After putting it off for more than a month and avoiding conversations with friends and colleagues, I finally watched V/H/S/Beyond. Though the 2024 movie is not my favorite entry in this great horror franchise, I have to admit there is one short film in the anthology collection that I think could spark an incredible spinoff franchise, and now I really want to see this happen.
Yeah, I am fully aware that despite giving us some of the best horror movies in recent memory, the franchise’s history with spinoffs is minimal and admitteldy not all that remarkable, with SIREN and Kids vs. Zombies as the current output. However, I think there could be a lot of potential with “Stork,” Jordan Downey’s sci-fi-oriented short about a hardened police unit investigating a string of baby disappearances. Let me explain…
The Stork Had Me On The Edge Of My Seat
As soon as I first saw the V/H/S/Beyond trailer, I was immediately intrigued by “Stork,” a found-footage short film about a group of cops taking on zombie-like creatures and a mysterious bird-like alien that initially gave me some serious Resident Evil (the game and not the film franchise) vibes. And I’m here to say I wasn’t let down, not in the slightest.
Let me tell you, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire short film (which isn’t even 20 minutes, in case you were wondering). The use of police bodycams to capture all the footage was an awesome choice by director Jordan Downey, as it added a level of fear, anxiety, and intensity that I think could have been easily lost.
As the highly-trained W.A.R.D.E.N. unit made its way through the house of horrors in hopes of finding missing babies, I kept finding myself both excited and terrified of what was waiting around each corner of the dilapidated building.
Why I Think The W.A.R.D.E.N. Team Would Perfect For A Horror Franchise
There are a lot of promising upcoming horror movies on the way, and I think a V/H/S spinoff centering on the W.A.R.D.E.N. team would fit perfectly on that list. There could be an expansion of the short film to go more into the case surrounding the missing babies and the aftermath of the siege of the alien house, or it could be something completely different; I’d honestly be happy either way.
I mean, there’s so much to explore with this elite team that pretty much feels like Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S) from the Resident Evil games. In the final moments of the short film, right before the stork is killed once and for all, it’s revealed that this isn’t the team’s first rodeo and that they have handled similar threats before. Give me a great zombie apocalypse movie with the team, give me an action-packed vampire flick, give me werewolves.
I’m not entirely sure if the V/H/S series, with all its great anthology horror movies, will ever get another shot at expansion with spinoffs in the future, but I honestly think that “Stork” and its W.A.R.D.E.N. team would be perfect to explore down the road.
