For the past few years, the V/H/S franchise has become a Halloween staple on Shudder, delivering found footage thrills with a variety of horror flavors. V/H/S Beyond, the latest installment, marks an ambitious shift toward science fiction horror, offering a fresh take on the anthology series that once thrived on 80s and 90s aesthetics. This time, instead of relishing in nostalgia, the series boldly steps into a futuristic, intergalactic arena. Does this new direction work? The short answer: mostly. While it doesn’t completely shed its familiar structure, V/H/S Beyond manages to inject just enough creativity and boldness to keep the series alive and exciting.
STORK
Jordan Downey’s Stork kicks off the anthology with a high-energy entry that feels like a video game brought to life. Drawing heavily from the aesthetics of Resident Evil, the story follows a group of police officers searching for missing babies in a creepy house. My issue with it is that it feels like a Halloween Horror Nights Maze and it is structured like one. It doesn’t have any real depth or metaphor so I found this to be sort of boring.
Rating 1/5
DREAM GIRL
This was unexpectedly my FAVORITE or SECOND FAVORITE. Dream Girl shifts the tone to something a bit more metaphorical. Directed by Virat Pal, this segment ventures into Bollywood horror, following two paparazzi photographers who uncover a dark secret about a famous celebrity. The film touches on themes of child stardom and parental abuse, then turns it into a bombastic, horror-infused finale—complete with a FULL ON bollywood dance number. The metaphor works, the horror works. Give me more of this.
Rating: 5/5
LIVE AND LET DIVE
In Live and Let Dive, Justin Martinez serves up an adrenaline-pumping alien invasion horror. Skydivers out for a birthday celebration find themselves face-to-face with extraterrestrial beings during their drop. The premise is fantastic, and there are some strong CGI moments early on, but the over-reliance on shaky cam and repetitive jump scares bogs down an otherwise thrilling concept. It’s fun, but by the end, you feel like you’ve seen it all before.
Rating: 3.5/5
FUR BABIES
The Long brothers, Christian and Justin, contribute Fur Babies, a bizarre, darkly comedic short that has been compared to Tusk. Animal rights activists break into a taxidermist’s home to expose their crimes, only to find a nightmarish surprise. While fun and grotesque, the segment feels a bit tired compared to the others, offering little that hasn’t been done before in horror. Still, its quirky energy adds variety to the anthology.
Rating: 2.5/5
STOWAWAY
Kate Siegel’s directorial debut with Stowaway introduces a more contemplative segment into the mix. Written by her husband, Mike Flanagan, it follows Hailey as she investigates strange lights in the Mojave Desert. The segment blends elements of The Blair Witch Project with an introspective look at extraterrestrial horror. Siegel crafts a quieter, more unsettling atmosphere, offering a refreshing change of pace. Though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it stands out as one of the more thought-provoking entries and actually understandssc that body horror can carry metaphor unlike Fur Babies.
Rating: 5/5
ABDUCTION/ADDUCTION
The wraparound segment, Abduction/Adduction, directed by Jay Cheel, weaves through the anthology in documentary style, exploring UFOs and alien life. Its realistic tension brings an unexpected Unsolved Mysteries vibe, but the payoff is underwhelming and I think it kills the momentum every time it breaks in. I could do without the whole thing.
Rating: 1/5
V/H/S Beyond is another solid entry in the V/H/S franchise, delivering sci-fi-infused found footage horror with a mix of hits and misses. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel and occasionally stumbles into predictability, but when it works, it’s an exciting, wild ride. Fans of the franchise will appreciate the new creative voices and the shift in genre, while those looking for something fresh may still find a few too many familiar tropes. That said, it’s a visually impressive installment with enough variety to keep audiences entertained.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
