Tags:
Film: V/H/S/85
Year: 2023
Director: David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Natasha Kermani, Mike P. Nelson and Gigi Saul Guerrero
Writers: C. Robert Cargill, Zoe Cooper, Scott Derrickson, Evan Dickson, Mike P. Nelson and Gigi Saul Guerrero
Starring: Freddy Rodríguez, Kelli Garner and James Ransone
Review:
This was another installment into the franchise that I was excited to see. I blindly took the first two home when I was working at Family Video so each new installment, I watch as soon as I get the time. What I'll say here is that we have solid group of filmmakers doing shorts. David Bruckner is back having done a short for the original anthology. We also have Scott Derrickson who has done solid horror films. We also have Natasha Kermani, Mike P. Nelson and Gigi Saul Guerrero, who are all names that I recognize.
Synopsis: unveiled through a made-for-TV documentary, five tales of found footage appear to take viewers on a terrifying journey into the grim underbelly of the 1980s.
The wraparound is where I'll start which is the documentary in the synopsis. This was done by Bruckner and entitled 'Total Copy'. There seems to be an alien or a monster of sorts that a group is doing tests on. I know there is Dr. Sarah Greyson (Kelli Garner) and Dr. Spratling (Jordan Belfi) are doing tests on it. This is one that is told to us in parts as we jump out to other stories. This series isn't always the greatest with their connecting story, but I was intrigued here as it gets quite creepy. If anything, I'd like this fleshed out more.
Another interesting aspect is that the first story we explore is called 'No Wake". We also come back to it as we learn more and that other part is the fourth short called 'Ambrosia'. Both are done by Nelson. We start in an RV where a group is going out to a lake. Rob (Alex Galick) is filming. With him is Robin (Anna Sundberg) who is a bit odd. There is also Drew (Toussaint Morrison), Jared (Tom Reed), Anna (Anna Hashizume) and Monica. Their idyllic weekend of water skiing gets cut short though when an unexpected guest arrives. Rob also finds a sign warning people from getting in the water as it might have special properties.
Next is 'God of Death' and it is made by Guerrero. This follows a news station where Lucia (Gabriela Roel) is in the studio and Gabriela (Guerrero) is in the field. Things take a turn when an earthquake reveals a secret cave underneath. Like the title of the short, they come face to face with Mictlán (José María Higareda).
We then follow it with Kermani's 'TKNOGD'. It took me to write this out to realize what this means. We are seeing a visual performance here in a slightly futuristic take of the 80s. Our performer is saying that the digital world has killed the gods. She uses a headset, that they call Eye Phones, where you can see virtual reality. With gloves you can also touch things in this world. Our performer claims there is no god there, but she also might wake something up.
It is here that we go to the other part of story one, 'Ambrosia'. There is an odd family reunion where Ruth (Evie Bair) reveals a terrible deed she's done. Everyone here has 'VII' tattoos on their wrist. This signifies something they must complete. Ruth’s actions brings terrible consequences for them as people converge at this house.
Then the last story is 'Dreamkill' and Derrickson brings this to us. It also makes sense he’s the director of this short. Gunther (Dashiell Derrickson) is having nightmares that might predict murders. Tapes are sent to Detective Wayne Johnson (Freddy Rodríguez) as he tries to figure out what is going on here. The truth here is closer to home than he realizes.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to these shorts. What I'll do is breakdown each one individually and average the score out. Starting with 'Total Copy' as our wraparound, I'll bring back up what I said. This one intrigued me. There is little given in the beginning, but as we keep coming back, this became one of the more interesting ones. Seeing Bruckner did this one, it makes sense. I did have trouble figuring out the characters and this is a short that I'd like to see put together, by itself. Where it ends up was solid, even though I've seen it done previously. The acting was solid though, I will give credit there. It also looks like the effects were practical, which is great for creatures. The soundtrack also works for what was needed.
I'll then go to breakdown both of Nelson's. First is 'No Wake'. I love what we did here. It is so eerie that this group goes to have a campout at the lake. Someone comes to mess that up. Where it goes for this first part was creepy. What I like even more though is how it ends with Ambrosia. My only problem there is that the second part feels rushed and I wanted more there. The acting was good to bring the characters to life. The best part here are the effects. What they did looked lifelike and how it factors in with the lake was great. Other than that, the cinematography was good to hide things. It also feels like this was filmed on tape across the board, so credit there for capturing that low budget, 80s vibe.
For the 'Ambrosia' short, I do echo the same things. My problem here though is that the story isn’t fleshed out enough. I like that it is a continuation of 'No Wake' and I even like how it is broken up. It gives a different perspective. There is also a cult feel here. This part felt rushed as well. The acting and filmmaking were still good though.
Then over to 'God of Death'. This one doesn't waste time getting into it and was creepy. The visuals are great. I love the mythology that we incorporate here. I'm not shocked with how proud Guerrero is of her heritage. I also love her cameo here. If anything, I want to know more and this could be fleshed out into more. I did think the acting and cinematography were good. The soundtrack was also eerie as well. The ones that I kept thinking are cut short leave me wanting more, which isn’t a bad thing.
Unfortunately, 'TKNOGD' is my least favorite. That's not to say that this is bad though. I do love the exploration of technology here. It is something that is still relevant today. Having our performer look at religion is something else that works. The gore effects were great. Even having the older looking virtual reality adds an element. I'm just not sure if this does enough with the story for me. It does get in and out. This is only one that had a title card, so it made me wonder if this was made for this movie or inserted. Regardless, it was still well made.
Then last was 'Dreamkill'. What is funny is that I knew this was Derrickson's as soon as we saw the first nightmare. It reminded me of Sinister with the home movies. This almost feels like a cousin to that film if I'm honest. I love how the soundtrack and the cinematography was used. How it all comes together was interesting. This is another one that I think could be fleshed out more. With a bit of tweaking, it could even be almost Sinister 3 as well. Another one that was well-made here.
In conclusion here, I think that I put this right behind the first sequel and the original with the strength of the shorts together. What is impressive here is that I think I have most of the shorts rated about the same. 'God of Death' and 'Dreamkill' being up there at the top. The lowest being 'TKNOGD' isn't that far back either. The filmmaking from all are top notch. The gore being the strongest part, but I also like the cinematography is right there. This is in the upper part of the franchise for me and I hope they keep turning out the quality we get here. I'd recommend to found footage fans. One thing I didn't include, there are a couple shorts where I don't know if it works since how did the footage get discovered? I tend to ignore this, but I know it is a problem for others.
My Rating: 8 out of 10