Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: An anthology of Halloween-themed horror shorts presented in found-footage style.
Review: Time to mess up my order of reviews yet again. I have covered the first three entries in this series, but, despite seeing every installment, I never felt inclined to review the rest since they're hit or miss in quality. As such, this is technically part 8, however, every entry is a standalone anthology so it hardly matters when, or if, I review any given film. Anyway, this particular movie is meant to solely focus on Halloween which spices things up a bit. And, yes, there was a Halloween-themed segment in the first "V/H/S" titled "10/31/98." Let's see how this entry holds up collectively against that one, really cool segment.
Wraparound/Diet Phantasma: For what it is, I actually thought this was one of the better wraparounds in the franchise. You get plenty of gore as scientists are trying to perfect the formula for a new soda, diet Phantasma. With each failure, the test subjects are torn to pieces, possessed, or exploded. What makes this work is how straight they play the story despite it being a ludicrous scenario about trying to use real ghosts as an ingredient. The final result is that everything goes to shit just as they perfect the formula and put the soda into production. The film closes out by showing us the cornball commercial advertising the soda. The marketing actually fits the kind of shenanigans that would have been put out in the early '90s.
Coochie Coochie Coo: This segment is both dumb and creepy at the same time--what a line to balance. Two punk teens cause mischief while trick or treating despite being warned about "mommy" that will get them. Of course, they come across "mommy" who lures them into her house. I really loved the shot of a creepy hand beckoning them into the darkness; great use of lighting. Unfortunately, the ghost should have been creepy but, instead, comes off as goofy with her turning people into babies or something. The two teens get what's coming to them and join the ranks of captured kids stuck in this house forever. Eh, it's not bad for what it's worth. There was simply too much wasted potential to make this genuinely scary.
Ut Supra Sic Infra: The meaning is "as above so below" which I'm not sure how that connects to this segment except in the most literal of senses. Welp, anyway, police interrogate the likely killer of a Halloween massacre, but they cannot explain all the details so they take the suspect to reenact the scene of the crime. Now at some haunted house, the guy explains the events of the story to the police. We learn that they summoned demons or spirits or whatever that possessed the suspect and he killed everyone, ripping their eyes out. As you might guess, this happens once more to the police when forcing the guy to reenact the crime. I did like this segment despite little explanation. There is great tension, and the gruesome nature of the kills makes you want to find out what happened.
Fun Size: This was, without a doubt, the dumbest of the stories. It's trying too hard to be funny when it's plain old retarded. I don't want overly comedic segments in a horror anthology; you can have fun with the material without things being a complete joke. Anyway, we get another instance of people too old to trick or treat that get punished for ignoring the "take one" candy warning. The group is pulled into some cartoonish dimension where their body parts are cut up and turned into candy--the same bizarre candy that was in the dish where they ignored the warning. There are some trickster monsters in this dimension--which I suppose are meant to be funny--which makes things feel like low-budget, pothead Willy Wonka shit. Everyone dies, however, the segment ends with a couple kids and their mom walking into the same fate. Dumb.
Kidprint: Back in the day parents would have videos of their kids made so that they could potentially use them if you ever went missing or were kidnapped--give them to the police or news. A little paranoid, and a dash of creepy, but, yes, people did do this once upon a time. I even had one of these tapes made of me! Well, in this segment, kids are disappearing and we see things from the perspective of the guy who owns the electronic store producing said tapes. As it turns out, one of the guy's employees is the killer, cutting up the kids right there in the store after hours. What hurts this segment is how dumb the main guy is when stumbling across the killer. Like, dude, what does it look like is happening?! Likewise, the killer framing the main guy is moronic since, at the very least, the cops will think there is an accomplice still out there or that they got the wrong guy. Still, this was an okay story all things considered.
Home Haunt: At last, someone goes balls to walls! For the final segment, a family has been creating a small haunt each year which is contrasted with previous years when the son was little and into it. Currently, he's a bratty teen who doesn't want to participate, but this year the dad wants to up the scariness. Stealing some strange record from an antique store, the dad inadvertently activates a spell that brings his haunt to life. The decorations and props manifest into reality and begin a gory dismemberment of the patrons in the best of ways. Sadly, when things are at the absolute most chaotic, the story ends with the monster on the entrance sign coming to life. Dang nab it, right when things were getting good! This was the best entry and left the movie on a high note.
Overall, this was one of the better installments in this franchise. Most of the stories are good with only one real stinker. The wraparound was also one of the better framing devices, although, none have compared to the first "V/H/S." Another thing that helped this movie tremendously compared to the rest was having a primary, unifying theme. Yes, "Beyond" had an alien theme, but there were still segments that deviated from said theme, messing up that film's flow. In this instance, they got all the directors and writers focused. Now, don't get me wrong, the go-to Halloween anthology will probably always be "Trick 'r Treat," but this will serve as a decent alternative. Check it out.
Notable Moment: As previously discussed, in the "Coochie Coochie Coo" segment, when the hand comes out of the shadows to lure the girls in. It's that perfect level of ominous and creepy you want.
Final Rating: 6/10
