OMM2024 - Night 23: V/H/S 94 (2021)

 Let's keep it up! #OctoberMovieMarathon

Night 23

V/H/S 94

7/10

As a SWAT team raids a cult's compound and it's collection of VHS tapes, we witness 4 of the films.

This is a horror anthology, and the 4th in this VHS series. I feel like I may have seen one of them before, but I don't remember which one. I really enjoyed this one! Each segment is found footage/POV (a genre I'm biased towards). It was fun to see all the different ways the directors found to have a camera be utilized for each segment. The surrounding framing narrative is just okay, but I enjoyed basically all of the sequences. It got a little bloody and a little gorey, but not too bad. There were a bunch of jumpscares- which after a movie like "Come and See" I actually really enjoyed. Just goes to show you that even within a genre, you can still find variations and end up enjoying tropes or gimmicks you'd normally not use.

 

Each bit was written and directed by a different person and feels a little different. Out of the 5 segments, I really enjoyed 3 of them: "The Terror", "The Empty Wake", and "Storm Drain". All hail Ratmaa xD This film was just a campy good time. It's a little goofy, but the scares are still there. This would be a great one to watch with friends I think.

 

Now, I know the other entries in this series are also anthologies, so there's no guarantee that I'll enjoy the other entries this is a solid movie and I feel like I can give them a chance. Give this one a go!

SPOILERS START BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE!

Of my top 3 segments, "The Terror" was my favorite I think. It was played straight, but was still very silly. Watching this wanna-be militia try and fail in their plans was great. Plus the pyrotechnics were fun. That would for sure be a reason vampires would avoid the sun xD

"The Empty Wake" was the most tense of the segments- as we wait with Hailey at a wake where no one comes. Even if nothing were to happen, that's a creepy situation. By yourself with a stranger's body... as no one comes? And the family asked for it to be recorded? A bit strange and off-putting. And that's before you start hearing noises coming from the casket.

"The Storm Drain" is just fun- I like that they tied in the religious feel of it and how it was consistent between our cameraman and our reporter for who was "worthy". You could have easily had both our protagonists be jerks and get what's coming to them- but instead we get a really delightful (if a bit gorey) final scene that's just plain enjoyable. And then the cut to the Vegetable Masher? Hilarious.

"The Subject" and "Holy Hell" didn't land as well for me. But if you enjoy more of a shoot em up, revenge fantasy you might have a better time with "The Subject". "Holy Hell" is the framing narrative, so it's a little on the weaker side with story- but that could just be because I haven't seen the previous 3 films. I have no idea if they tie together at all aside from "spooky VHS tapes". This movie makes it seem like there's a cult trying to take over the world (?maybe?) and that's where these other films come from, so that could be built on the last movies, perhaps it was more vague in the first VHS but by #4 they've given a clearer story to it? That's complete speculation on my part, that could be totally wrong.

But overall- this was a lot of fun! It feels a lot like "Wrong Turn" did for me this year. Just a good time were you get to be scared a little bit, but we're not going to have nightmares or anything. Sometimes you just need a fun movie to have a good time without it causing a big existential crisis.