Directed by Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahjanto, Ryan Prows
Written by David Bruckner, Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahjanto, Ryan Prows
Starring Anna Hopkins, Steven McCarthy, Slavic Rogozine, Christian Lloyd
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Unrated
Available on Shudder on October 6

by Audrey Callerstrom, Staff Writer

V/H/S 94 is the horror anthology’s fourth installment, following the ironically titled V/H/S Viral from 2014. Shot during the pandemic (which was then, but you know, also now), V/H/S 94 is comprised of four stories loosely laced together as disturbing videos discovered during a drug raid. Series regulars Simon Barrett (Seance) and Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) return, as well as some new directors, including Jennifer Reeder (Knives and Skin), Chloe Ukono (the short film Slut), and Ryan Prows (Lowlife). This time around, there are some unique and clever choices that go into the V/H/S story format which is, in a nutshell, “someone filming something that is meant to be one thing and then goes horribly wrong.”

The previous installments of V/H/S didn’t bring female directors to the table, so it’s good to see not one but two female directors represented here. To review a V/H/S film as one cohesive story probably isn’t appropriate, because although there is a loose structure here as the members of a SWAT team stumble upon gruesome scenes in between the stories, this is an anthology after all.

“Holy Hell” (directed by Jennifer Reeder)
Generally, V/H/S 94 doesn’t really need a story that connects all the other videos at this point, and hopefully future installments abandon this format. “Holy Hell” follows armed officers as they bust into an abandoned building expecting to find drugs. The story is generally non-existent, and the performances a little suspect. At times, lines are so over-the-top it’s laughable, and it’s hard to tell if it’s intentional. In one scene, when an officer suggests they call in more units, another replies, “We don’t need more tac. We need a GRAVEDIGGER!!!!” And he says it just like those ads for monster trucks, too.

“Storm Drain” (directed by Chloe Ukono)
“Storm Drain” starts off by adding some much-needed humor to the V/H/S franchise. Hammy news anchors, with their little asides and chuckles, introduce a news segment. Local ding-dongs, including a group of teens and a hunter, talk to anchor Holly (Anna Hopkins) about a mythical sewer creature known as “Ratman.” We follow Holly and her cameraman as they explore a storm drain. Holly is hoping for a moving piece about the drain’s homeless population.  The most effective shot here is when the cameraman pans over the interior of a tent. Undetected among the sleeping bag, garbage, and clothes, the squish of an eye opening is detected in the corner. This segment might not have the best payoff, but it has some original ideas, a capable lead actress, and impressive practical effects.

Also adding some much needed humor at this point is a commercial, which gives this installment a Grindhouse-type feel. Naturally, since we’re in 1994, it’s an infomercial. A giddy, loud man wants to tell you all about the Veggie Masher. See, it mashes your veggies all up. Works on all kinds of vegetables. Why? Because!

“The Wake” (directed by Simon Barrett)
An intern at a funeral home is tasked with setting up video cameras for a wake, as requested by the deceased’s family. Only, no one seems to be showing up, and the intern hears a knocking noise from inside the coffin. This story doesn’t build very well, and the plot points don’t land like they should, but the reveal of the monster (is it a spoiler to say there is a monster involved at this point?) is a horrific site. This segment needs a little extra something, even if it’s some additional exposition established in a phone call, or something a little more surprising than what unfolds, but still, points here for the creature, which looks, moves, and sounds eerie. It moves awkwardly, and feels like it should be easy to escape from, but it’s hard to run when you want to stare.

“The Subject” (directed by Timo Tjahjanto)
All right, you freaks. If you’ve read this far, you are at least somewhat interested in the film. You may even know that Tjahjanto delivered the best V/H/S segment yet in V/H/S 2 (2012) with “Safe Haven,” a go-for-broke crazy story about a documentary crew filming an Indonesian cult. It ended in a completely different place than it began, and it was done with humor and style. That’s also the case with “The Subject,” which is about a mad scientist focused on fusing metal machinery with biological material. The first shot is a close-up on the face of a terrified man. What you see when the camera pulls back will make you squeal. Take three guesses of what you might see. All of them are wrong. Tjahjanto also plays with some different perspectives, so we’re not stuck behind one camera the whole time. There’s footage the mad scientist takes of his experiments; there’s the camera inside one of his subjects; and there is the camera held by one of the officers that bust into the lab. Some of the shots of this story have the video game P.O.V. look but it’s an original and gleefully wild segment with good payoff.

“Terror” (directed by Ryan Prows)
The terror in “Terror” does not come from any creature, but from being entrenched in a right-wing militia intent on blowing up a federal building. It all becomes a little too familiar, given that the insurrection at the United States Capitol happened not even a year ago yet. At first I was certain that’s what I was about to watch until I remembered the year’s setting of the film. The militia, led by Greg (Christian Lloyd), intends to use a biological weapon that it has acquired. To say their plan backfires is a reasonable assumption here, given the aforementioned description of the V/H/S story format. This film’s setting is more interesting than what transpires, which seems lifted from another popular horror film about a group of men and a monster.

More films to explore from the V/H/S 94 filmmakers:

• Night Comes for Us (Netflix)

• Knives and Skin (Hulu)

• The Guest (Netflix)

• You’re Next (Hulu)

• May the Devil Take You (Netflix)

• Slut (YouTube)