The V/H/S Movies Ranked
The V/H/S series has become a Halloween mainstay on Shudder. The found footage franchise was among the earliest to popularize an analog horror approach. Segments feature deliberately grainy picture quality to imitate a bygone era before modern high definition.
The franchise can be split into two distinct eras: the early years of 2012-2014 and the Shudder era of 2021-present. The first three movies received limited theatrical releases.
All installments since then have gone directly to streaming and have premiered on Shudder, where they have broken viewership records. The series is known for hiring young, up and coming directors who are looking to establish themselves in the horror genre. Some popular filmmakers have also contributed, including Ti West, Radio Silence, and Scott Derrickson.
Here are all the V/H/S movies ranked. I included my favorite segment for each. Anthology films are always uneven, but there is at least one strong segment in each film. It’s challenging to rank anthologies against each other, due to the wide variety of different stories being told, but I ranked them based on my perception of the overall quality of the segments.
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8. V/H/S Viral (2014)
This was the easiest movie to rank on this list. V/H/S Viral is easily the worst of the series. It has only three segments (not including the frame narrative) and is much shorter than the other movies.
The theme is supposed to be people desperately trying to go viral on social media and getting themselves in deep (and often fatal) trouble in the process. This is a solid theme, but the movie doesn’t do anything creative with it.
The one segment that shines is “Parallel Monsters”, in which an eccentric inventor opens a portal to a parallel universe and decides to temporarily impersonate his counterpart, leading to some shocking and grotesque discoveries. The critical and commercial failure of this film nearly killed the series. It was seven years before another installment was made.
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7. V/H/S Beyond (2024)
The V/H/S series tackles aliens in this installment, with generally entertaining results. I wrote a full review for V/H/S Beyond, so I’ll keep this short. Favorite segment: “Dream Girl”
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6. V/H/S 2 (2013)
This is probably my most controversial ranking. Most people would have this one higher. V/H/S 2 retains many of the positive qualities of the original movie, but lacks its consistency. The segments are more uneven. This is the only sequel that doesn’t follow a specific theme. Still, there are plenty of chills to be found in its four segments (plus the frame narrative).
Favorite segment: “Slumber Party Alien Abduction”. A group of kids are abducted and/or killed by a group of aliens while they’re partying by a lake. This one was made into its own spinoff, Kids vs. Aliens, which I covered in my underrated sci-fi horror movies article.
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5. V/H/S ’85 (2023)
Harkening back to the earliest days of the VHS format’s mainstream success, V/H/S ’85 features five stories (plus the frame narrative) all set, of course, in the year 1985. This movie does a nice job imitating the look and style of real films from the era.
V/H/S ’85 is the weirdest and most unflinchingly brutal installment of the series. The extra grainy quality of the footage gives this movie an unsettling snuff film feel.
My favorite segment is the imaginative and creepy “Dreamkill”, which is about a series of tapes that show murders before they happen. Two cops track down the goth teenager who made the tapes, but he insists that he’s not the killer. “Dreamkill” ends with a fun series of gruesome twists.
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4. V/H/S Halloween (2025)
All of the Shudder installments have been released in October, so a Halloween-themed installment was inevitable. Honestly, I’m surprised it took until the eighth movie for it to happen. The result is a fun and deliciously demented ride.
As with Beyond, I already have a full review of this one, so I’ll keep this entry brief. Favorite segment: “Fun Size”
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3. V/H/S ’99 (2022)
V/H/S ’99 ranks high on my list because it’s set in the Y2K era, when I was a teen. Like ’85, this installment does a respectable imitating the look of its time period. This one has five segments (oddly, it does not feature a frame narrative) and all of them are memorable.
V/H/S ’99 features punk rock zombies, demented sorority mean girls, a millennium cult, and much more. If you’re looking for ’90s nostalgia with creepy twists, check this one and V/H/S ’94 out.
My #1 segment is “The Gawkers”. The protagonists are a group of horny teen boys. When one of them installs a webcam for the attractive woman who lives across the street, the boys hack into it in the hopes of watching her undress. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
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2. V/H/S ’94 (2021)
V/H/S ’94 is the second most important installment behind the original. It successfully revived the dormant franchise and paved the way for the series to become perennially popular. This one brings back the eerie atmosphere of the first movie. The segments are consistently creative and creepy.
Favorite segment: “Storm Drain.” A cute, snarky reporter and her cameraman are investigating the legend of the Rat Man, a crypid creature that supposedly lurks in the local sewer. After making the unfortunate decision to journey deep inside the bowels of the sewer system, the duo learns the terrifying truth about the legend.
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1. V/H/S (2012)
The original is still my pick for the best installment. This movie was almost unbearably creepy when it came out, and it’s still by far the most eerie film in the series. V/H/S brilliantly turns the limitations of the obsolete VHS format into an advantage.
Let’s face it, grainy videotape footage just looks more real than glossy big budget films. It’s easier to suspend our disbelief when we’re looking at something that seems to reflect the dirty, messy reality of the world rather than a slickly produced show. The segments in the original often have a snuff film feel, which adds to the terror and dread.
Favorite segment goes to “Second Honeymoon”. A married couple is sleeping in an Arizona hotel room. A masked intruder breaks into their room and steals some cash. The next morning, the couple get into an argument about the missing money. The intruder returns the next night and a shocking twist is revealed. I remember being floored by the ending when I first watched.
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What’s Next?
To me, this is one of horror’s most consistently entertaining franchises. V/H/S Viral is the only installment that I dislike. There’s easily more good than bad in all the others.
This series has virtually limitless potential. There’s been no word as of yet about the theme for the next installment (which is likely to premiere in October 2026), but I have ideas.
V/H/S Christmas – You made it through Halloween, now try to survive Christmas! Killer Santas, evil elves, poisoned egg nog, the possibilities are endless!
V/H/S Cryptid – We’ve already had the Rat Man episode in V/H/S ’94. I’d love to see a full movie of segments about legendary monsters. To add extra authenticity, some segments could feature famous “real” cryptids like people filming expeditions to find Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.
V/H/S Cosmic – They’ve already had some segments in this subgenre, but a cosmic horror-themed installment would be fun. Tentacled monsters, existential dread, and terror coming from deep space and/or alternate dimensions will fit well with this franchise.
A crossover between V/H/S and Creep has also been floated as a possibility, due to Shudder having the rights to both series.
Wherever it goes next, V/H/S will continue to be a haven for up and coming horror filmmakers and seasoned veterans alike to create unique stories.
