Movies
Ranking the Best V/H/S/ Segments in the Franchise
With the recent release of V/H/S/Beyond, the topic of this franchise is HOT HOT HOT. As a V/H/S fanatic, I figured there would be no better time to throw together a list of my top 10 favorite V/H/S segments! While I may feel the franchise is going in the wrong direction for some time, I will still jump at any opportunity to consume V/H/S content. But let’s cut the crap and get into my top 10 favorite segments in this groundbreaking franchise.
With the recent release of V/H/S/Beyond, the topic of this franchise is HOT HOT HOT. As a V/H/S fanatic, I figured there would be no better time to throw together a list of my top 10 favorite V/H/S segments! While I may feel the franchise is going in the wrong direction for some time, I will still jump at any opportunity to consume V/H/S content. But let’s cut the crap and get into my top 10 favorite segments in this groundbreaking franchise.
Want to read our ranking of the ENTIRE V/H/S/ franchise? Then click here!
The 10 Best V/H/S/ Segments in the Franchise
10. No Wake /Ambrosia, V/H/S/85
Written and Directed by Mike P. Nelson
It might be cheating to consider No Wake and Ambrosia the same segment. I don’t care.
No Wake thrusts a group of friends into a scenario that has life-altering consequences and a chance at eternal life. While out on a lake, these friends drink, party, and water ski; truly living their best lives. After a skilled shooter takes them out, one by one, they realize their life-ending injuries are now nothing more than lifelong wounds.
Ambrosia follows Ruth (Evie Bair) from No Wake and doles out some just desserts. The group from No Wake shows up at Ruth’s family get-together and gives one of the kids a water pistol (filled with water from Lake Evig). Kids being kids, he shoots Ruth with the water. This seemingly innocent gesture proves detrimental to Ruth when armed police show up.
Mike P. Nelson’s double feature has an exhilarating setup/payoff. No Wake sets the bar quite high as the first segment after this installment’s incredibly boring wraparound intro. The practical effects on the boat are nothing less than gorgeous and some of the best practicals in the franchise. Their wounds look wild when coupled with the fuzzy home camera grain. Ambrosia starts incredibly unassuming and gives the audience time to get the full picture. Seeing the RV from No Wake and the water pistol makes the segment feel insidious. Once you realize where the story is going, you can’t help but chuckle when the armed police show up.
9. Stork, V/H/S/Beyond
Written by Jordan Downey and Kevin Stewart, Directed by Jordan Downey
When baby disappearances plague a city, it’s up to the W.A.R.D.E.N. unit to get to the bottom of it. Told through police body cams, and a single cameraman, the W.A.R.D.E.N.s are set for a night of doom and death.
Stork does what Hardcore Henry failed to do: making first-person action fun rather than migraine-inducing. Imagine seeing an effigy of some group’s god and not even ten minutes later becoming attacked by that god? Wild. The well-choreographed fight scenes give V/H/S/Beyond an unforgettable first segment. It’s a shame the rest of the film couldn’t follow suit (except for one segment we’ll talk about later). The way Downey blends practical and digital effects could be used as a masterclass for up-and-coming filmmakers. This is your segment if you like blood, first-person action, meteorites, chainsaw POV, and bird gods.
8. Terror, V/H/S/94
Written and Directed by Ryan Prows
A group of right-wing militia members plan to attack a federal building with a special type of biological weapon. But what happens when that biological weapon fights back? Well, you get an incredibly fun and compelling segment that feels more poignant than may have been originally intended.
With reports of right-wing militia members harassing FEMA workers in North Carolina, I decided to go back and watch this segment. Even though I don’t feel it’s the franchise’s strongest segment, it does work well in today’s climate. Prows’ script does an excellent job of frustrating the audience. He forces you to sit with this group of neckbeards as they spout their hate. It’s exacerbated when the group decides to continue with their plan after learning about a daycare center in their target location. (No doubt a nod to the Oklahoma City Bombing.)
Throughout the segment, the viewer is left wondering what terrible fate will befall this militia group. It seems their plan is going all too well. When everything goes belly up, you can’t help but cheer as the militia members are picked off by the weapon they have locked up (and even by each other in a few cases). Terror is the ultimate FAFO.
7. Live and Let Dive, V/H/S/Beyond
Written by Ben Turner and Justin Martinez, Directed by Justin Martinez
A group of friends goes out skydiving for Zach’s (Bobby Slaski) 30th birthday. Wow, all I did for my 30th birthday was allow myself to spend $100 at Bookoff New York. The plane they’re in swiftly crashes into a UAP, sending the soon-to-be skydivers plummeting through the air. Once they land, things go from bad to worse. The friends who landed safely find themselves running through orange groves from a four-legged creature that will stop at nothing to kill them.
Live and Let Dive serves as Radio Silence co-creator Justin Martinez’s first foray back into the V/H/S franchise since the first V/H/S film. Martinez and Ben Turner craft an undeniably intense and fast-paced story perfectly brought to life by Martinez. The plane crash, and subsequent free falls, are some of the most compelling mixtures of digital and practical effects in the franchise. As someone who is terrified of skydiving and has never been, this free fall looks all too real.
Once on the ground, the energy is kept at 100% with the introduction of the alien. While the chase scenes are frantic and fun, the alien doesn’t look great. While Stork uses a mixture of practical and digital techniques for the stork (I think), the creature in Live and Let Dive looks too digital. That doesn’t make the creature less scary, but it’s akin to seeing a scar in a film with visible putty lines.
6. The Subject, V/H/S/94
Written and Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
S.A. (Shania Sree Maharani) is the latest experiment from mad scientist Dr. James Suhendra (Budi Ross). The doctor has a whole laboratory full of these human/robot abominations. A police raid on his laboratory results in S.A. being set free, and that’s when the blood FLOWS!
Timo Tjahjanto is, personally, one of my favorite modern filmmakers. His films have all been a home run for me, but his personality is even more interesting. Whether professing his love for action and horror films or taking down trolls on Twitter, he is a force to be reckoned with. The Subject is a fast-paced, action-packed, balls-to-the-wall techno-horror ballet. If you haven’t seen this one, it needs to be seen to be believed.
5. Storm Drain, V/H/S/94
Written and Directed by Chloe Okuno
Holly Marciano (Anna Hopkins) and Cameraman Jeff (Christian Potenza) head into a sewer to investigate a story about a local cryptid dubbed “Rat Man.” They descend deep into the sewer and eventually become captured by sewer dwellers. That’s when they finally meet…Raatma.
Hail Raatma!
That’s all.
4. 10/31/98, V/H/S
Written and Directed by Radio Silence
A group of friends made up of three out of four of the Radio Silence team as well as a guy named Paul (Paul Natonek), go to the location of what they think is a Halloween party. Unfortunately for them, they’ve stumbled upon an exorcism in progress. As the four men try to make a hasty escape, they are subject to an onslaught of paranormal activity.
Whatever faults the first V/H/S film has is almost moot. Hungry filmmakers took their intense passion and made one of the genre’s most compelling anthology films of all time. Everyone was on the same playing field. Instead of having Scott Derickson and other prominent filmmakers use their connections to pull off something overly grandiose, you have barebones filmmaking. 10/31/98 showcases independent filmmaking at its core and what can be accomplished with guerrilla filmmaking.
Some of the digital effects here are dated, but that’s okay. The story, direction, and passion behind 10/31/98 (and all of V/H/S) is beyond palpable. Each segment in V/H/S showcases what each independent filmmaker can do within the same budget as one another, but, to me, 10/31/98 is the most impressive.
3. Ozzy’s Dungeon, V/H/S/99
Written by Zoe Cooper and Flying Lotus, Directed by Flying Lotus
Young Donna (Amelia Ann) finds herself permanently disfigured from her time on the Legends of the Hidden Temple-esque kids show Ozzy’s Dungeon. Sometime later, after the cancellation of the show, The Host (Steven Ogg) wakes up in a dog cage. He’s surrounded by Donna and her family, who have kidnapped him and plan on running him through their own disgusting version of a game show. But when The Host tells them he can actually make Donna’s dream come true, things get…deadly.
First and foremost, I love FlyLo. His music is beyond original and gorgeous. It’s a type of music I never thought I knew I needed in my life. FlyLo’s 2017 midnight movie Kuso changed my life. It’s funny, scary, and one of the most disgusting films I’ve ever seen. I did a backflip when I found out he was making a segment for this franchise.
Ozzy’s Dungeon is, simply put, absolutely wild. If Trevor Phillips, who was Stephen Ogg’s character in Grand Theft Auto V, was a real person then he would be The Host. In hindsight, no one else could play The Host. This segment is full of squelching, belching, vomit, and shit. It’s singlehandedly the most disturbing and disgusting segment in the franchise. And we are all better for it.
2. Safe Haven, V/H/S/2
Story by Timo Tjahjanto, Written by Garreth Huw Evans and Timo Tjahjanto, Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
A film crew attempts to shoot a documentary to expose an Indonesian cult. They sit with Father (Epy Kusnandar) for an interview, but when they get split up, things go awry. Mass suicide, boxcutter stabbings, and mythical creatures soon pit the filmmakers into a life-or-death scenario.
The team behind the V/H/S films struck gold when Timo Tjahjanto brought them Safe Haven. As the franchise’s first non-English-speaking entry, they set a bar that could only be topped by Tjahjanto himself. The vibe is immediately off when the filmmakers get to the cult, and things just continually amp up until the segment’s final moment. There’s no question that Epy Kusnandar is one of Indonesia’s greatest horror actors. His mannerisms and all-around vibe are immaculate. Watching him go to work in this film is truly terrifying.
1. A Ride in the Park, V/H/S/2
Written by Jamie Nash, Directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale
Mike (Jay Saunders) heads out for a bike ride in a state park. While on the path he encounters a woman who is covered in blood and begging for help. She quickly turns into a zombie and bites him. Mike eventually comes back as a zombie and leads an invasion against a group of partygoers. The invasion has begun!
This segment, directed by The Blair Witch Project’s Eduardo Sánchez and Gregg Hale, is beyond perfection. The entire segment looks like it was handled practically with digital effects used to clean up some edges. Beyond being scary and gory as hell, A Ride in the Park has an underlying emotional impact. Mike starts his bike ride off with a phone call with his girlfriend Amy. Once he’s a zombie, he shows no aspect of humanity. At one point he starts to reach for a shotgun, but it’s moved away from him. By the end of the segment, he accidentally calls Amy again and upon hearing her voice, he has a moment of clarity, grabs the shotgun, and kills himself.
It’s heartbreaking.
A Ride in the Park is one fo the most well-filmed segments in the entire franchise. You get the POV from Mike the whole time, which is fun, but once he is stabbed in the head with a meat fork, you’re stuck with his POV as the meat fork is in his head. It’s brilliant. Can this segment ever be topped?
What did you think of this list? Do you agree? What segments are your top of the V/H/S/ franchise?
I was late to the Radio Silence party. However, I do not let that stop me from being one of the loudest people at the function now. I randomly decided to see Ready or Not in theaters one afternoon in 2019 and walked out a better person for it. The movie introduced me to the work of a team that would become some of my favorite current filmmakers. It also confirmed that getting married is the worst thing one can do. That felt very validating as someone who doesn’t buy into the needing to be married to be complete narrative.
Ready or Not is about a fucked up family with a fucked up tradition. The unassuming Grace (Samara Weaving) thinks her new in-laws are a bit weird. However, she’s blinded by love on her wedding day. She would never suspect that her groom, Alex (Mark O’Brien), would lead her into a deadly wedding night. So, she heads downstairs to play a game with the family, not knowing that they will be hunting her this evening. This is one of the many ways I am different from Grace. I watch enough of the news to know the husband should be the prime suspect, and I have been around long enough to know men are the worst. I also have a commitment phobia, so the idea of walking down the aisle gives me anxiety.
Grace Under Fire
Ready or Not is a horror comedy set on a wealthy family’s estate that got overshadowed by Knives Out. I have gone on record multiple times saying it’s the better movie. Sadly, because it has fewer actors who are household names, people are not ready to have that conversation. However, I’m taking up space this month to talk about catharsis, so let me get back on track. One of the many ways this movie is better than the latter is because of that sweet catharsis awaiting us at the end.
This movie puts Grace through it and then some. Weaving easily makes her one of the easiest final girls to root for over a decade too. From finding out the man she loves has betrayed her, to having to fight off the in-laws trying to kill her, as she is suddenly forced to fight to survive her wedding night. No one can say that Grace doesn’t earn that cigarette at the end of the film. As she sits on the stairs covered in the blood of what was supposed to be her new family, she is a relatable icon. As the unseen cop asks what happened to her, she simply says, “In-laws.” It’s a quick laugh before the credits roll, and “Love Me Tender” by Stereo Jane makes us dance and giggle in our seats.
Ready or Not Proves That Maybe She’s Better Off Alone
It is also a moment in which Grace is one of many women who survives marriage. She comes out of the other side beaten but not broken. Grace finally put herself, and her needs first, and can breathe again in a way she hasn’t since saying I do. She fought kids, her parents-in-law, and even her husband to escape with her life. She refused to be a victim, and with that cigarette, she is finally free and safe. Grace is back to being single, and that’s clearly for the best.
This Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy script is funny on the surface, even before you start digging into the subtext. The fact that Ready or Not is a movie where the happy ending is a woman being left alone is not wasted on me, though. While Grace thought being married would make her happy, she now has physical and emotional wounds to remind her that it’s okay to be alone.
One of the things I love about this current era of Radio Silence films is that the women in these projects are not the perfect victims. Whether it’s Ready or Not, Abigail, or Scream (2022), or Scream VI, the girls are fighting. They want to live, they are smart and resourceful, and they know that no one is coming to help them. That’s why I get excited whenever I see Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s names appear next to a Guy Busick co-written script. Those three have cracked the code to give us women protagonists that are badasses, and often more dangerous than their would-be killers when push comes to shove.
Ready or Not Proves That Commitment is Scarier Than Death
So, watching Grace run around this creepy family’s estate in her wedding dress is a vision. It’s also very much the opposite of what we expect when we see a bride. Wedding days are supposed to be champagne, friends, family, and trying to buy into the societal notion that being married is what we’re supposed to aspire to as AFABs. They start programming us pretty early that we have to learn to cook to feed future husbands and children.
The traditions of being given away by our fathers, and taking our husbands’ last name, are outdated patriarchal nonsense. Let’s not even get started on how some guys still ask for a woman’s father’s permission to propose. These practices tell us that we are not real people so much as pawns men pass off to each other. These are things that cause me to hyperventilate a little when people try to talk to me about settling down.
Marriage Ain’t For Everybody
I have a lot of beef with marriage propaganda. That’s why Ready or Not speaks to me on a bunch of levels that I find surprising and fresh. Most movies would have forced Grace and Alex to make up at the end to continue selling the idea that heterosexual romance is always the answer. Even in horror, the concept that “love will save the day” is shoved at us (glares at The Conjuring Universe). So, it’s cool to see a movie that understands women can be enough on their own. We don’t need a man to complete us, and most of the time, men do lead to more problems. While I am no longer a part-time smoker, I find myself inhaling and exhaling as Grace takes that puff at the end of the film. As a woman who loves being alone, it’s awesome to be seen this way.
The Cigarette of Singledom
We don’t need movies to validate our life choices. However, it’s nice to be acknowledged every so often. If for no other reason than to break up the routine. I’m so tired of seeing movies that feel like a guy and a girl making it work, no matter the odds, is admirable. Sometimes people are better when they separate, and sometimes divorce saves lives. So, I salute Grace and her cathartic cigarette at the end of her bloody ordeal.
I cannot wait to see what single shenanigans she gets into in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. I personally hope she inherited that money from the dead in-laws who tried her. She deserves to live her best single girl life on a beach somewhere. Grace’s marriage was a short one, but she learned a lot. She survived it, came out the other side stronger, richer, and knowing that marriage isn’t for everybody.
My New Year’s resolution is to spend more time watching my favorite app. Luckily, Shudder is not taking it easy on us this holiday season, so I may meet my quota this January. The streamer is bringing in the new year with quite a few bangers. We have classics from icons, a new title from the first family of indie horror, and a couple of lesser-known films that have finally found a home. So, I am obviously living for this month’s programming and think most of you will too. I have picked the five films that I believe deserve our collective attention the most. Get into each of them and start your 2026 off on the right foot.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Carrie (1976)
A sheltered teen finally unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated for the last time. Carrie is the reason I thought proms might be cool when I was a kid. This Brian De Palma adaptation is one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. It is also an important title in the good-for-her subgenre. I cannot help rooting for Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) when I watch her snap at this prom and then head home to accidentally deal with her mom. The only tragedy of this evening is that Carrie had to die, too. I said what I said, and I will be hitting play again while it is on Shudder. This recommendation goes out to the other recovering sheltered girls who would be the problem if they had powers. I see you because I am you.
You can watch Carrie on January 1st.
Marshmallow (2025)
A shy 12-year-old gets sent to summer camp and finds himself in a living nightmare. While Marshmallow did not land for me, I know plenty of people who love it. Which makes this the perfect addition to the Shudder catalogue. I am actually excited to see more folks fall in love with this movie when it hits the streamer. If nothing else, it will help a few folks cross off another 2025 title if they are still playing catch-up with last year’s movies. It also gets cool points from me for not taking the easy route with the mystery it built. I hope you all dig it more than I did, and tell your friends about it. Perhaps you could even encourage them to sign up for the app.
You can watch Marshmallow on January 1st.
Chain Reactions (2024)
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cemented his horror legacy over fifty years ago. So, it is long overdue for a documentary where horror royalty can discuss its impact on them and their careers. I have been waiting for a couple of years to hear Karyn Kusama and Takashi Miike talk about Hooper’s work and how he inspired them. So, I am super geeked that Shudder is finally giving me the chance to see this film. The streamer is also helping the nerds out by adding The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) this month. If you are also an overachieving couch potato, I will see you at the finish line next week.
You can watch Chain Reactions on January 9th.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
An insurance investigator discovers the impact a horror writer’s books have on people. I love chaos, and John Carpenter chaos happens to be one of my favorite kinds of chaos. While we talk about The Thing and Halloween all the time, this maestro has given us plenty of horror to celebrate. In the Mouth of Madness is very much one of those titles vying for a top spot among the best of his filmography. To sweeten the batshit pot, this movie features Sam Neill. You know that he only shows up in our genre if the movie is going to be legendary. You cannot tell me this is not a Shudder priority this month.
You can watch In the Mouth of Madness on January 10th.
Mother of Flies (2025)
A terminally ill young woman and her dad head to the woods to seek out a recluse who claims she can cure her cancer. The Adams Family has been holding court on Shudder for years, so it feels right that Mother of Flies is a Shudder Original. More importantly, this fest favorite has one of the best performances of 2025. Which makes it a great time for people to finally get to see it and get in line to give Toby Poser her flowers. Whatever you think your favorite Poser role is, it is about to change when you see her as Solveig. I am being serious when I say that this movie might be the first family of indie horror at their best.
You can watch Mother of Flies on January 23rd.
New year, but same Shudder. I would not want to go into 2026 any other way, personally. I hope these horrific recommendations bring you the good kind of anxiety. Or at least distract you from the state of the world for a bit.
‘Night Patrol’ Review: Vampiric Cop Horror Undone by Messy Execution
The 10 Most Satisfying Deaths in Horror Movies
‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Review: Nia DaCosta Has the Cure
The Horror Press Podcast Episode 54: Heated Rivalry & Yahtzee
‘Sleepy Hollow’ Review: Seeing Really Is Believing
‘Ready or Not’ and the Cathartic Cigarette of a Relatable Final Girl
‘Carrie’ Review: A Look At Two Adaptations
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in January 2026
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in January 2026
‘The Taking of Deborah Logan’ Review: An Overlooked Gem
‘The People Under the Stairs’ Review: A Brilliantly Bizarre Horror Classic
Slappy Was the Blueprint: How the Dummy from Goosebumps Became A Horror Icon
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ and The Story of William Afton Explained
Glen and Glenda: Don Mancini’s Reverence for Queerness in ‘Seed of Chucky’ (2004)
‘Truth or Dare’: Who Did it Best?
V/H/S Franchise Ranked, Best to Worst
Everything You Need to Know About Jason Voorhees
The 11 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever, According to an Actual Horror Fan
[REVIEW] ‘Cherry Falls’ (1999) Brittany Murphy Shines in This Cult Classic Slasher
