Fantastic Fest 2025: Filmmakers of V/H/S Halloween Talk Segments, Nostalgia, and the Spirit of Trick-or-Treat Terror
- Travis Brown
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
Few franchises feel as synonymous with Fantastic Fest as V/H/S. For over a decade, the found-footage anthology has lured together some of the most inventive voices in genre cinema. This year’s entry, V/H/S Halloween, world premiered at the festival and quickly emerged as a fan favorite, with filmmakers Bryan M. Ferguson (Diet Phantasma), Anna Zlokovic (Coochie Coochie Coo), Casper Kelly (Fun Size), Alex Ross Perry (Kidprint), Paco Plaza (Ut Supra Sic Infra), and Micheline & R.H. Norman (Home Haunt) all bringing their own uniquely deranged visions to the table.
We caught up with the directors in Austin to break down their approaches, inspirations, and the chaos of contributing to a project where no one knows exactly what the others are making until the final cut is stitched together.
Blowing up kids and banality gone wrong
Ferguson, who handled the wraparound segment, leaned into the tradition of V/H/S glue while making sure his standalone short could hit just as hard on its own. “Cut it down to the bone—no time for deep character, just maximize the kills and keep the audience laughing in between,” he explained. “I love warping banal things. Life sucks, so why not make people cautious around soda cans?”
Body horror, folklore, and rules of candy
Anna Zlokovic brought her love of body horror into the fold, expanding on concepts she’d first explored in music video work. “Halloween opens up the boundaries, and the producers encouraged me to push that further,” she said. Meanwhile, Casper Kelly tapped into the universal “one piece of candy” bowl rule, finding joy in breaking a simple Halloween code. “As soon as the audience sees someone ignore it, they know: uh-oh, it’s on now.”
Videotape nightmares and analog unease
Alex Ross Perry grounded his short in the unsettling textures of analog media. Inspired by old “kid print” VHS tapes and the uncanny quality of warped home recordings, Perry leaned into the eerie cultural memory of camcorders and video stores. “When you’re working in found footage, you always have to ask—what role does the camera play? For me, it came from the analog era itself.”
Returning to the roots of found footage
Paco Plaza, co-director of [REC], admitted stepping back into the found-footage form felt like time travel. “It was like being 30 again,” he said. “I faced the same questions I had back then, but with the freedom to play. And if your short doesn’t land? Another one will. That’s liberating.”
Family haunts and personal touches
Micheline and R.H. Norman delivered Home Haunt, a segment inspired by makeup legend Rick Baker’s annual Halloween displays. The film leaned on a father-son relationship, something the Normans felt gave weight to the gore. “We didn’t think we’d even have time for character development,” they said. “But we wanted a reason behind the madness—something rooted in family.”
The spirit of Halloween
When asked what they hoped audiences would take away, the filmmakers echoed the same point: nostalgia. “We wanted this to feel like a walk down your own Halloween memories,” said the Normans. “Friends, neighborhoods, trick-or-treats, creatures—you might laugh, you might scream, but you’ll remember.”
With segments ranging from playful absurdity to outright nightmare fuel, V/H/S Halloween reminds us why the franchise continues to endure: it’s as unpredictable as the holiday itself.
V/H/S Halloween is now streaming on Shudder. Stay tuned for our full review following its Fantastic Fest premiere.