Movies
V/H/S Franchise Ranked, Best to Worst
The brainchild of Bloody Disgusting founder Brad Miska, 2012’s V/H/S was an experiment in giving filmmakers free rein over their found footage passion projects. The V/H/S movies generally all follow the same concept: unfortunate people stumble onto cursed VHS tapes and watch the madness within them unfold, with each tape serving as the vessel for a different found footage short. What resulted was a slept-on cult classic being made at the height of the found footage zeitgeist, standing out even when compared with the big franchises like Paranormal Activity and REC. 6 movies later, the series continues to go strong, with a seventh sci-fi horror-centric entry on the way in 2024. So today, as part of our Found Footage February series, we celebrate the legacy of V/H/S by ranking all the films and discussing where they hit, where they miss, and where they stand after all this time.
Our V/H/S franchise ranked article is here!
No franchise embodies the beauty of the horror anthology style quite like the V/H/S films. The brainchild of Bloody Disgusting founder Brad Miska, 2012’s V/H/S was an experiment in giving filmmakers free rein over their found footage passion projects. The V/H/S movies generally all follow the same concept: unfortunate people stumble onto cursed VHS tapes and watch the madness within them unfold, with each tape serving as the vessel for a different found footage short.
What resulted was a slept-on cult classic being made at the height of the found footage zeitgeist, standing out even when compared with the big franchises like Paranormal Activity and REC. 6 movies later, the series continues to go strong, with a seventh sci-fi horror-centric entry on the way in 2024. So today, as part of our Found Footage February series, we celebrate the legacy of V/H/S by ranking all the films and discussing where they hit, where they miss, and where they stand after all this time.
And, no, we won’t be covering Siren or Kids vs Aliens since, despite being spin-offs. They abandon the formula entirely and don’t count. You can, however, read our review of Kids vs Aliens, since it was pretty great.
We’ve updated our V/H/S ranking to include V/H/S Beyond!
The Entire V/H/S Franchise Ranked
#7: V/H/S: Viral
I know, cheap shot to put it in dead last, but Viral has a reputation as the worst for a reason. I wouldn’t say the scripts here are even that poorly written, and very few of these films have out-of-this-world effects, so I can’t blame those either.
Viral’s inability to commit to a singular tone is its fatal flaw. 99 is campy, 85 is moody, and 94 is just downright terrifying. But Viral is ultimately a day late and a dollar short when it comes to being chaotic or funny, and its more dramatic wraparound segments just needed more work. As is, the framing device takes up far too much time for its payoff, and that’s saying something in a movie that’s only 80 minutes long.
I will give it credit where it is due. What Gregg Bishop does with his brief time and slender effects budget for “The Great Dante” is silly fun, and “Bonestorm” was goofy enough in concept for me to enjoy it for its sheer cheese factor (skaters versus skeletons is totally radical dude!). Still, I would be lying if I didn’t say Viral was the film that almost made me unsubscribe from the series altogether.
#6: V/H/S/Beyond
Does the latest entry in the V/H/S franchise go even further beyond than its series siblings? It’s good, but doesn’t quite break into greatness. Most of its offerings are standard fare, bound by a science fiction theme. The most underwhelming bits are confined to its framing device that, while having a payoff, doesn’t hit as hard as any of its segments.
“Stork” is messy fun, as Jordan Downey directs an adaptation of Oleg Vdovenko’s painting series of the same name; it feels straight out of the masterful digital art that inspired it. Virat Pal’s “Dream Girl” is also a bit messy, but makes a schlocky and decently interesting first half for the film. “Fur Babies” is a mostly dark comedy short in the vein of Kevin Smith’s “Tusk” with some good acting, but feels like it should be more shocking than it is.
The real standouts here are “Live and Let Dive” and “Stowaway”. “Live” really gets to the original spirit of the other films in a way its fellow Beyond chapters don’t always with its adventurous filmmaking. “Stowaway” sees Alanah Pearce giving a really great performance in Kate Siegel’s directorial debut segment. Her mannerisms and line delivery make for a compelling story of an obsessed UFO hunter who makes the find of her dreams but gets nightmarish results in her experimentation. It’s got some of the best effects of the series, as well as a final shot with an emotional gut punch. All in all, a solid anthology.
#5: V/H/S/99
None of the entries above Viral on this list are even bad. Most of them just barely beat each other out for their spot.
And in fact, V/H/S/99 has two of my personal favorite V/H/S segments: “Ozzy’s Dungeon”, Flying Lotus’s demented take on the Nickelodeon game shows of the 90s, and “To Hell and Back”, Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s cinematic equivalent to a haunted house run through hell. “The Gawkers” also feels like a very fun callback to the first V/H/S segment of all, “Amateur Night”, as we see the grisly fate of some teenage peeping toms who mess with the wrong woman. It’s a very solid collection.
Of the Shudder films that have been released so far (94, 99, and 85), 99 is definitively the campiest of the films, and its segments are carried a lot by dark humor and a low-budget, B-movie spirit. Even “Shredding”, which I was a bit harsh on in my first review of the film, is much more enjoyable when seen for its gallows humor and grotesque but comedic ending.
The jokes probably won’t hit the same for everyone, and in general, V/H/S/99 gets stiff-armed by the other films surrounding it (especially with no strong framing device as a backbone). That being said, I’ll never pass up watching a wacky and weird horror film like this one, so it still gets some love from me.
#4: V/H/S
Looking back, it makes complete sense that the V/H/S series got as big as it did when this is what we got as an opener. Though it didn’t see as much critical acclaim as it deserved in 2012 (a year that was 2023 levels of jam-packed horror releases), you have to pay homage to V/H/S for revitalizing the horror anthology format in a major way. Its unique brand of visionary-directed shorts gave us plenty of promise, and it delivered on that potential even if non-horror fans didn’t vibe with it initially.
Not every part of this movie lands, but it only needed three truly great shorts to make its mark: David Bruckner’s “Amateur Night”, “10/31/98” by a pre-Scream Radio Silence, and Joe Swanberg’s “The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger”. Though “Amateur Night” got so much love it earned itself a full-length spin-off in Siren, I find myself revisiting “10/31/98” the most often just because it’s such a fun concept; frat bros accidentally rescuing the monster from the heroes will always be perfect.
Even if the entries in this anthology are outpaced by their successors in terms of brutality or skill, this movie is where it all began. V/H/S left an indelible mark on the horror landscape in the long run, and for that, it deserves all its flowers.
#3: V/H/S/85
The latest entry in the franchise, V/H/S/85’s arrival was hailed with a lot of critical and audience praise, and for good reason. Two standout shorts in 85 earned that rep.
The first is Scott Derrickson’s “Dreamkill”, a spiritual sequel to Derrickson’s work in The Black Phone; “Dreamkill” is an entirely different caliber of short film than anything that has been featured in a V/H/S film. The same can be said of Gigi Saul Guerrero’s “God of Death”, following a rescue crew during the 1985 Mexico City Earthquake, and the ancient evil unleashed by the tremors.
The two are possibly the best made of all the V/H/S segments on a technical level. On top of that, “Ambrosia” is an absolute trip with a very fun connection to another segment in the film and gets a nasty resolution. Bruckner returns to direct this film’s framing device, “Total Copy”, about an alien shapeshifter in captivity slowly learning to mimic things in its surroundings. It’s a very fun setup to a dark punchline in the film’s final shot that never fails to make me smile.
Not every short film here is equally satisfying, and though all of them are well-made, they don’t pack the same punch. It’s very hard to compete with the narrative highs of Derrickson and Guerrero’s work which leaves you wanting more. Still, you can’t take away the kind of quality that 85 brings to the table, and it’s an undeniable standout.
#2: V/H/S/2
Fun fact: this was my first V/H/S film, and the one I was certain would not at all hold up on revisit. I was afraid my own bias had overblown how good it was, but no, it is just that good.
V/H/S/2 is one of those few and far between examples of an ideal sequel: where V/H/S gave us a bunch of very solid short films, V/H/S/2 delivered on that while upping the ante with more shocking and much gorier stories. It’s over the top, and the leap in effects and budget that V/H/S/2 earned makes it surprisingly hold up after all these years.
All four stories are insane, but “Safe Haven” (about an Indonesian death cult and its day of reckoning) and “Slumber Party Alien Abduction” (about exactly what it sounds like) have a special place in my heart for how crazy their climaxes are. If there’s one guiding principle that each filmmaker was on the same page about, it was that they could hold no punches. Even the framing device, “Tape 49”, is a strictly better and bloodier version of its precursor “Tape 56” from the first film.
With returning directors Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sánchez & Gregg Hale of The Blair Witch Project fame, and my personal favorite Gareth Evans of The Raid: Redemption, we have stories that aren’t only disturbing but unbelievably stylish. Conceptually, aesthetically, and cinematography-wise, V/H/S/2 takes the cake. It only gets beaten out by…
#1: V/H/S/94
I need to emphasize: I have not and never will be a worshipper of Raatma. I judge this movie solely on its execution as a really fun anthology film. And any footage of me hanging out in storm drains with rat worshippers is taken ENTIRELY out of context.
Jokes aside, the best entry could have never belonged to anyone but V/H/S/94. It’s the apotheosis of the series’ formula because of how perfectly balanced it is. Though many anthology films would feel lopsided, there’s zero disparity here between the quality of the shorts, and it feels uncanny how they coordinated with such different visual styles.
Newcomers like Chloe Akuno and Ryan Prows stole the show with their segments “Storm Drain” and “Terror”, but series vets like Timo Tjahjanto and Simon Barrett deliver absolute heaters like “The Subject” and “The Empty Wake” to supplement them. “The Subject” in particular stunned me; directorially, it’s hard to top Hardcore Henry meets Resident Evil. That’s not even mentioning Jennifer Reeder’s framing story, “Holy Hell”, which has to be the freakiest of any V/H/S film with its drug-induced cult shenanigans. Separately, they’re strong, but altogether, they make for what is undoubtedly the most frightening and cohesive V/H/S film yet.
While you may get distracted during the framing device in one film, or skip a segment here and there in another, V/H/S/94 keeps you hooked to your screen from start to finish. And that is a true feat.
***
Is your ranking of the V/H/S films different? Are you excited for the seventh film on the horizon in 2024?
When I think of Gothic horror, I typically imagine haunted and decaying castles, ghosts from the past, and arguments of morality. The colors are usually dark, often cool-toned, and shadowy. Part of this might be due to German Impressionism bleeding into classic American Horror films. Many of the early horror films naturally incorporated gothic elements such as fighting supernatural forces, big old houses, and religion. According to the New York Public Library, gothic fiction was established after Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto was published in 1764. The subgenre was named after the gothic castles that were often featured in earlier gothic works, such as Frankenstein and Dracula.
The aesthetic of death and decay around Gothic horror is reinforced with retellings of the most impactful gothic tales. There are countless remakes and retellings of Dracula. We just saw a new adaptation of Frankenstein from Guillermo Del Toro within the last four months. Additionally, the Hammer films from the 50’s-70’s focused on Gothic stories and helped to bolster the box we tend to place the subgenre in.
Gothic Horror Turned Southern Black Gothic
It’s easy to associate the subgenre with dread and gloom inside a Victorian mansion. However, Gothic horror has evolved with the times. There might not be an old haunted castle, but there might be an abandoned school from the 80’s. The elements of dread and decay remain, but have spread to other eerie buildings or maybe a forest. The same themes of sanity (or losing one’s sanity), death, morality, and the supernatural are still being explored, but updated and expanded with time. Gothic horror has even branched off to have its own subgenres like Gothic romance, Southern Gothic, and Urban Gothic.
Being a southern girl, I am fascinated with the Southern Gothic flavor of the subgenre. Britannica characterizes Southern Gothic as stories set in the American South with elements of the macabre and grotesque. The stories frequently tie into American history, which is riddled with ghost stories and tragedy, especially in the South. Many of the classic Gothic stories are set in Europe and take place over 100 years ago, so they feel distant to me. I haven’t been to a single decaying castle, but I have been to plenty of plantations.
Southern Gothic horror brings gloom and doom, but the color palette feels warmer. The terrors feel close to home. Black Southern Gothic films take a step closer to my heart by shifting the subgenre to a Black lens. The movies can feel like warm hugs, although they often explore America’s very dark past and present. Here are some excellent Black Southern Gothic Films you should watch right now!
Southern Black Gothic Films and Where To Stream Them
Sinners (2025)
Where to Stream: HBO Max
The world is going to have to pry Sinners from my cold, dead hands! It follows two brothers who come back home to start a business. It takes place in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The movie is dripping in Blues and Black history while incorporating so many Gothic horror elements. Instead of a big haunted Victorian house, there’s a juke joint with an implied violent past. The building is foreboding and dark against the sunny sky. The inside is old and worn. Before anything supernatural plays out, the brothers mention how they will handle the very real threat of violence from the Klan. Sinners also displays how poverty affected people and what it could drive them to do.
Religion also plays a big part in the story. We start and end the movie at church. The discussion of music and the devil is very prevalent in Black churches. Christianity isn’t the only religion included. I love the use of folk magic and the idea of “the other side.” If Sinners didn’t have enough Gothic flavor, it adds a supernatural threat with Remmick. Sinners is a must-see film!
Read our review of Sinners here!
Sugar Hill (1974)
Where to Stream: Tubi & Pluto
A lot of people might not think about Sugar Hill (1974) when they’re thinking about Gothic horror. It’s one of the first movies that comes to mind when I think of Blaxploitation films, but it has plenty of Gothic elements. The story follows Diana “Sugar” Hill as she seeks revenge on the men who killed her man. Sugar Hill takes place in Texas, AND there is an old dark house. We don’t spend a lot of time in the house, but when Sugar walks through the webs and dust, it feels like it’s straight out of a classic Gothic horror movie. She ends up going through the woods, and eventually, the dead begin to rise from the ground. It is a scene full of death and decay, and the zombies slowly rise (and I mean slowly) for revenge.
There’s also a taste of religion with Baron Samedi from Haitian Vodou. As Sugar gets her revenge, she encounters plenty of racism along the way, because is it really American without a little racism? If you’re in the mood for something fun, Sugar Hill is the way to go.
Spell (2020)
Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
Spell crept under the radar because it was released during the pandemic. The film follows Marquis (Omari Hardwick) after a plane crash in the Kentucky Appalachians, which lands him in the care of Ms. Eloise (Loretta Devine). Spell displays the use of folk magic for sinister reasons. In place of the decaying castle, there’s an isolated farmhouse creaking with age. Marquis quickly learns that his caretaker has sinister plans. He recognizes her magic, because he grew up in the area. He denounced parts of his culture that end up being integral to his salvation. As Marquis tries to escape, he tours all of the shadowy parts of the old dark house to keep the Gothic flavor intact. There are also some NASTY foot scenes that bring the grotesqueness to the screen.
Beloved (1998)
Where to Stream: VOD
Beloved is such a haunting movie. It follows Sethe, who lives with her daughter, after she takes in an old friend. A new stranger appears in the trio’s life, and strange things begin to happen. First of all, read Beloved by Toni Morrison! It is a great book, but a heavy story. While the story takes place in Ohio, which is above the Mason-Dixon line, the ghosts from the past have moved north with Sethe. Beloved demonstrates the dark decisions people will make to escape the circumstances of enslavement. The wailing ghosts are a classic staple. The dreadful atmosphere keeps you feeling uneasy. In many ways, Beloved feels like a classic Gothic horror film. It has an isolated haunted house, a ghost from the past, and discussions of morality.
Eve’s Bayou (1997)
Where to Stream: Peacock, AMC+, Shudder
I usually have to come out swinging in order to prove that Eve’s Bayou is a horror movie in the first place. There are ghosts, people die, and people use dark magic. That’s enough for me! Eve’s Bayou centers on the Baptiste family and their turmoil. The sound of the swamp and nature is woven throughout the film. This movie feels so much like home that it feels like a grandmother’s prayer. I can nearly smell the summer air. The brightness, humor, and youth in the film are contrasted by the constant fear of loss that drives many of the characters’ actions.
There’s an entire plot point that involves the mom, Roz, keeping her kids inside, because their clairvoyant auntie saw a deadly vision. One of the most haunting scenes is when Mozelle tells the story of her curse and the fate of her husbands. It feels surreal and sad, but it still has the warmth of a southern summer. You can see her telling the story while it plays out in the mirror. Her voice is doubled with the voices of her past lovers, making the monologue more eerie. This movie is Black horror homework.
Wake (2010)
Where to Stream: YouTube
If you don’t have much time, Wake is only 20 minutes long, and it’s free on YouTube! The story follows a woman, after the death of her father, who uses rootwork to get what she wants, and she wants a man. The use of folk magic and the consequences of practicing but not understanding the magic almost plays out like a warning. Wake touches on repression and how far one would go to be free themselves. It also shows how societal standards can be a prison that people put themselves in. There’s a supernatural force, and an old house, two of the primary ingredients of Gothic horror. It is an underseen, but readily available, Southern Gothic film.
If you already enjoy Gothic horror, now is a great time to explore Black Southern Gothic films. The dark themes blend well with the warm hues. Although the dive into American history can feel heavy, it’s worth the weight. These are stories that need to be told.
‘Tis February, and because of 2025’s Heart Eyes, we now celebrate Valentine’s Day. While many outlets are going to list romantic horror movies featuring the ultimate horror couples, we’re doing something different at Horror Press. We’re highlighting horror movie red flags. That way, you don’t waste your time this Hallmark season with duds who watch crap. These movies are grounds for automatic swipes to the left and leaving messages on read. Read this list to see the ultimate film filter to help you focus on more sustainable hookups, dates, and cuffing season partners.
8 Horror Movies That Are Dating Red Flags
A Serbian Film (2010)
An old pornstar agrees to do an art film only to discover it’s a snuff film. A Serbian Film is possibly the reddest of the red flags. The pedophilia and necrophilia make it a hard watch, so anyone who revisits it often should probably raise all your alarms. We try not to judge people, but this is definitely a title that will get you some bombastic side eye if you try to bring it to movie night. Would definitely not recommend spending the night after being shown this hellish title.
Any Eli Roth Movie
They’re all the same, and that’s why Eli Roth movies are the free space on this red flag bingo board. Whether it’s taking place in a cabin, a hostel, or during Thanksgiving, there is something inherently gross about a Roth film. I need a shower whenever some guy tries to convince me Roth has made any movies of note. Only people who want to be ghosted are suggesting these movies, and you should respect their wishes this February.
Alone in the Dark (2005)
A paranormal investigator looks into mysterious events that connect to his past. There is nothing nice to say about this Uwe Boll movie. It’s actually one of the few movies where I can’t even count on the design team when searching for compliments. While Christian Slater, Tara Reid, and Stephen Dorff have the misfortune of being the faces we associate with this shit fest, I’m not even letting the colorist and craft service off for their parts in this dud. When we talk about how we all love an occasional bad movie, no one means this one. This makes Alone in the Dark a red flag and alerts you that someone might not have taste.
Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
A 1988 prom queen race turns deadly when a killer begins slaying the candidates. Fear Street: Prom Queen is another huge red flag because it has no redeeming qualities. People who like this movie are being contrarians and should immediately lose the right to recommend movies. From the lack of energy to the unserious kills, there is no reason to swipe right on anyone pretending this movie is good. Save yourself some time and probably more ridiculously bad watches and shut it down immediately.
I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006)
When a Fourth of July Prank goes wrong, someone dies, and their friend circle finds themselves stalked by a mysterious figure. No matter what we think of any other installment/iteration of this story, this one is the worst. This is not my franchise, but this steep decline in quality is not like the others. Anyone who likes this movie is a walking red flag and possibly the most chaotic individual you have ever met.
Men (2022)
A woman heads to the English countryside to work through trauma and discovers more horrors are awaiting her. Men should have been my last straw with Alex Garland. However, I am a damn fool and suffered through Civil War, too. Which is why I can confidently say most Garland films are a red flag for me, but Men specifically underscores all of my problems with his work. If someone likes this movie, I will need them to explain it to me like I am five years old.
Skinamarink (2022)
Two kids wake up in the middle of the night and find that all of their doors and windows are gone. Skinamarink is the embodiment of “Girl, What?” The grainy footage gives many people headaches, and too much time is dedicated to the ceiling. Listening to people suggest watching it in closets, under blankets, with headphones to fully “get it” is weird and extremely unsexy. Which is why the movie and the people forcing the mood onto it are all red flags. I don’t want to kink shame but if someone is that into ceilings then maybe we’re not a good match.
Red Christmas (2016)
A family Christmas Eve gathering is interrupted by a killer seeking revenge. I cannot think of a bigger red flag than an anti-choice Christmas movie. I like my horror to be on the correct side of feminism, and this mess feels gross from a distance. That’s why this Dee Wallace title is a huge red flag and a festive horror mood killer. I know people like to talk about the great kills in this movie, but I insist on not hooking up with guys who like this one. If for no other reason, it probably tells you where they land on Roe v. Wade and we do not have time for that.
So these are some horror red flags from our team to your group chats. Now you can’t say no one warned you about the Eli Roth filmbros, or A Serbian Film fanatics.
Happy hookups and potential dating now that you know what to be on the lookout for! Never forget that it’s okay to swipe left, force close the app, and watch better horror movies than the ones listed above.
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