Review: V/H/S/85 dives to dangerous depths of the dark and disturbed

I love that we live in a world where V/H/S exists. A franchise built like a deranged sandbox chock full of rusty nails, gooey eyeballs, and decapitated heads, the ongoing saga pushes creative boundaries in consistently thrilling directions. While “Safe Haven,” a segment from V/H/S/2, remains the series’ gleefully unhinged benchmark, there’s always fun to be had whenever a new installment comes around. Six entries in, V/H/S/85 proves there are plenty more macabre stories to tell. The filmmakers, which include David Bruckner and Scott Derrickson, don’t hold back when it comes to an onslaught of maddening images and finger-nail-peeling narratives, all covered with a grainy, aesthetically pleasing VHS filter so realistic they really could be long-lost tapes.

Derrickson’s “Dreamkill” is the surefire highlight. The man behind 2012’s Sinister brings the same terribly upsetting quality to his VHS tape — moments like the lawnmower incident find new skin here. When the local police start receiving tapes in the mail depicting grisly violence, their investigation takes them on a wild goose chase for answers. And the secrets they uncover are beyond what nightmares are made of. Derrickson flips expectations on their head, rearranges genres, and delivers some of the most haunted images of 2023.

“No Wake,” Mike P. Nelson’s first segment, comes in a very close second. Set up like a Friday the 13th slasher flick, a group of youths head out to a lake to get some sunshine. “Don’t swim in the lake” reads one of many signs along the path, but the group ignores the warning, as one does. They have to ignore it, or we wouldn’t have a movie, now would we? What transpires next is gruesome (the practical effects are a thing of real beauty) and wonderfully unexpected. To review further would require diving into spoilers, but let’s just say Nelson’s decision to split his story into two separate segments (the second is called “Ambrosia”) is a genius move. I’ll leave it at that.

Where Natasha Kermani’s “TKNOGD” riffs on the dangers of technology through performance art, Gigi Saul Guerrero’s “God of Death” mines familiar territory (ala The Tunnel mixed with The Medium) to sculpt out a unique place among the latest batch. Both might not reach the heights of other sections of V/H/S/85, but they supply strong foundational elements. That leads to David Bruckner’s sci-fi story “Total Copy,” the connective tissue tying all the stories together. With a crew of scientists observing a being from another world, they soon find themselves the target of its own sick, sadistic game — resulting in a scene that’ll leave you creeped out but laughing. Bruckner is able to craft such a genre twist that it’s not surprising he’s become such a prominent name in the horror sphere. He always has a brilliantly singular vision in his work.

What makes the V/H/S series so delightful is the filmmakers can play. They’re not hindered by one overarching theme or plot line. They can twist and bend their creative backs with snaps and crackles, delivering fresh perspectives on typical horror fare. V/H/S/85 demonstrates that, once again, the masterminds of today can deliver on the promise of some truly grotesque stories.

V/H/S/85 comes to Shudder this Friday.

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