V/H/S/HALLOWEEN
****
Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Caspar Kelly, R.H. Norman, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt-Norman, Paco Plaza, Anna Zlokovic.
Starring David Haydn, Samantha Cochran, Jenna Hogan.
Horror, USA, 115 mins, Certificate 18.
Released on DVD & Blu-ray in the UK on February 9th by Acorn Media
Another year, another entry into the V/H/S franchise, but given how strong previous entry V/H/S/BEYOND was it seems that the series has found some sort of direction, sticking with themes rather than specific years. Given that the previous entry was sci-fi based, it doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to know that a Halloween-themed collection of horror shorts would be on the cards, but given that horror has always been the core of this series, have the filmmakers managed to keep the quality consistent?
Actually, they have... sort of. The wraparound story in this one is called DIET PHANTASMA, a title that refers to a soft drink that is being tested on volunteers by twisted CEO Blaine Rothschild (David Haydn), but the secret ingredient happens to be ghosts so there is a bit of a surprise when the first volunteer cracks open a can to try. Then it’s off into the first proper short, COOCHIE COOCHIE COO, where two trick or treaters end up in a haunted house plagued by a demonic mother and her weird offspring. Initially thinking it’s a Halloween prank, the house seems to shift as the two young women move around looking for an exit, coming across a giant man-baby, a deformed child-like adolescent and the mother, who has more breasts than a TOTAL RECALL alien and is looking to add to her brood. It is quite creepy and has a video game vibe to it, anyone who has played THE EVIL WITHIN games will be familiar with the imagery, serving as a solid introduction to this new collection.
After another visit to Blaine Rothschild and his latest victims is UT SUPRA SIC INFRA, an occult story set in Spain. After a mass murder during a Halloween party in an abandoned mansion, the lone survivor is taken back by the police to go through exactly what happened, and by doing the exact same things the exact same results come to fruition.
Directed by REC co-director Paco Plaza, UT SUPRA SIC INFRA feels like it is part of a bigger story and has scope to be made into a feature-length movie. The constant skipping from present-day to flashbacks is a little jarring at first but once the story settles into its groove it is great fun. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of the narrative but the final shots of gore showcase the director’s attention to detail that gives it a sense of style.
Another visit to the drinks factory follows in what is probably the best DIET PHANTASMA sequence, where a cynical volunteer has a drink and becomes possessed, resulting in carnage before the next short, FUN SIZE, comes along. In this one, a group of young adults go trick-or-treating and come across a bowl of sweets, the type of which they have never seen before. Ignoring the sign to take one piece of candy only, the group are drawn into a parallel world where they are stalked by a Bertie Bassett-type character called Fun Size, who makes the chocolate-covered treats using somewhat unconventional methods. Colourful and inventive, this is the most enjoyable short, being both creepy and gory and featuring the best kill in the whole movie, that might put you off Smarties for life.
Back to DIET PHANTASMA for another victim to get theirs in probably the most amusing kill in this story thread, and then we get to KIDPRINT, which sees Tim Kaplan (Stephen Gurewitz) run a video shop where he films ‘kidprints’, short video pieces that can be used to help in missing child cases. One of Tim’s employees has been using this cover to make his own videos of children but for more sinister purposes, setting his boss up as the potential kidnapper. Potentially the darkest segment due to the subject matter, KIDPRINT is also the weakest. The child abuse theme doesn’t really allow for much humour, and whilst there is certainly a bigger story to tell in that vein it just doesn’t fit here, especially between two shorts that rely on more comical elements for their shocks.
Back to DIET PHANTASMA for another round of victims releasing untold terrors through their drinks, which is in no way is a metaphor for big business and how they conduct their research, before final segment HOME HAUNT sees dad Keith (Jeff Harms) recruiting his wife and unwilling teenage son to help build his traditional Halloween exhibit in his garden. Unfortunately, one of his neighbours is legendary effects wizard Rick Baker, who is very unimpressed with Keith’s Halloween store exhibits. Luckily, the ghosts from a Halloween record that Keith stole from a junk shop improve on the gags, turning Keith’s garden into the scene of a massacre.
A fun and gruesome finale, HOME HAUNT features some cool kills and having Rick Baker criticising the cheap exhibits is a fitting source of amusement, capping off another round of V/H/S shorts, although DIET PHANTASMA makes one more appearance in a mid-credit scene, making it probably the best wraparound we’ve had in the entire series.
Sitting somewhere close behind the excellent V/H/S/BEYOND in terms of consistent quality, V/H/S/HALLOWEEN is let down slightly by the misplaced KIDPRINT, which doesn’t quite bring the movie to a halt but it does change the dynamic considerably. However, FUN SIZE and HOME HAUNT are two of the best shorts in the whole franchise, with COOCHIE COOCHIE COO and UT SUPRA SIC INFRA also delivering the goods when it comes to seasonal frights. With sci-fi and Halloween taken care of, hopefully wherever the series goes next the levels of quality will remain this high.
Chris Ward