The V/H/S franchise has been a successful avenue for "video horror short" features since 2012. After two sequels and a spinoff film, the franchise is back in a truly unique and awesome way. Audiences should be prepared for a good scare on their smartphones because V/H/S has returned with new shorts courtesy of Snapchat.
Four fresh horror shorts are coming to the Snap Originals platform, which can be found on the "Discover" page by swiping right from the main camera. Beginning Sunday, October 28, users will get their first V/H/S video, with each successive episode set to release each day up to Halloween. The shorts are titled "The Nest," "Rearview Window," "Stray Dog," and "First Kiss."
Two of the features, "Rearview Window" and "Stray Dog," hail from director Gustavo Cooper and writer Ben Powell. "The Nest" is written and directed by the duo of Ben Franklin and Anthony Melton, and "First Kiss" hails from Emily Hagins. Each story's title sounds like an innocent enough premise, but V/H/S fans know the franchise has a great way of twisting even the most tame sounding moments into something truly sinister.
That's four unique opportunities for V/H/S to scare its Snapchat audience, which might be needed. The franchise's format allows for many different horror stories to be told, with different directors behind each segment. Sometimes this means one short can be horrifically scary and on par with the modern classics of the genre, and the next one not so much. That problem is somewhat remedied with Snapchat, as viewers will be able to skip less satisfying shorts much easier.
This new collaboration between Snapchat and V/H/S will be the latest Snap Original to premiere to the platform. Snapchat launched its Snap Originals program earlier this month and has launched quite a few other shows meant to keep its users engaged in something other than their friend's quick videos. Snapchat unveiled a look at those originals, as well as a quick clip of V/H/S when the feature was first announced.
Snapchat is not the first social media network to attempt to entice its users to stream on its platform. Other outlets, like Twitter, have shown various live events on its platform for years now and Facebook has paid for some high-profile original projects for Facebook Watch. Audiences watch streaming services like Hulu or Netflix on mobile devices, but whether or not they'll do so just as much on social media remains to be seen.
The first installment of the V/H/S shorts will launch on Snapchat Sunday, October 28. Those looking to watch the original V/H/S can find it currently streaming on Hulu. For a look at what's going on in the land of television and what shows will be arriving over the next couple of months, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.
