VHS 94 (2021).
“What grand design was he planning?”
The Stage.
Not counting the full-length spin-off film SiREN, VHS 94 is the 4th in the VHS anthology series, one which highlights short horror stories which are bound together by a shot on video look. This one features 4 main shorts and a wrap around story that runs throughout the film. Each tale is told through the eyes of a handheld camera lens.
The Review.
Anthology films are a fun way to explore different horror themes in a short amount of time. VHS series mainstay Simon Barrett, who wrote You’re Next and The Guest is back to direct The Empty Wake, Ryan Prows, director of Lowlife (which I still haven’t seen yet but really want to) helms Terror, Indonesian director Timo Tjahjanto, who has directed films like Headshot and Killers is back to direct The Subject, and newcomers Chloe Okuno and Jennifer Reeder direct Storm Drain and the wrap-around story Holy Hell, respectively.
Holy Hell is a strange tale of a pack of SWAT team members descending on what they believe to be a drug ring, but they find something much more sinister. The tension is high as the team moves from room to room, discovering weird shit as they go. I think the tension is drained a bit because this is the story that is supposed to bring everything together, so as things ramp up, we cut to another story and the buildup is deflated, which is unfortunate because the director seems really talented. Lots of eye trauma in this one, so if you’re squeamish, you’re in for a ride.
The first contained short is Storm Drain, which follows a news reporter and her camera man as they lightly investigate a neighborhood urban legend known as the “Rat Man”. The atmosphere is pretty scary in this one as the two go against their better judgement and walk into a storm drain. The creature design is really great and even though you don’t really know what happened in the drain, the payoff is pretty fun and surprising. Hail Ratma.
The second is Simon Barrett’s The Empty Wake. It’s narrative is the weakest in my opinion and after Storm Drain, just feels like more of the same. The effects in this one are really good looking but overall I thought the short lacked surprise and imagination.
The third is The Subject. This is the longest of the four and luckily, it’s the most entertaining. It focuses on experiments being conducted in a bunker by a mad scientist and feels like a mashup of Human Centipede and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. We start by seeing one of his failed experiments and then about halfway through, the police barge in and things get really fucking nuts. The short goes from mechanical body horror to action horror and it is a blood-filled blast. The metal designs are really well done and the gore is off the charts.
The last film is Terror, which invites us into the world of a right-wing domestic terrorist group and their unique plan to destroy an FBI building in Detroit. I thought it was really well done and it was interesting to see two different types of terror presented at the same time - the domestic terrorist which do exist, and another kind of horror that probably does not. There’s also some dark comedy in this one that worked for me as we watch these dumbass “patriots” bungle their plot to the point of no return.
The End.
As with most horror anthologies, there are going to be segments that work for some and don’t for others. The good news though is that there’s enough here that you’ll probably find something that tickles your fancy. The scratchy VHS filter played over the top of the whole movie can get a bit irritating but it’s just trying to put you in 1994 I suppose. Because of this, most of the shorts look muddy and blurry so there’s no real need to watch this on your OLED. There are good creature effects, impressive gore, and a tense atmosphere throughout. If you like films like Creepshow or other installments of the VHS series, I’d recommend this.
