‘V/H/S/85’ Movie Review: A Chaotic Collection of Retro Tapes
Photo from Shudder
From Jeff Nelson
Genre streaming service Shudder brings another horror anthology to the world just in time for Halloween-season viewing. V/H/S/85 marks the franchise’s sixth installment, uplifting filmmaking voices in a nostalgic package that speak to various corners of the horror landscape. The series concept is a good one, although the total package here doesn’t reach its full potential.
Taking place in the 1980s, a made-for-TV documentary explores an alien research study, framing a collection of four tapes that capture seemingly impossible horrors. “No Wake” follows a group of friends embarking on a lake skiing adventure, encountering a mysterious killer. In “God of Death,” a recovery team attempts to save a TV crew after a natural disaster. “TKNOGD” tells the story of a performance artist whose message on technology backfires. Finally, “Dreamkill” features murderous visions captured on videotapes.
V/H/S/85 is wrapped in The Night House director David Bruckner’s “Total Copy,” which comes in small segments in between each tape. It’s far from the worst framing story in the franchise, but it isn’t particularly memorable either, where the punchline ends with a whimper.
Wrong Turn reboot director Mike P. Nelson’s “No Wake” is one of the film’s stronger segments, taking place in a familiar type of lake setting. Their fun is interrupted by a fight for survival that’s both brutal and uncompromising. However, there’s a twist that takes this story in a direction that hinders the terror. Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining entry.
Next, Satanic Hispanics filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero’s “God of Death” begins as a natural disaster piece, showcasing the fear, panic, and claustrophobia of a collapsing building. Another obstacle is thrown in their path that only makes matters worse. This chapter delivers on atmosphere and an intriguing concept, but it doesn’t go anywhere.
Lucky director Natasha Kermani concocted a form of slam poetry on technology’s hold on society with “TKNOGD.” The performance goes wrong in a vicious way that leverages gnarly gore effects, along with social commentary on the continued evolution and reliance on technology that isn’t too far from worship.
Finally, Sinister director Scott Derrickson’s “Dreamkill” is the strongest segment of the film, offering haunting videotapes of home invasion and murder accompanied by spine-chilling music. Derrickson knows how to disturb on multiple levels, and that’s once again proven here with brutal violence and an intriguing crime twist.
V/H/S/85 possesses a couple of effective segments, but the majority of this retro horror anthology doesn’t elicit much more than an apathetic shrug. This franchise once regularly strived for thrills and chills, but it now leans further into campy gags that fall short of its origins.
Rating: 2.5/5
V/H/S/85 streams on Shudder starting October 6th, 2023.
