The four V/H/S films 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 team, but can be a blast for those seeking something a little different than 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. Films like 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 2-3 year period. While that didn’t necessarily help, the V/H/S films are arguably better than the aforementioned lot.
The first two sequels from 2013 and 2014 retain the overall structure of the first, while introducing new elements of their own. In 2018, Snapchat breathed new life into V/H/S with an original miniseries, and V/H/S/94 has just hit Shudder to start the series back up. Here are all of the V/H/S movies ranked from worst to best.
4. V/H/S: Viral
If third time’s a charm, it was an unlucky charm for V/H/S: Viral. While it would be wrong to say that the third entry didn’t have its moments, it completely and wholly failed to live up to its predecessors. It’s certainly ambitious, but it can sometimes seem like it’s not a part of a horror anthology at all. 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 for Viral is called Bonestorm, and rightfully so. 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 the four by a mile.
3. V/H/S
The original V/H/S has some of the hands-down best short horror films that are downright horrifying. 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 a to be watched again.
2. V/H/S/94
V/H/S is rolling again with V/H/S/94, and to say it gets the series firing on all cylinders once again doesn’t do it 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, making the film feel totally different from the intentionally crummy look of V/H/S and the more polished documentary feel of V/H/S 2, while continuing to dodge the biggest complaint about found footage.
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, the V/H/S series is back in business thanks to V/H/S/94.
1. V/H/S 2
Some may argue that the original should be in this spot, but most seem to disagree. Of all the films, the second V/H/S film was the first 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 a lot of what was liked about from the first film and added a few new tricks along the way. The most notable change is how the film plays with the filmer’s perspective. There’s a guy with a bionic eye that films everything he sees, 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.
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