V/H/S/ Beyond is an absolute blast. It’s pure-adrenaline sci-fi horror that never stops upping the ante with every segment. The film promises to deliver fans a dive into the more horrific side of science fiction and boy, does it deliver.

The V/H/S/ movies have become a Halloween institution at this point. The seventh installment in the wildly popular series that has given a playspace to some of the genre’s most promising talent is now plunging into the unknown with Beyond. The film promises to deliver fans a dive into the more horrific side of science fiction and boy, does it deliver.

In fact, I would go as far to say that V/H/S/ Beyond is the most I’ve enjoyed the series since V/H/S 94. First up, the directors of this installment Jordan Downey, Christian and Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel, and Jay Cheel.

Jordan Downey’s segment “Stork” delivers an adrenaline-fueled horror experience that reminded me of the finale to a Resident Evil game. Told through the perspective of police bodycam footage, there’s so shortage of bullets and carnage as an elite task force takes on a mysterious house of horrors. I really enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Virtat Pal delivers a story about an Indian popstar that’s not all who she seems in “Dream Girl”. I’m gonna be entirely honest, this segment did not do it for me. The pacing is very lackluster and feels drawn out that by the time I got to the end of the segment, I was just waiting for it to end. It’s got a very bloody finale but I just found myself not caring in the slightest.

Justin Martínez, one of the founders of Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream VI) delivers perhaps one of the most exciting and terrifying segments with “Live and Let Dive”. This story follows a group of skydivers that get caught in an encounter with a UFO. I really loved the concept of taking an already horrifying real life situation and making it exceptionally more dreadful. The terror doesn’t stop when they hit the ground as they’re thrown into an even more horrifying situation on the surface. I really loved how well executed this segment was and it contains some genuine scares that had me screaming, and laughing my ass off.

Christian and Justin Long direct what is perhaps the most unsettling segment in the collection with “Fur Babies”. When a group of activists try to cancel a woman who taxidermied her dead pets they soon discover there’s something more sinister going on in her home. This segment feels less Sci-Fi than the other but I can help but be charmed by the Tusk send up. “Fur Babies” also features some of the biggest laughs out of the entire collection so I can’t help but commend it for that. It’s fun!

Kate Siegel makes her directorial debut with “Stowaway”. This one follows a young woman who is obsessed with finding proof of UFOs. After a chance encounter with one in the Mojave desert, things take a turn for the absolute worst. What a appreciate about “Stowaway” is its dive into body horror and some truly alien concepts. This one doesn’t feature little gray men but instead technology that isn’t for the human mind to grasp. The horrifying segment works so well because of lead actress Alanah Pearce who gives a standout performance that left me feeling a huge sense of dread and sorry. You truly feel like you’re witnessing something you shouldn’t be with this one.

All of these segments are tied together with a fake documentary format directed by Jay Cheel. Honestly it’s fine? It gives some connecting thread to all the stories but feels far less important than it should be. I felt it interrupted the flow of the film at times. Which is unfortunate because it’s well made.

Overall, V/H/S/ Beyond is an absolute blast. It’s pure-adrenaline sci-fi horror that never stops upping the ante with every segment. I found this entry to be a very nice surprise considering how it or miss past films have been in this series.

Grade: B-

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Release Date: October 4, 2024
Where to Watch: Streaming on Shudder