Summary

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff sits down with the directors behind Shudder’s V/H/S/Halloween at Fantastic Fest 2025.

Kick off October with a brand-new installment of the V/H/S franchise, with segments dedicated to honoring the spookiest time of the year!

The directors discuss how Shudder and the franchise allow them to unleash all their weird and take us behind the scenes for each of their segments.

The V/H/S franchise is back with a new installment this fall. V/H/S/Halloween is a collection of Halloween-themed videotapes that unleash twisted, blood-soaked tales and turn trick-or-treat into a fight for survival. As the latest addition to the long-running found-footage series, the film brings together directors Bryan M. Ferguson for “Diet Phantasma,” Paco Plaza for “Ut Supra Sic Infra,” Anna Zlokovic for “Coochie Coochie Coo,” Micheline Pitt-Norman and R.H. Norman for “Home Haunt,” Casper Kelly for “Fun Size,” and Alex Ross Perry for “Kidprint,” each offering their own Halloween tricks. For all the blood and chaos, V/H/S is just as defined by its extremes behind the camera, where freedom under Shudder and risk go hand in hand. “It requires you to be present in the moment, at every moment,” Norman said of making a V/H/S segment, continuing:
“Any mistake you make is going to wreck your segment because you have five days, and you don’t have enough money for those days. You cannot make a good V/H/S segment as a mediocre filmmaker. You cannot. It’s like a storm, and they find talent who can withstand it.”
Norman’s partner and co-director, Pitt-Norman, likened it to “the ultimate warrior competition,” adding, “the complete and utter freedom of creativity with V/H/S we will, as filmmakers, not experience probably ever again.” And Shudder is the horror-lover’s platform that provides a home for these now-annual October treats, along with producers like Josh Goldbloom, allowing the self-proclaimed “weirdos” a place to let their nightmares run wild. Ferguson says, “They actually champion bizarre ideas, which is so unusual,” adding, “They just want to make the best thing possible for psychos like us.” In addition to genre classics and horror movie originals like Host, Mad God, and Speak No Evil, Shudder now brings together filmmaking favorites and new voices in the horror sphere each year for feature-length anthologies with V/H/S, becoming a new tradition for many viewers. Being one of those filmmakers is both liberating, with the boundaries they’re able to push, and a ton of pressure. As Perry says:
“I’m watching [V/H/S] no matter what. No matter who’s making them, no matter what the theme is, I’m watching it, and I know there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of other people who are like, ‘Whatever it is, I’m watching it. I trust the name. I trust these producers to curate.’ And knowing this will be seen, it’s not like this is going to come out, and who cares? No, all the nerds are going to watch this right away, and I know that because that is me. That’s a lot of pressure because this has to be a part of somebody’s very good October night, and you only get so many of those. There’s nothing worse than when it’s October 20th, and you’re down to the wire, and the movie you choose is bad.”
At Fantastic Fest 2025, Collider’s Perri Nemiroff spoke with all the directors of V/H/S/Halloween about the freedom and risk that come with making a V/H/S short. The directors discuss how Shudder’s support allows filmmakers to go weirder and bloodier, and how they each built Halloween into their stories, and the challenge of balancing scares with the holiday’s sense of fun. Check out the full interviews below, along with a time index for key points throughout each converation.

Diet Phantasma, Ut Supra Sic Infra & Coochie Coochie Coo Interview

Perri’s conversation with Bryan M. Ferguson, Paco Plaza, and Anna Zlokovic.

00:20 – “V/H/S Favors the Bold”

02:40 – Zlokovic on Filming With Friends

04:36 – Zlokovic Couldn’t Believe Shudder Allowed This

05:27 – Casting Authenticity for Found Footage

09:43 – Plaza on Evolving His Craft With V/H/S

11:40 – Capturing the Spirit of Halloween

Fun Size, Home Haunt & Kidprint Interview

Perri’s conversation with Micheline Pitt-Norman, R.H. Norman, Casper Kelly, and Alex Ross Perry.

00:22 – Why We Love Shudder

03:09 – “You Can’t Be Mediocre Doing V/H/S”

07:26 – Kelly Shares His Breakstory Moment

08:22 – Designing Fun Size

08:57 – Crafting an Epic Home Haunt

10:23 – Justin Martinez Brings the V/H/S Scares to Life

12:54 – What Lines Won’t V/H/S Cross?

14:16 – Blending Kills with Holiday Magic

16:55 – Crafting Pop Horror in Segments

V/H/S/Halloween is available to stream now on Shudder.

Release Date

October 3, 2025

Runtime

115 Minutes

Director

Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Bryan M Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, R.H. Norman

Writers

Anna Zlokovic, Bryan M. Ferguson, Micheline Pitt, R.H. Norman

Producers

James Harris, Michael Schreiber, Brad Miska