By Liz Lopez
V/H/S/94, a Shudder Original Film, had the World Premiere at Fantastic Fest that ran from September 23-30.
Synopsis
V/H/S/94 is the fourth installment in the hit horror anthology franchise and marks the return of the infamous found footage anthology with segments from franchise alumni Simon Barrett (Séance) and Timo Tjahjanto (May the Devil Take You Too) in addition to acclaimed directors Jennifer Reeder (Knives & Skin), Ryan Prows (Lowlife) and Chloe Okuno (Slut). In V/H/S/94, after the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launch a high intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
V/H/S/94 has a similar structure to the previous entries in the franchise. The primary story, “Holy Hell,” shows a SWAT team entering a super lab for one reason and find it is not what their mission was to be. They are stuck inside the compound and can’t seem to find the way out. The subsequent stories follow but return to “Holy Hell” after each one. I found it confusing, but other fans of this anthology franchise may understand and enjoy it much better than I did. Each story has characters fighting to survive in the environment they find themselves in.
“Storm Drain” follows a television reporter and camara man who enter a storm drain as they investigate a story about a mysterious figure known as the “Rat Man.” It starts to be creepy/disgusting as they enter the darkness, but it was not entertaining as an original story. Too predictable for my taste.
“The Empty Wake” is set in a funeral home that has an overnight wake with a new young female employee left to greet visitors. A horrible natural disaster hits the town, making it more terrifying.
“The Subject” features a mad scientist conducting experiments on abducted people. It is violent and shows those who enter the scientist’s workshop trying to stop him and survive the horror.
“Terror” has a white terrorist militia planning to attack the U.S. government. This too has violence and it is the segment that I found it hardest to watch. Other individuals may find entertainment value in it.
V/H/S/94 is available exclusively on SHUDDER on October 6TH (Shudder US, Shudder CA, Shudder UKI and Shudder ANZ). Runtime: 100 minutes Country: U.S. / Indonesia Language: English / Indonesian
Source: Fantastic Fest and Shudder