V/H/S/94 had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2021 and was this writer’s most anticipated during the festival. As a longtime fan of the first two V/H/S films, expectations were high for V/H/S/94. Although this fourth installment is a series reboot, some franchise alumni have returned, including producer/writer David Bruckner and writers/directors Simon Barrett and Timo Tjahjanto.
The wraparound story follows a police swat team launching a raid on an abandoned warehouse after finding a mysterious VHS tape. They stumble upon the compound of a deadly cult that prides itself on collecting the worst of the worst stories on VHS. The film includes four segments: “Storm Drain” by Chloe Okuno, “The Empty Wake” by Simon Barrett, “The Subject” by Timo Tjahjanto, and “Terror” by Ryan Prows.
“Storm Drain” follows a news reporter and cameraman into the sewer drain as they cover what locals call “Ratman,” a rat-human-like creature. When the reporter sees an opportunity to instead report on the lives of people who live underground, they quickly find out how unwelcome they are…and the truth about the creature.
“Storm Drain” is a strong, well-acted, and terrifying first segment. The trapped, claustrophobic feel combined with the news angle is reminiscent of 2007’s Rec. It also features a fantastically ghoulish ending that excited me to see what comes next.
“The Empty Wake” follows a young woman left to watch over a body during a scheduled wake at a funeral home. When the dead man in the coffin fails to get any visitors and strange things start to happen, the woman is left with questions and concerns.
What starts as a horror-lite, eerie tale suddenly takes a nosedive into complete terror—and it is glorious. While I expected a bit of the ending we were given, it went above and beyond expectations in the best way. I didn’t want this one to end.
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“The Subject” follows a mad scientist who has been kidnapping people to experiment on with the hopes of creating a functioning biomechanical creature. When the army tracks him down, they are faced with the horrors of what the scientist has created and destroyed. However, one woman is determined to escape despite the form he has left her in.
The segment is a horror video game come to life, with insane creatures and weapons, first-person perspective, and lots of gruesome, over-the-top kills. I wanted to grab a controller and fight out of the complex.
“Terror” follows a militia group who are planning to bomb a federal building while using a “secret weapon.” Although the segment is sometimes brutal, the humor and intentional absurdity were a needed palate cleanser after the intense gore and nonstop action in “The Subject.”
As someone who grew up in rural Texas, I find it scary how true-to-life the men were at times, despite the supernatural element (which I do not want to give away). “Terror” left things on a high note and was truly a blast from start to finish.
The wraparound story is the weakest point of V/H/S/94, with unremarkable performances that didn’t allow for much tension. This was a bit surprising given how strong all four segments were, but it also didn’t take away from the overall entertainment. V/H/S/94 delivers impressive moments of horror, insanity, and gore, with some fantastic plot twists. It is sure to satisfy fans of horror anthologies and longtime fans of the V/H/S franchise.
V/H/S/94 will be available exclusively on Shudder starting October 6th, 2021.
