V/H/S/Beyond Fantastic Fest Review — Sci-Fi Horror Anthology is Franchise’s Best

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TheV/H/Sfranchise started in 2012 and fizzled out after three entries, but Shudder’s relaunch in 2021 proved popular enough to make a new anthology horror flick a yearly October tradition. This year’s release,V/H/S/Beyond, is incredibly refreshing, taking the franchise in a very different direction to exciting and gripping results.

A scene from “Stork” in V/H/S/Beyond

V/H/S/BeyondReview

While thepast few entries ofV/H/Shave all been centered around a specific year,Beyondis (for the most part) focused on sci-fi and aliens. While it’s less of a unique concept — there have been plenty of sci-fi/horror anthologies — the team of filmmakers that have been assembled forV/H/S/Beyondhas knocked it out of the park, delivering one of the best entries not just in the franchise but in the genre as a whole.

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The first segment ofV/H/S/Beyond, “Stork,” hits the ground running with one of the weirdest, most violent, and hyper-kinetic action-horror films made — much less for this franchise. Following a police squadron that raids an abandoned house occupied by a mysterious threat, Jordan Downey’s segment is twenty minutes of pure adrenaline.

Virat Pal’s segment, “Dream Girl,” is much more of a slow burn, although it culminates in a memorably explosive finale. Following a duo of paparazzi who sneak onto the set of a Bollywood movie, only to discover that the starlet isn’t who she seems, “Dream Girl” does break the found footage gimmick of the franchise, but it’s for a good reason: to deliver a show-stopping Bollywood musical number. It’s truly epic in ways you wouldn’t expect.

Teacup Stars Scott Speedman, Emilie Bierre, and Caleb Dolden Talk Playing a Family in the Exciting Sci-Fi Mystery at Fantastic Fest

The third short, “Live and Let Dive,” also offers an uncharacteristically epic outing for theV/H/Sfranchise in depicting a skydiving trip gone wrong. Justin Martinez’s contribution almost feels stretched, as its final minutes start to feel somewhat repetitive. However, the effects and cinematography are very good, and it’s short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Teacup Creator Ian McCulloch and Stars Rob Morgan and Chaske Spencer Discuss the Twisty Sci-Fi Horror Show at Its Fantastic Fest World Premiere

Justin and Christian Long’s segment, “Fur Babies,” stretches the concept the most in that it has nothing to do with aliens and barely anything to do with sci-fi. However, this horror-comedy (clearly indebted to Tusk) is so enjoyable and demented that it’s easy to forgive the fact that it’s off-theme. It’s fun, with gnarly effects and a great villain turn by Libby Letlow.

Perhaps the most anticipated segment of the anthology, though, is “Stowaway,” directed by Kate Siegel and written by her husband Mike Flanagan. This is probably the closest to what audiences expect from a found footage alien anthology, following a woman who tries to document her viewing of strange lights over the Mojave desert. However, it’s also incredibly abstract and artistic, making this one of the most exciting segments ever made for aV/H/Smovie — which shouldn’t be surprising considering that Siegel and Flanagan are perhaps the biggest A-listers to ever contribute to the franchise.

A scene from “Fur Babies” in V/H/S/Beyond

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Of course, there is also the “frame” — created by Jay Cheel — which takes the form of a mockumentary about an alien abduction. It’s not particularly exciting, but it has more structure than the past few entries, so it deserves points for that. Ultimately, it feels like this had a lot of potential to have been a segment of its own, but as the frame, it feels butchered and underdeveloped.

IsV/H/S/Beyondworth watching?

That aside,V/H/S/Beyondstands out as what could arguably be the best entry in the franchise to date. It’s the most ambitious, cinematic, and consistent entry by a mile. There’s not a single miss, and the best moments of the anthology reach heights that are — dare I say — astronomical.

V/H/S/Beyondplayed at the 2024 edition of Fantastic Fest, which ran September 19-26.

Teacup Creator Ian McCulloch and Stars Rob Morgan and Chaske Spencer Discuss the Twisty Sci-Fi Horror Show at Its Fantastic Fest World Premiere