If there’s one thing we horror fans love, it’s franchises. We’re always super excited to see the next installment of our favorite film series, but most of the time, these sequels don’t live up to the hype. In fact, they usually get worse and worse, so by the time part six or seven rolls around, the movies are almost always running on fumes. But there are some exceptions, and one of the best is the V/H/S franchise. These films seem to go in the opposite direction, getting better as they go along, and with the seventh entry, V/H/S Beyond, we might even have the best one yet.

Unlike the previous three V/H/S movies, this one isn’t set in a particular year. Instead, the segments all tackle the same horror subgenre, but don’t worry, you don’t just see the same monster pop up five times. As the name vaguely suggests, V/H/S Beyond is a collection of sci-fi horror shorts, and that’s a pretty broad category. It can include aliens, AI, mad scientists, and a whole host of out-of-this-world terrors, so this film features a good assortment of villains to keep you on your toes.

Let’s start with the first segment. It’s called “Stork,” and it was directed and co-written by Jordan Downey. It follows a group of police officers who raid a house believed to be connected to a recent string of baby disappearances, but when the cops check the place out, they get a lot more than they bargained for. This house is inhabited by a bunch of brain-dead zombies, and they immediately imbue “Stork” with a frenetic chaos very reminiscent of the found-footage classic [REC].

They also create a captivating mystery, as you can’t help but wonder just what the hell is going on here. It’s not clear why these creatures would want to kidnap babies, so as the cops move closer and closer to the truth, you’ll find yourself inching closer and closer to the edge of your seat. I can’t say more without spoiling the ending, but trust me, the payoff is just as good as the setup. The finale of this story is absolutely wild, and it kicks V/H/S Beyond off with a bang.

Next up, we have “Dream Girl,” directed and co-written by Virat Pal. This one follows two paparazzi in India as they infiltrate the set of a Bollywood production and try to take candid photos of a megastar named Tara, but as you can probably guess, the woman’s private life isn’t quite as normal as they were expecting.

This segment doesn’t start nearly as strong as “Stork,” but when the horror finally kicks in, we get a ton of awesome chaos with a boatload of gore. Director Virat Pal manages to turn a fairly mundane story into a hell of a time, so even though “Dream Girl” takes a while to get going, it ends up being one the highlights of the movie.

If you’re looking for a straight-up alien invasion story, the third segment in V/H/S Beyond, “Live and Let Dive,” is going to be right up your alley. It was directed and co-written by Justin Martinez, and it centers around a group of friends who go skydiving. While still in the plane, they crash into a UFO, and when they finally make it to the ground, they find themselves in the fight of their lives.

For the most part, “Live and Let Dive” plays out like a fairly standard creature feature with thrilling and bloody attacks, but the aliens elevate it above most of its cinematic peers. They’re a legitimately unnerving blend of humanoid and insectoid, so when they go after their prey, you’ll be just as scared as these characters are. This awesome alien attack continues the film’s streak of great stories, but unfortunately, the next one is a big step down.

“Fur Babies” was written and directed by Christian and Justin Long, and it’s hands down the worst segment in V/H/S Beyond. It follows a group of animal rights activists who visit the home of a taxidermist, and soon after they arrive, they find that the woman is even crazier than they imagined.

To be fair, this story isn’t all bad. It has a fun monster movie element at the end, so it leaves off on a good note. But before that, it feels a bit too much like a notorious body horror flick from the 2000s that’s miles away from my genre sweet spot. I can’t say what film I’m referring to without ruining the segment’s surprises, but when you see it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. If you enjoy that movie, you might like this story more than I did, but for me, it just fell pretty flat.

The fifth and final segment in V/H/S Beyond is the one I was looking forward to the most. It’s called “Stowaway,” and it’s the directorial debut of Kate Siegel, one of the best actresses in the genre. What’s more, it was also written by Mike Flanagan, and in my opinion, he just might be the best horror filmmaker around.

The story follows a woman who treks out to the Mojave Desert to document some strange lights that have been appearing in the sky, and the beginning is very reminiscent of movies like The Blair Witch Project and Frogman. This paranormal investigator starts by interviewing a couple of the locals, and then she gets the chance to experience the otherworldly phenomenon herself.

I’m not going to tell you what she finds, but I will say that it’s pretty creative. In fact, the more you learn about it, the more intriguing it becomes, so you won’t be able to look away…that is until the body horror hits. It’s not exactly gory, and it’s not nearly as disgusting as, say, The Substance, but it’s still pretty harrowing. It might even make you uncomfortable inside your own skin, so it closes the segment out in arguably the best way possible.

Last but not least, we have to talk about the frame story, “Abduction/Adduction.” It was written and directed by Jay Cheel, and it’s a mockumentary about some tapes that supposedly show proof of alien visitations. Like many frame stories, there’s not much to this one, but it’s an entertaining way to connect the segments. It feels like a real alien documentary and ends on a pretty fun note, so for what it is, it gets a thumbs-up from me.

And as I’m sure you can tell, V/H/S Beyond as a whole gets a hearty thumbs up from me as well. Sure, it has a weak link, but even that story ends on a fun note, and the rest are all bangers. So if you like anthology films, the V/H/S movies, or sci-fi horror (or all three!), I highly recommend checking this film out. It’s one of the franchise’s best entries, and I think fans are going to eat it up.