How to watch every V/H/S movie in order (chronologically and by release date)

The V/H/S Franchise returned in 2023 with V/H/S/85And viewers may have questions about the best way to watch these V/H/S Movies in order. The films are a unique horror hybrid, combining a found footage template with a horror anthology narrative format. in each V/H/S movie, the framing story involves one or more people discovering a collection of V/H/S tapes. Each portrays one of the film’s horror movie shorts, and each presents an unexplained, horrifying event while keeping its context a mystery.

V/H/S Does not have strict franchise continuity per se, due to the series’ ontological approach. However, the handful of spinoffs of V/H/S Movies determine what bit of continuity the franchise operates in through the stories they tell. especially, Siren And Kids vs. Aliens Serve parallel narratives to these V/H/S FranchiseConnecting to the segments “Amateur night” in V/H/S and “Slam Party Alien Abduction” in V/H/S 99. However, the timeline of the films is not as important as the year-specific titles might make it seem, and the V/H/S Movies in chronological or release order makes for a satisfying scare-filled experience.

How to view V/H/S in chronological order

From V/H/S/85 to V/H/S viral

When it comes to seeing these V/H/S Movies in chronological order, viewers should start with V/H/S/85 and end with V/H/S: Viral, Because the release order doesn’t fit the actual timeline (not that the timeline of the series matters the most). The first V/H/S The movie was released in 2012 and was set in the same year (presumably, although it is not directly stated). so too, V/H/S/2 Was a sequel in order of release and the chronological timelineand 2014s V/H/S Viral Continued this trend, so for the first three V/H/S Movies the release order and chronological order match. Things changed with the 2021 release V/H/S/94.

As the title suggests, the story of V/H/S/94 was set in 1994, making it a prequel to the first three V/H/S Movies. However, it is also no longer the first movie in the chronological timeline. The next one V/H/S Movie moved forward in time to 1999, making it a sequel to V/H/S/94But still a prequel to the original trio. The 2023 release took the entire franchise back to 1985, making it the oldest in the series. While it may not be the best viewing order for new fans to discover the movies, this is the order the franchise follows for the in-universe timeline.

How to watch the V/H/S movies on the release date

There’s a decade of anthology horror for V/H/S fans to absorb

The V/H/S Movies in Release Date Order covers just over a decade of high-quality anthology horror movies, from 2012 to 2023. What’s more, they’re just as enjoyable when watched in order of release as they are chronologically, as the timeline of the V/H/S Franchise does not really have much bearing on the stories (somewhat surprisingly, given that specific years appear in the titles of some of the films).

The first V/H/S The movie hit theaters in October 2012But its low box office hurt the franchise’s immediate future. The next two films received a VOD release at the same time they hit theaters. Siren was released by Chiller Films and then sent to DVD a week later.

The movies took five years off before that V/H/S/94 started the prequels in 2021. After touring horror-centric film festivals, V/H/S Ended up being a shocking original film on streaming services, and that’s how the franchise continued. V/H/S/99, Kids vs AliensAnd V/H/S/85 All were also released on the shoulder.

The best order to watch the V/H/S movies

There is no right or wrong order to watch the V/H/S franchise (although there are some considerations to make)

V/H/S (2012)

Made at the height of the found-footage horror movie craze, 2012s V/H/S Provides a good introduction to the basic template of the series with his collection of spooky horror movie shorts. V/H/S Gets the ball rolling effectively, and “Amateur Night” still stands as one of its strongest individual segments. in all, V/H/S is a strong starting point for the series and where viewers should begin their viewing journey.

Although it is not the first movie in the chronological order, in many ways it is still better to watch V/H/S First. It still serves as the foundational blueprint for the rest of the franchise. Later, movies experimented with this format a little, which did not always work out well. This means that watching V/H/S First ensures viewers have a proper understanding for the general feeling of the franchise, and they will not mistakenly believe some of ​​the less effective tweaks to the formula present the series as a whole.

Siren (2016)

As a Direct spinoff of “Amateur Night,” Siren is the first chapter of the V/H/S franchise to essentially turn it into a cinematic universe. After the shocking discovery that Lily (Hannah Fierman) is a bat-winged succubus, Siren puts the character at the center of her own non-found footage story. With “Amateur Night” is the most acclaimed short of V/H/S, Siren Is great as a direct follow up.

V/H/S 2 (2013)

2013s V/H/S 2 Steps up the scares and the gore in every way from its predecessor, and it’s an overall stronger movie in both its individual shorts and the framing story. While each short of V/H/S 2 firing on all cylinders,”Safe haven“ is the real center of the filmoriginates from the minds of the speechs Gareth Evans and Tim Tjahjanto of The night is upon us Room. in a nutshell, V/H/S went like this V/H/S 2 could run.

Much like V/H/S, It is in some ways advisable to watch V/H/S 2 Before some of the later additions to the franchise. It still follows the purest form of the formula that makes the best V/H/S Movies so great, which means it serves as a stronger example of the essence of the series and what makes it so beloved than some of the more experimental installments that followed.

V/H/S: Viral (2014)

The V/H/S Franchise reached what is generally viewed as its lowest point in 2014s V/H/S: ViralAnd indeed, the series was dormant for several years after the release of the third installment. Not surprisingly, it is not recommended to see V/H/S: Viral First, since it is not the best representative of the franchise.

generally, V/H/S: ViralS horror shorts are not as strong as V/H/S And V/H/S 2But its real problem lies in their quantity. with V/H/S: Viral With only three individual segments outside of the wraparound, it never reaches the heights of its predecessors. It simply isn’t as fulfilling an experience as the rest of the franchise in a number of different ways. It’s not fair to say it’s a bad anthology horror movie, but it definitely doesn’t live up to what came before, and the V/H/S Movies also improved again afterwards.

V/H/S: 94 (2021)

After seven years without a new installment after 2014s V/H/S: ViralThe V/H/S Franchise exploded from the grave with 2021s V/H/S/94That made the series in Shudder’s new Halloween horror notebook. With one of the strongest wrap-around stories of the series involving a SWAT team, V/H/S/94 Delivers one terrifying and thoroughly gory short after another. All the while, its look was specifically designed to match V/H/S types from the early ’90s.

Timo Tjahjanto returns with the short “The Subject,” which one handed brought V/H/S Back to life. total, V/H/S/94 Is great to watch as a return to form yet V/H/S: Viral. It is also one of the sequels V/H/S Which would make a serviceable entry into the franchise, and until the release of V/H/S/99 the following year, V/H/S/94 was the most viewed Shudder premiere of all time.

V/H/S/99 (2022)

While not quite as strong as V/H/S/94, V/H/S/99 Proved these V/H/S The comeback of the franchise with the former was no accident. The 2022 release remains one of the strongest movies in the V/H/S Franchise and, much like V/H/S/94 Works as a standalone movie and is a more than suitable entry point for the franchise. V/H/S/99 Brings back the horror magic with spine-tingling shorts like “Shredding,” “Suicide Squad,” and “The Gawkers.”

A key consideration when it comes to deciding a V/H/S Movie viewing order is that V/H/S/99 Lacks the wraparound narrative that frames the rest of the segments. It relies instead on stop-motion interludes made with toy soldiers. While this is great to watch, it’s important for viewers to watch V/H/S/99 As their first exposure to the series to remember that they do not represent the standard format. V/H/S/99 Also set up another spinoff with “Slimer Party Alien Abduction.” After the revitalization V/H/S/94 provided, V/H/S/99 Makes for a great double feature full of Halloween fun and ’90s camcorder terror.

Kids vs. Aliens (2023)

like Siren, Kids vs. Aliens Building of a standout segment in a V/H/S Movie and shed be found footage format for traditional cinematography and storytelling. Not similar Siren, Kids vs. Aliens Directly adapts its original segment, “Slumber Party Abduction,” to show the invasion from the perspective of the partying kids in the short. With “Slimer Party Abduction” providing a nice appetizer, Kids vs. Aliens is a great main course to follow V/H/S/99.

V/H/S/85 (2023)

2023s V/H/S/85 Takes the franchise back to the 80s. V/H/S/85 is chronologically the first V/H/S movie, but like the rest of the franchise, it doesn’t directly lead to any other installments. This makes it very open-ended in terms of where to watch it in relation to the rest of the series. V/H/S/85 Also returns to the traditional format of a wraparound story to connect the rest of the segments.

A solid entry in the franchise, there are some who feel that V/H/S/85 strays from the roots of the series at certain points, strays a little too far into comedy-horror static and loses some of the chilling and harrowing tones of previous entries (although there are notable exceptions, such as Gigi Saul Guerrero s God of death. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that Starting no V/H/S Viewing order with V/H/S/85 Could give a misleading idea about the spirit of the series overall.

How the V/H/S movies were received

The franchise highlight remains V/H/S/94

Since the release of V/H/S In 2012 and 2013 V/H/S 2 Establishing the name as a franchise, the anthology horror series has always appealed to a niche market. Those who love V/H/S Do it with a passion, although those who don’t can, for the most part, at least, make an educated guess that they won’t enjoy it based on the premise alone. It’s also a horror franchise with many ups and downs, and who knows why V/H/S The best movie is a factor that impacts decisions about viewing order for many who are new to the series.

Use Rotten tomatoes As a metric, the most well received V/H/S Movie is V/H/S/94, Which had significantly higher audience and critic ratings than even the 2012 original. Given that this is also the point the franchise was revitalized and made into a staple product for Shodder after a 7-year gap, V/H/S/94 is the best starting point for those who want to start with the best viewing order V/H/S Movie.