V/H/S/94 — V/H/S/94 (DVD)

V/H/S/94 is the fifth entry in this found-footage horror anthology series. The just over two-hour film features five stories taking in a warp around- the tone for this one is very much gun bound/ themed, and I’m afraid to say as a whole it’s somewhat mixed in quality- both in the stories & the acting. But I feel if you’ve enjoyed the other films in this series, you’ll certainly get a kick out of some stories offered up. Here from Acorn Media International is a recent release of the film- coming as either a DVD, Blu-Ray, or digital. I’m reviewing the first of these- which takes in a few extras.

V/H/S/94 is from the year 2021, and as with past films in the series there’s a director for each segment- we’ll get to talk about those as we cover each story.

First up/ the warp-around story is Holy Hell- this was directed/ written by Jennifer Reeder. She has a total of twenty-six credits to her name that date back to the mid-90’s-these take in twenty-one shorts & five features. The features take in suicidal-fired drama Accidents at Home and How They Happen (2008), Mexican wrestling-themed romantic comedy Signature Move (2017), and teenage angst meets supernatural horror Perpetrator (2023).
 
So Holy Hell regards a SWAT team of six- who are sent to a large multi-floored industrial building as they believe it’s a drug factory. But instead of finding what they are expecting, they come across several rooms set up with TV sets- in each room, they find at least one person with ripped-out eyes. Each of the four stories is triggered as they walk around the building. This story is ok, but boy does it have some truly terrible acting from the SWAT team- on par with say that of horror adventure games of the late 90’s. The most memorable/ impressive of the rooms is one set up with church benches- laid out with bits & bobs of mannequins &  several pairs of bloody eyeballs.
 
Story number two is The Storm Drain, and I’d say it’s my favourite of the bunch here- as it mixes together creepy unease, gore, with touches of subtle humour very well.  It’s written & directed by LA-born Chloe Okuno- she has six credits to her name- all but one of these are shorts or TV episodes- her one & only feature is serial killer spying on victim thriller 
Watcher (2022).

This story opens up with a snippet of a regional news show- with the presenter talking about an urban legend that has recently bubbled up in a small American city. It’s of ‘The Ratman’ who has been seen in drain grates, and several other places. Sent out to report on the case are Holly (Anna Hopkins) and her cameraman Jeff(Anthony Christian Potenza)- they interview a few locals, including a rather creepy gun-carrying man. They go back to their van to ring back to the office and are told they’ve got to go into drains- which doesn’t please the smartly dressed & made-up Holly. As they go underground the creepy/ uneasy atmosphere unfolds- with one effective jump shock, as well as a few moments of acid-melting gore.
 

 

Story three is The Wake. This is written & directed by Simon Barrett- he has six directing credits to his name, including a story in V/H/S 2 (2013). His only feature was mystery horror Séance (2021). He is most known as a screenwriter with his most notable credits being You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014).

This story regards a young female funeral parlour worker been left to look after the evening wake of the body of a man. It’s set on a rainy & thunderstormy night. There are touches of creepiness here, and some very neat effects in its resolve- though I won’t detail what thereof, as they would rather ruin the story's ghoulish/ neat twist.
 

Story four is The Subject- it’s the longer of the stories here, and for my money the least effective- due largely to pacing issues. Though we do get some neat gore along the way. This was directed/ written by Timo Tjahjanto. They have thirteen credits to their name- with eight of these being features- such as gory slasher Marcbe (2009), amnesiac thriller Headshot (2016), and action comedy The Big 4 (2022).

This one is subtitled- focusing on an ageing and demented doctor/ scientist who is kidnapping people to modify their bodies- either putting weapons or technology into their bodies. It’s all set in a sweaty & half-lit lab- at a point, a  SWAT team breaks in to try and rescue a lost TV reporter. As I mentioned early on this one is the longer of the stories here, and it really does crawl in places-  though we get some bloody & brutal gore action too.
 

The final story is Holy Hell- and to begin with, I was somewhat underwhelmed by this one again, as it initially seemed to tell a rather repetitive story of a group of redneck Militia living out in a snow-bound commune. Again, more gunplay and repeated execution gunshots to the head- with the gang planning to bomb a government building. This story has a neat twist and unexpected in its tail. Again, this one is a little too long- but the acting is not bad, and the stark white winter setting is most effective. It was written & directed by Ryan Prows- who has ten credits to his name, only one of these is a feature-length Lowlife (2017) which is often described as a more low-budget take on Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
 
 
Extras wise of DVD we get a few things. Behind the scenes ( 23.05) San Diago Comic Con panel via Zoom ( 28.49). Behind-the-scenes picture gallery. Special Fx with Patrick Magee( 6.00). The Empty Wake FX ( 1.11). Hail Ratman ( 2.11). There are six extended/ deleted scenes. And a full-length version of The Veggie Masher ad that appears in the film.

 

So, while V/H/S/94 may not be the most consistent of this found footage horror anthology series. There are certainly some great moments of creepiness, gore, and shock to be found along its length. And in no way is it the worst of this franchise- with clearly more promise left for future films down the line.