EJ Moreno ranks the most terrifying V/H/S franchise shorts…
As horror fans, we’ve been blessed with a long-running anthology franchise that’s unafraid to push the boundaries of the genre.
For over a decade, the V/H/S film series has been a go-to for indie fans looking for a new set of found footage-inspired chills and thrills. Each installment comes jam-packed with several shorts and segments that make a lasting impression or make you sick to your stomach.
In this list, we’ll look at seven of the best V/H/S shorts and rank which one is the best out of this brutal bunch…
Honorable Mentions:
-Slumber Party Alien Abduction
-Ozzy’s Dungeon
Parallel Monsters (V/H/S/Viral)
When you’re sandwiched into the worst franchise installment, clawing your way to the top seven is no easy task. But this Nacho Vigalondo-helmed piece is the go-to for V/H/S/Viral.
In this exploration of religion and alternate dimensions, Parallel Monsters quickly grips you with its chilling and intelligent story. We follow Alfonso (Gustavo Salmerón), an inventor who has successfully created a portal to another world just like his, or so he thinks. The further he dives into his strange new world, the more twisted the story becomes.
The high-concept short film could’ve easily crumbled under its weighty idea, but it handles it so well and quickly becomes one of the best in the entire franchise.
Storm Drain (V/H/S/94)
Unlike many other franchise fans, I’m not entirely aboard the “Hail Raatma” bandwagon, but there’s no denying this gnarly little production’s impact when V/H/S/94 dropped in 2021.
Surprisingly, we haven’t got too many news reporter-based V/H/S segments, so Storm Drain stands out. And it does so for all the right reasons, with some deliciously camp acting from Anna Hopkins as she explores the cryptid known as Raatma. Speaking of the monster, the short provides top-tier effects for the creature and the later news meltdown.
With such a bold short, it was even wilder to see director Chloe Okuno switch things up for a subtle yet chilling feature debut with Watcher in 2022. Okuno is a powerhouse and the mother of the iconic Raatma.
A Ride in the Park (V/H/S/2)
Of course, some of the forefathers in found-footage horror had to enter the mix by the sequel, with The Blair Witch Project helmers dropping one of the best zombie movies you’ll ever see.
Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale are true pioneers of the style that V/H/S wanted to showcase, and it’s no surprise that they knocked it out of the park with one of the most exciting shorts in the jam-packed sequel. Even when this film came out, zombie entertainment felt tired, but they cooked up a POV zombie experience that remains unmatched.
There’s also a range of tones on display with A Ride in the Park, helping this feel more digestible than the usual brutal stylings we’d see from one of these shorts. We should always get one of these from Hale and Sánchez.
No Wake/Ambrosia (V/H/S/85)
The latest installment of the V/H/S franchise took us to the 80s and gave us a two-headed monster, unlike anything we’ve seen from the franchise before. We almost saw David Bruckner break the mold with this one.
With the newest segment on the list, there is possibly some recency bias, but that also goes with how this short burns itself into your brain. The first real V/H/S two-parter gives us two very different stories but connects them brutally. No Wake displays shockingly brutal kills but undercuts it well with some dark humor.
Ambrosia doesn’t have the humor but retains all the brutal, shocking things that made the first part a standout. Bruckner is a modern horror master who proves it with a great return to the franchise.
Amateur Night (V/H/S)
In many ways, the series has outgrown the original outing with far more inventive and explosive entries. Yet, this segment has magic, returning us to why we initially loved these anthologies.
We see David Bruckner’s second appearance on the list, and somehow, this is even better than his two-parter in the most recent film. Bruckner looks at the horrors of dating, putting together a harrowing look at the carelessness of men towards women when drunk and on dates. The men in the story get theirs in the form of a stunning creature.
Not only is Hannah Fierman’s Lily instantly iconic, but a succubus story has never been done quite like this. Even the feature-length version of this story didn’t capture the same power.
The Subject (V/H/S/94)
A lot of the time, a V/H/S segment takes on too many sub-genres or too much plot for one piece, and you’d expect The Subject to be the same. But this gnarly masterpiece hits all the right spots.
Sci-fi is tricky to pull off in short-form storytelling, but filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto plays by no one’s rules but his own. In one of the most audacious shorts ever put together for V/H/S, you will be shocked at how detailed and outlandish this one gets. By the time we are in full Doom video game mode, you are just too stunned to speak.
What also works for The Subject is that no matter how wild it becomes, it never forgets to pose questions to the viewer; you feel so much even when all we see is blood splatter.
Safe Haven (V/H/S/2)
The fact we’ve never got an extended version of this segment is still criminal. The V/H/S franchise peaked during the second outing, and you can look at this as exactly why.
If there’s ever been the need for one of the segments in this franchise to be expanded, it’s this deliciously wild look at a cult. Timo Tjahjanto is joined by Gareth Evans this time, and the directors’ combo makes this a memorable experience. From the start, you get a sense of dread and beg the characters to turn away, but you can’t look away from the madness.
As V/H/S/2 turns ten this year, it’s wild to see no other entry even come close to the scale and overall cinematic flare that Safe Haven provided.
What is your favorite segment from the V/H/S franchise? Share your feelings by reaching out to Flickering Myth via our social channels and check out our video ranking of the V/H/S/85 segments here…
