As an avowed fan of this franchise, admittedly the quality of series entries has wavered wildly and one’s appreciation wholly dependent on one’s receptiveness to the ‘found footage’ subgenre. There are now 6 core entries and two spinoffs, with the series landing on Shudder with no signs it is about to stop. In this reviewer’s opinion, that is a resoundingly good thing, as 85 provides a solid series entry, more thematically consistent and interconnected than most prior and vastly superior to the last: 99. Admittedly, the novelty of the presentation is exhausted, and there is little new to be offered from the found footage gimmick, yet none of the entries this year are particularly bad, and there is quality storytelling and some decent gore behind most of the individual narratives. This year’s entry adheres to a core 80’s vibe, but doesn’t feel limited by the necessity to make era appropriate callouts. This one leans heavily into an analog horror vibe, akin to youtube channels ‘Gemini Home Entertainment’ or ‘Local 58’ intercut with an interesting wraparound broken into chapters between individual segments. As is the nature with anthology horror, the quality of the segments fluctuates and your milage may vary as to personal preference but there is likely little argument Scott Derrikson’s ‘Dreamkill’ is the standout, simultaneously the most gory and horrific.. As per usual, the the V/H/S series provides a consistent sampler of scares, this one of the better entries and leaving one looking forward to see what timeframe they tackle yet.
V/H/S 85