V/H/S(2012)
2012 · Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & David Bruckner & Tyler Gillett & Justin Martinez & Glenn McQuaid & Joe Swanberg & Chad Villella & Ti West & Adam Wingard · 116 min
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
Thriller · Horror
6.11.8k votes
TMDB score
4/5
Intensity
4/5
Gore
3/5
Stays with you
How V/H/S scares
V/H/S is a grab-bag of short found-footage horror stories stitched together with shaky, grainy camera work that makes everything feel raw and unpolished. Each segment has its own pace and threat, so some parts crawl with dread while others explode into sudden violence and chaos. The shaky, low-quality footage style adds a sense of realness that makes the scares hit harder, and a few segments lean into body horror and creature stuff that get pretty graphic. It's a mixed bag meant for horror fans who like anthology formats and don't mind some segments being rougher or weirder than others.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, V/H/S rates psychological 3/5, visceral 4/5, gore 4/5, lingering effect 3/5, and overall intensity 4/5.
- Psychological: 3 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 4 of 5
- Lingering: 3 of 5
- Intensity: 4 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 45 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 30 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 65 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A jumpy, uneven ride that keeps resetting to quiet dread before each new segment builds back up to a jolt, ending on its most frantic and intense stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is V/H/S?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, V/H/S rates 4/5 — one of the more punishing watches in the catalog, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be heavy on gore and genuinely disturbing. Some of it will follow you to bed, but it lets go within a day or so.
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