Shudder continue their October tradition of screening a new V/H/S film, with this year’s offering being V/H/S/85. Now onto its sixth movie, the anthology horror franchise, which has also spawned two spin-off features, shows no signs of stopping.
Although the series originally kept its origins timeless, the last three entries, including this latest outing, have all rooted themselves to a particular time period. Having visited both the year 1994 and 1999, attention now steps further back in time to the year 1985. The year presented the assembled writers and directors with a challenge to tell their stories without the use of modern technology. This caveat granted some freedom however, as the creators no longer had to spend weeks figuring out legitimate ways for mobile phones to not work. Once unleashed, the creativity of these directors is unbridled, which has made for an exciting year in the V/H/S history books.
Historically, one of the main issues of this series is the connectivity between the stories that are shown. Whilst an anthology does not need to have each segment directly linked into one another, they do have to feel cohesive when played consecutively. Although there are five distinct and different voices responsible for V/H/S/85’s horror, each of them work together to create a whole that feels complete. The directing talent consists of David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Natasha Kermani, Mike P. Nelson and Gigi Saul Guerrero. These directors are known for very particular styles of genre cinema, but they have each branched out of their comfort zones to create stories that will get the audience pumped for the spooky season to come.
The method of transitioning from one story to the next has always been contentious for the franchise. V/H/S for example, had criminals tasked with stealing a specific video tape. Upon entry they discovered tapes everywhere and with no idea what exactly they were looking for, proceeded to view them all. Consequently, the stories were snippets from the tapes. In V/H/S/85, the idea to have all the chapters self-contained is much easier to tolerate. As one nightmare contorts into the next, the tape is littered with flashes of adverts, and footage for a documentary that formed the original contents of the device. The idea that this documentary has been written over is a simple idea, but an effective one. That snippets of the documentary act as a bridge is a clever trick. It also helps tease the viewer about what is to follow.
An anthology is only ever as good as the stories it tells and V/H/S/85 manages to be very consistent with what it offers overall. David Bruckner’s connective tissue, ‘Total Copy’, is a science-fiction documentary that is screaming for further exploration. It captures the essence of eighties horror sci-fi beautifully. Scott Derrickson’s ‘Dreamkill’ is the starriest entry, boasting performances from Freddy Rodríguez and James Ransone. Featuring potentially prophetic videotapes, Dreamkill is undeniably a Derrickson idea. The tapes themselves are shot in a disorientating manner, and though not identical to the super 8 murder videos, they do share that same unnerving viewing sensation.
Director Natasha Kermani’s ‘TKNOGD’ sneaks up on the viewer. What begins as a one woman performance piece posturing society’s burgeoning dependence on technology, escalates into a techno nightmare. The best way to tease ‘TKNOGD’ would be to describe it as political amateur dramatics meets deadly Tron. Gigi Saul Guerrero’s ‘God of Death’ then injects a hit of action into what are otherwise fairly relaxed stories. An earthquake awakens Hell on Earth and a team of rescue workers find themselves up against ancient entities with cataclysmic results.
The most exciting entries in V/H/S/85 however, have to be the double from Mike P. Nelson, ‘No Wake’ and ‘Ambrosia.’ ‘No Wake’ has the tough task of opening the anthology, but Nelson is well prepared. His story of co-ed’s gone wild is a well-worn tale, but just as he did with the reformed Wrong Turn in 2021, he has plenty of surprises up his sleeves. ‘No Wake’ is by far the bloodiest, messiest, and goriest of all the stories shown; Nelson drains the goo and guts budget early doors. ‘No Wake’ is a ton of fun though it appears to end a little prematurely. In a first for the series, Nelson’s ‘Ambrosia’ interconnects in ways not seen in V/H/S films before. This move proves that there is still plenty of life in the anthology series.
Another solid entry into the V/H/S/ franchise, V/H/S/85 gives the fans exactly what they are screaming for with a few added treats. The time-travel back to the eighties enriches the franchise, allowing the writing and directing talent to cut loose and break new ground. An excellent film to prepare for October’s horror holiday, V/H/S/85 is a wickedly joyous time.
V/H/S/85
Summary
New innovations in the story-telling format may have just future-proofed the V/H/S/85 for years to come. In addition to that, there are some ingenious new calling cards for the strong directorial talents behind the camera. Perfectly timed for your Halloween viewing, this is another jewel in the V/H/S crown.
V/H/S/85 was reviewed at Fantastic Fest. V/H/S/85 launches on Shudder on 6th October.
