The first V/H/S film, released in 2012, featured fan-favorite filmmakers like Ti West, Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, and the filmmaking collective Radio Silence. Although it wasn’t a critical hit, it’s clear fans wanted more from the found footage anthology series. Now, the eighth film, V/H/S/Halloween, is set to release on October 3rd, on Shudder.
Featuring directors Anna Zlokovic, Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman, and Bryan M. Ferguson, this new film is “a collection of Halloween-themed videotapes that unleash a series of twisted, blood-soaked tales, turning trick-or-treat into a struggle for survival.”
In anticipation of the release of V/H/S/Halloween, we spoke with actress Lawson Greyson about her role as Lauren in the segment “Fun Size,” directed by Casper Kelly.
HGL: Was acting something you always wanted to pursue, or was it something you discovered along the way?
Lawson Greyson: It’s something that always interested me. I was a very entertainment-focused child, like “Look at me, Mom,” kind of thing. I’d have a concert or dance prepared for whenever any family came over for a source of entertainment. I grew up in a smaller town, Flagstaff, Arizona, and other than community theater, there weren’t a lot of opportunities, so acting didn’t really seem like a viable option. I was heavily into sports, a gymnast, then I went into dance.
At seventeen, I decided to quit dance; it was starting to get hard on my body, too many injuries. When I graduated high school, I had all this free time and didn’t know what to do. So I took an acting class and absolutely fell in love with it. It was an on-camera acting class, and I knew this was what I wanted to do. I had some really good advice early on, about just getting on set, so I did a bunch of short films, and it kind of led me here.
HGL: What have you found to be the most challenging part of acting, and conversely, the most rewarding?
Lawson Greyson: I think the most challenging thing is the lack of control and consistency. I don’t think my personality is well set up for the acting life (laughs). I’m definitely a person who loves routine, who loves consistency, who loves to know what’s going on. I think with acting, it’s made me have to learn to be very adaptable and just let it go, so that’s definitely been the most challenging but also been very good for me.
I think the most rewarding part is probably the relationships on set. Being on any set, whether it’s film or TV, you create such a close bond with people, you’re around them so much, and you know it’s not going to last forever, so you tend to really get close with these people. I think there’s something special about that that fosters such a close and creative environment.
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HGL: How did you land the role of Lauren in V/H/S/Halloween?
Lawson Greyson: It’s funny, I had originally gone in for a part in the segment “Coochie Coochie Coo” different from what I ended up getting. I auditioned for it, and it was one of those ones where they were pretty hush-hush about the series; it was simply called a horror anthology. I did some research and realized, I know what this is! So I went in for “Coochie Coochie Coo” and it ended up going really well.
I got a chemistry read, and funny enough, it was with Jenna Hogan, who ended up being in “Fun Size” with me. We both thought it went great, but I never heard anything back, so I thought I didn’t get it. Then I got a self-tape from Jeff [Gafner], the casting director for “Fun Size.”
Reading it, I thought it was really fun. There were a lot of comedic elements to it, so I sent in my tape and got into the chemistry read. It was with someone I knew, Riley Nottingham. He was a day player on a film I had done last year, so there was a comfort there. It went really good but anytime it goes really good I get nervous because I think then I won’t get it (laughs). But then I got a call from my manager who said they love you, they want to book you.
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HGL: What was it like working on the set of a horror film, as compared to other sets you’ve worked on?
Lawson Greyson: This one, especially, was so much fun as an actor. I think with a lot of these horror films, they tend to have the practical effects done there in person, because they don’t have the money for the CGI effects. It was so cool—the blood being spattered, the techniques of everything, watching the VFX people, the people were amazing. The vibe on set—I have to give all the credit to our director, Casper, he just created such a fun environment and a great environment of collaboration.
You have to trust the people you’ve given the roles to, the jobs to, and I think he did such a good job with that. This film was so fun and absurd, it was crazy. Everything was so real on set. With the film having the element of found footage, everything you see has to be as if it were the world, so it made everything feel so much more real.
HGL: Are you a fan of the horror genre?
Lawson Greyson: I’m going to get myself into trouble (laughs). I’m someone who is very gullible and believes everything, and horror gives me the absolute heebie jeebies and makes my stomach turn. But I do enjoy it. I watch a lot of horror movies…through my fingers. I’ve listened to a lot of horror movies; I don’t know how much I’ve actually watched.
I do love the genre and do love acting in the genre. I think it’s so fun. It’s such an environment for play, you feel like a kid, and these circumstances are so imaginary that it just makes it a lot of fun.
HGL: Was there a bit of nervousness doing a film in a long-running franchise with such a loyal fan base in the horror genre?
Lawson Greyson: Oh yeah, it was very nerve-racking. Knowing how loyal the fan base is—my boyfriend and his friend let me know how big a deal this was—and knowing there were high expectations for the fans, yeah, I was very nervous. I was less nervous when I was filming it, but then when the press started coming out, the buzz around the film, I was saying, “Please, please don’t let it be mine that screws everything up.” But it’s been enjoyable to see how much people love it; it’s been a real blessing.
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HGL: Do you have other interests in the film industry?
Lawson Greyson: I love the entirety of the filmmaking process. I think right now, producing interests me the most. I would love to eventually direct, but I feel that for me to direct how I want to direct, I need to understand every other aspect of filmmaking. So I think producing is next on the horizon.
I’ve been in talks to produce a couple of vertical form mini series, because that is what I have the most experience in production-wise, and then we’ll see, hopefully from there, directing.
HGL: What projects do you have coming up next?
Lawson Greyson: I’m really lucky. Hopefully, this year and into next year, I have two other feature films coming out. One of them is going to kind of be in the horror genre, which is really exciting. Hopefully, if people like me in V/H/S, they will like me in this. It’s called Herman, and the director and I were actually talking about how to describe this film.
It’s like a dark/psychological/horror/thriller/fantasy, it’s a lot in one, but my character Alice is very special to me, and I really think people are going to enjoy it. It was another film with a smaller budget, but it was like the little engine that could, so I’m really excited for it.
Then, on the total opposite end of the spectrum, I have a rom-com coming out called Love Perfect Song that’s very sweet and has no blood (laughs).
V/H/S/Halloween releases October 3rd, 2025, on Shudder.
