Since 2021, the V/H/S franchise has been consistently turning out entries ever since its surprising return from the dead. Each new movie has been an annual treat for fans of both found footage and the deliberate analog aesthetic. And the latest assemblage of gory glitches and homemade horrors, collectively called V/H/S/85, is set during an important decade for the series’ namesake. After all, this was when VHS beat out Betamax in the war of home-video formats. The previous V/H/S entries were also year-specific (1994 and 1999), but the desired look that every pseudo-vintage anthology seeks can be traced back to the ’80s. This movie does a hell of a job of creating a convincing semblance of that retro style, and it certainly sticks to its overall theme well. Maybe better than the last two movies.
With DVDs on the rise and videocassettes inching toward extinction in 1999, it would have been fitting if V/H/S/99 had been the franchise’s swan song. Clips such as “Suicide Bid” and “Ozzy’s Dungeon” set a high bar for self-contained thrills as well. Nevertheless, the producers turned back the clock by 14 years and delivered a follow-up that feels tighter and more cohesive. V/H/S/85 has a clear gameplan that, for the most part, filmmakers David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani and Mike P. Nelson all adhere to quite well. Using an In Search of…-esque documentary to then frame everything is also both clever and nostalgic.
As with any anthology movie, V/H/S related or otherwise, not every story is as strong as the next. The standouts here, however, do help to make up for those few weak spots. The most cunning of the batch, directed by Mike Nelson, is actually a pair of stories that appears unrelated until the second part reveals its connection to the first (“No Wake”). It’s all cleverly done, but Nelson would have been wise to have kept the madness flowing until the tap ran dry, rather than simply pull back just as things were getting interesting. The other highlight is the anticipated “Dreamkill” by Scott Derrickson. It feels kind of like Sinister all over again as disturbing home videos come into play during a tense police interrogation.
Also of note is the movie’s wraparound directed by V/H/S alum David Bruckner. “Total Copy” is the sort of high-risk and high-concept genre offering that every V/H/S project should have. Oddly enough, V/H/S/99 opted out of the traditional framing device, yet here it serves as a crucial element that doesn’t feel as remotely negligible or underwhelming as these parts often do in other anthologies.
Gigi Saul Guerrero’s “God of Death” could be looking to replicate the energy of the fan-favorite segment “Safe Haven” from V/H/S/2, but it ends up being more middle of the road. Meanwhile, Natasha Kermani’s “TKNOGD” is rather bizarre. In what can only be described as unsettling performance art, this story ends up feeling the most out of place in the whole bunch. It also disrupts the flow.
V/H/S/85 is connected to its individual parts more than other entries, but unfortunately, staying on theme is evidently leading to creative strain for its creators. Turning a single year into a motif has certainly worked in the past, but so long as the series continues to hit “play”, maybe it’s time that V/H/S explores other methods of gluing its self-contained scares together.
V/H/S/85 premiered at Fantastic Fest 2023, and it starts streaming on Shudder on October 6.
Tales from the Paulside 
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