The sixth movie in the anthology franchise takes us back to the golden era of video nasties with VHS 85. The previous two instalments took us to the 90s, so it’s only fitting that the neon-bathed 80s get their turn; in many ways, it feels bizarre that it has taken so long for the franchise to hit up the 80s as it is the home of the VHS format.
The third Shudder slice of VHS kicks things off with VHS returning director David Bruckner’s (Hellraiser) Total Copy (which has several snippets scattered throughout before closing the movie). Presented as a documentary, Total Copy charts the scientists conducting tests and experiments on a being of unknown origin that appears to be able to shapeshift.
No Wake (arguably the weakest of the stories) puts a fun spin on the slasher genre with its group of friends heading out to the lake for a day of fun in the sun. Events take a turn when an unseen sniper begins picking them off one by one, but this is no ordinary lake, and there’s something special in the water that makes killing this group of youngsters more difficult than expected.
Next up is the chilling and claustrophobic God of Death, a news crew in Mexico readies the morning broadcast on to be struck with a massive earthquake, leaving only the cameraman alive, the rescue team arrive swiftly, but as the journey through the rubble into the depths of the building, a deep dark terrible secret is unearthed. Written and directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell, ABCs of Death 2 and a half), it’s a tight, nightmarish story that keeps turning until it reaches its gruesome conclusion.
TKNOGD is something of an oddity; a performance artist, Ada Lovelace, takes to the stage with her new piece on the God of Technology, featuring advanced VR that was in no way available in 1985; Ada’s powerful words on how humanity has turned from God to worship at the alter of technology rings true in today’s world, but feels slightly out of place in the 80s. Mobile phones were the size of bricks, and VR was in its infancy, so while it has something to say, it does feel somewhat out of place in the 80s setting.
My favourite in this collection is Scott Derrickson’s Dream Kill; after helming Sinister and a brief stint in the MCU with Doctor Strange, Derrickson returned to horror with the exceptional The Black Phone, and he serves up a treat with Dream Kill. The concept is wild; the dreams of a troubled young man named Bobby end up being recorded on a VHS tape. Wait, there’s more; the dreams are of violent murders that he dreams before they happen, mic drop! It’s a killer concept that delivers the goods, well, blood-soaked horror, but that’s what we’re here for in this franchise.
Total Copy and Dream Kill have story stories and are well executed; either could be a potential feature spin-off from VHS following Sirens and Kids vs Aliens, and I would be up for seeing feature versions of both. While the framing device for the hows and whys the audiences are seeing VHS stories is sorely missed, VHS 85 offers plenty of scares, bleak humour and wild ideas to keep this franchise chugging along. Shudder has already ordered a new instalment for 2024 which will have a more sci-fi horror vibe than the previous enteries, so there is still plenty of life left in this long-running horror anthology.
VHS 85 is released on DVD and Blu-ray from March 4th.
