V/H/S/85 (2023) Review by Phil Newton
V/H/S/85 is the sixth and most recent installment of the ‘found footage’ franchise that showcases multiple tales of terror from upcoming and established horror talent. We reviewed the fourth film in the franchise just last week as it made its home entertainment debut, and that one included segments by Chloe Okuno, Simon Barrett and Timo Tjahjanto. Building on the successes of V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99, this latest film was the most watched exclusive film premiere of 2023 when it debuted on streaming channel Shudder last October.
V/H/S/85 is bookended with Total Copy, directed by David Bruckner (The Ritual), flashes of which are also interspersed throughout this latest tape. The setting is a University campus where Dr Spratling (Jordan Belfi) is overseeing a secret project studying Rory, some kind of shape-shifting individual. As Rory starts to mimic their colleague Gary, Spratling realises the creature is far more intelligent – and dangerous – than first thought, and his video diaries capture the fallout as Rory escapes his confines.
Our first story proper is No Wake, directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn). Seven friends document their camping trip to a lake. With the RV parked up, and ignoring the ‘no swimming’ signs, five of the group including our videographer Rob (Alex Galick) take a boat out onto the lake to water-ski, whilst Rob’s sister and her boyfriend remain on dry land, clearly planning to canoodle in their tent. A blue pick-up arrives and then, in one of the most shocking scenes in V/H/S history, a sniper attacks… yet miraculously some of them survive, and now they want revenge.
The next segment is God Of Death, directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero (Satanic Hispanics) who also pops up as rookie reporter Gabi in the story. The Mexican morning news show is underway when an earthquake strikes, killing most of the production crew. Cameraman Luis is buried under the rubble and when the rescue team arrive they try to find a route to safety, but instead find themselves in a room full of skulls and a statue of the god Mictlān. Eddie gets possessed, and things go from bad to worse.
The fourth segment is TKNOGD, directed by Natasha Kermani (Imitation Girl). Ada (Chivonne Michelle) is giving a performance to a select audience in a small theatre. Sporting a VR helmet and ‘techno gloves’ she enters the digital realm and performs an incantation in an attempt to communicate with the God of Technology. Unfortunately she succeeds, and finds herself unable to remove her headset as a virtual demon attacks.
Mike P. Nelson returns to direct Ambrosia which sees the Wrigley family hosting a party for their teenage daughter Ruth (Evie Bair). Turns out the gun-toting Wrigleys have a family tradition dating back decades and Ruth has just filmed her own coming of age initiation. Meanwhile out in the driveway we spy a blue pick-up, where younger brother Adam is playing with a squirt gun that he’s just been gifted by a stranger driving by in an RV. As the family gather round to watch Ruth’s video armed police surround the house and a violent shoot out unfolds…
The sixth and final segment is Dreamkill, from the team of Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill who collaborated so successfully on Sinister and The Black Phone. Detective Wayne (Freddy Rodriguez) and the force’s videographer Bobby (James Ransone) are attending a murder scene that looks eerily familiar from a video tape that they were sent by a goth kid named Gunther. Under interrogation Gunther reveals that his murder tapes are recorded as he dreams, but as Wayne uncovers the identity of the murderer, it’s up to Gunther to stop him.
As is often the case with portmanteau films, V/H/S/85 is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand you have God Of Death which has an interesting premise but soon tires once disaster strikes, and Total Copy which really suffers from having its narrative cut up. However on the other hand we have the double-header of No Wake are Ambrosia which are two of the best stories of the franchise to date, and reason alone for giving this one a go. The ‘found footage’ element is also getting a little weary now, with some segments relying on security cameras and suchlike to drive the plot forward, but it’s still an effective storytelling tool when used well.
Having premiered on Shudder’s streaming service, the home entertainment release of V/H/S/85 from Acorn Media International features a handful of bonus features, including a commentary track, uncut Super 8 footage from Dreamkill and uninterrupted cuts of Total Copy (hurrah!) and No Wake / Ambrosia. A seventh film was announced last year and will purportedly take the franchise into space, with the focus being on five tales of sci-fi horror, so stay tuned for further VHS tapes to follow!