of which demand to be watched again.
2 V/H/S/94 (2021)
After a brief hiatus, the V/H/S movies started rolling again with 2021’s V/H/S/94. However, to say it got the series firing on all cylinders once again doesn’t do V/H/S 94 justice. This time, the framing story, titled “Holy Hell,” follows a SWAT team entering an abandoned warehouse, with television displays playing the different shorts. V/H/S/94 brings the grainy proto-reality show look of early ’90s TV into play. It makes the film feel totally different from the intentionally ultra-low-budget look of V/H/S and the more polished documentary feel of V/H/S 2, which is how V/H/S dodged the biggest complaint about found footage movies.
The shorts “Storm Drain” and “The Empty Wake” bring V/H/S/94 seriously close to the becoming the best of the franchise, and Timo Tjahanto’s return with “The Subject” rivals his work on V/H/S 2‘s “Safe Haven”. V/H/S/94 loses its footing ever so slightly in the final short “Terror”, and the ending to “Holy Hell” feels a bit abrupt. Nevertheless, all V/H/S movies were back in business thanks to V/H/S/94.
1 V/H/S 2 (2013)
While V/H/S spawned the franchise and V/H/S 94 breathed life back into it, neither match up to the absolute nightmare fuel that is V/H/S 2. The 2013 sequel to the original is still the best V/H/S movie, and stands out among the anthology horror genre for both consistency and ability to inspire genuine fear. Of all V/H/S movies, V/H/S 2 was the first to receive a fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While V/H/S/94 blew right past it in that regard (95% to 70%, respectively), the second film was where the series really showed it could stick the landing.
V/H/S 2 kept most of what worked from V/H/S and added a few new tricks along the way. The most notable change is how the film plays perspective via different types of camera. There’s short filmed from a bionic eye, a zombie wearing a GoPro, and a camera that’s strapped to a dog. The changes weren’t terribly necessary, but it did make for a unique twist to how the stories unfolded. There are a handful of great segments in V/H/S 2, but one stands above the rest, and that’s Safe Haven. In a way, this segment makes the entire film, and it’s a pretty tough act to follow. It gives off a Jonestown-meets-Silent Hill vibe and even when it’s funny or hokey, it’s still terrifying.
