The V/H/S anthology series has had an interesting, if not bumpy history. Started as a film experiment funded by the popular horror website Bloody Disgusting, the original V/H/S took six directors and asked them to make found footage horror shorts for a single anthology. The first installment was a huge success and the second was arguably even better. For a time, the V/H/S franchise seemed like it was one that could always deliver for hard-core horror fans. Some entries were scary, others atmospheric. All of them had a feeling of risky innovation. Its popularity even helped spawn the outrageous (and often unwatchable) anthology series, The ABCs of Death. As film producers, the people at Bloody Disgusting seemed like they were on a roll.

And then came V/H/S Viral, a movie so bad it can only be described as a franchise killer. Most entries from Viral, no matter how hard you spin it, are not even comparable to the worse entries in the previous installments. The wrap around is nonsense. “Dante the Great” and “Bonestorm” are too poorly executed to live up to their premises. And the little-seen fourth entry, “Gorgeous Vortex”, so thoroughly broke with the found-footage format (not that the rest of the film is particularly true to form) that it got relegated to the status of Blu-ray extra. In fact, Viral‘s one saving grace may be Nacho Vigalondo’s “Parallel Monsters”, an entry that was always going to be divisive because of its inclusion of alien genitalia. 

So the V/H/S series went into hiatus, only to reemerge seven years later as V/H/S/94, a Shudder exclusive– after all, a horror streaming service needs subscribers and the V/H/S brand is still one that holds weight. Thank you Shudder for your part in keeping my favourite modern horror anthology series alive. 

And now, it is of great pleasure that I write that V/H/S/94 is an entry worthy of the franchise name. (Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about it’s follow-up entry, V/H/S/99- but hey, it’s not Viral.)

So, how does 94 compare to the others?

First, let’s discuss the wrap-around “Holy Hell” directed by Jennifer Reeder. Here we follow a SWAT about to make a big drug bust only to find that things are not what they expected. The good news is that the wrap-around really is clearly the weak link in this entry, something that is not actually a bad thing to say when discussing an anthology series. 

This might go against popular opinion, but I like the wrap-arounds for V/H/S and V/H/S/2. They are not the most innovative, but at least they are scary. In fact, the wrap-around in V/H/S/2 might be the scariest part of the movie. This is not true of 94. “Holy Hell” starts off like it might share similar DNA to “Tape 56” and “Tape 49”, but in the end it is a series of confusing sequencing that amounts to a whole lot of nothing. Still, its connections to “Storm Drain” and “Terror” are surprisingly fun, a trend I’d like to see more of in future wrap-around entries.

Next comes Chloe Okuno’s “Storm Drain”, delivering a solid start to 94. It’s a fairly scary story about an ambitious television reporter who sees potential turning a novelty story about the sightings of a rat-man into a potential piece about the homeless who inhabit the storm drain. Of course, it’s obvious from the get go that the rat-man is not going to be a fictional thing, though it may not be exactly what you expect either. Prepare to jump a few times in this one. Generally speaking, the V/H/S series likes to start with scares, and this is one of the better opening entries, though still a far cry from the brilliance of V/H/S’s “Amateur Night”.

Cleverly interspersed into the proceedings is a “Slap Chop” style parody for a machine called the “Veggie Masher”. The fun in this one is that it is mostly played straight. There is none of the over the top gore that you might find in Adult Swim’s Infomercials even though this easily could have gone in that direction. After all, the Veggie Masher certainly is one violent machine. The restraint director veteran Steve Kostanski uses helps us feel nostalgic for a time when so many products sold in television commercials were designed to obliterate our vegetables in new and creative ways. I kind of want one. 

Next up, long-time Adam Wingard collaborator Simon Barrett returns to the anthology. Previously, he wrote “The Sick Thing that Happened to Emily When She Was Younger” and “Tape 56” for V/H/S. He also wrote “Clinical Trials” and wrote/ directed “Tape 49” for V/H/S/2. This time he brings us “Empty Wake”, and I think it is his strongest entry to date. A young woman with a job at a funeral home is asked to host a late night wake on the day of a storm, but almost nobody shows up. Worse still, the casket seems to be shifting on its own. There is a simplicity to its terrifying premise and, personally, I found this one to be a little better at delivering scares than “Storm Drain”. If it’s up for debate, I’ll side with “Empty Wake” as 94’s scariest entry.

Two entries in and I’m already forgetting the bad taste of Viral. Not bad.

Of course, all of the V/H/S entries have at least one segment that is balls-to-the-wall spectacle. In V/H/S it’s “10/31/98”. V/H/S/2 has “Safe Haven” and to a lesser degree “Slumber Party Abduction”. I think Viral tried with “Bonestorm”, but Moorhead and Benson- generally reliable as a director/ writer duo- couldn’t rise to the occasion this time. (Again, Viral is the worst.) Even underwhelming V/H/S/99, has the excellent funny and fast-paced “To Hell and Back”, while V/H/S/85 tries to wow us with a claustrophobic rescue attempt in “God of Death”.

In V/H/S/94, “Safe Haven” co-director, Timo Tjahjanto, was rehired to recreate that magic and boy does he deliver with his action-packed horror extravaganza “The Subject”. And even if, like me, you don’t think this segment quite lives up the the highs of “Safe Haven”, it’s still going to be amongst the top five of most people’s best V/H/S segments rankings and should firmly establish Tjahjanto as the franchise’s M.V.P.. 

“The Subject” follows a mad scientist (Budi Ross) hell-bent on fusing flesh with metal in order to create the first human cyborgs. His “I want to because I can” motivation and abduction of unwilling participants may feel a little Human Centipede-y, but the body horror on display has a very different, and less obscene, yuck factor about it.

Tjahjanto makes the most of the first person perspective, creating some stunning action sequences. But it is the reveal of our female victim’s appearance that leads to one of the most memorable moments of horror in the V/H/S series. Be ready to be blown away. 

After the jaw-dropping heights of “The Subject”, it’s director Ryan Prows’ turn to give us one final journey into this land of fictional snuff. And even though “The Terror” is not as strong as “Storm Drain”, “Empty Wake” or “The Subject”, there is still quite a bit of fun to be had. The story, which is intentionally told in a fragmented manner, follows members of a Michigan militia planning a terrifying act of domestic terror. This particular group, The First Patriots Movement, has hopes of blowing up a government building with the help of their special “weapon”. But as it turns out, the “weapon” might be too much for them to handle. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but if this one was just a little less grainy and shaky and a bit better edited it could have been as good as the previous entries. But alas, “Terror” takes its 90s camcorder conceit a little too seriously and this works to its detriment. Still, the militia-horror concept is good and it oddly satisfying to watch a horrible group of morally bankrupt misogynists drunk on beer and war games finally get what’s coming to them.

If nothing else, V/H/S/94 proves that all a horror anthology really needs is for a few good entries to surround a truly great one. Like the best V/H/S’s, this one also hits the right balance between gore and scares. Admittedly, the highs in V/H/S/94 don’t match the highs of V/H/S or V/H/S/2, but the lows don’t feel as low either. Simply put, this is the most consistent film in the franchise, as well as a much-needed return to its nasty, nihilistic roots. 

It is alright that follow-ups V/H/S/99 and V/H/S/85 are a bit of a let down. (Though “Suicide Bid” and “To Hell and Back” from 99 are both worth a watch and there’s nothing in 85 that is embarrassingly bad- it’s just all gore and no scare.) V/H/S/94 proved that with the right talent the franchise still has lots of gas in the tank. And in the future, if things start to stall out again, it is nice to know they can rely on veterans like Barrett and Tjahjanto to help right the ship.

(Oh yeah…and Steve Kostanski. That’s right, I’m calling you out! It’s your turn to make a proper V/H/S contribution.)