V/H/S/85

This is my second anthology film for this site, and as such I’m still getting used to the format. Just jumping in felt wrong, so here’s a little intro.

V/H/S/85 is the latest in a series of a Found Footage Horror anthologies, a rather good series in fact. It started out with a gimmick which it has since dropped and has begun doing themes. For instance all the stories in this particular feature are set in 1985.

I’m going to say from the onset that the video recording found here at times strikes me as better quality than what was available in the Eighties. I might be wrong, but either way it’s a minor quibble.

Also, for this review, I am not doing my usual listing of the top line cast for each segment. I won’t say why, but I do apologize to the actors. To make up for it, for this particular review I’m not doing my usual General Information box. The film makers know what they did, and should you watch the film you might too.

Nothing terrible. In fact, it’s kind of fun. But doing things this way is for the best.

Have we enough information? I hope so, because I’m going to be a bit spare from here out.

No Wake

One of my biggest complaints with this series has been that some of the stories seem to have their supernatural elements tacked on right at the end. Not that I need things to be nice and rational; I like the uncanny in my fiction. It’s just that it feels like the writers reach the conclusion, think “Oh no, where’s the scary?” and through something in there.

This particular segment has a nice ending point. No need for anything more. And then it continues.

Here, though, it works. The true ending of this part of the movie is perfect. Everything about it works. I’m not giving it a great rating, as it didn’t scare me, but it is very, very good (1.5 points). I liked it (1.5 points), and over all thought it pointed towards V/H/S/85 to being an improvement over the last entry.

God of Death

Here, however, we slip back. Nothing supernatural until the end. Outside of that beef I have no real problems with the segment. I’m just a little disappointed. There’s a great idea here squandered. It also feels a bit unfair to its characters, and that never sets right with me.

This is a meh (1.0 point) which I feel meh about (1.0 point.)

TKNOGD

This segment’s kind of interesting in that I found it horribly dull to start with but got behind it the longer it went on. The story itself is no great shakes–you know more or less how it’s going to turn out–but it’s well done. In fact, I’m going to say it’s an interesting variation on an old theme.

With that in consideration, I’m going with a low good here (1.5 points). Mileage may vary with my judgement, but from leaving me cold to getting me interested in spite of myself (1.5 points) I think it’s warrented.

Ambrosia

This story.

We ain’t even edging into spoiler country here. This should be experienced and enjoyed with as little warning as possible. All I’ll say is that I caught on real fast to what was going down and enjoyed this segment immensely.

Very good (1.5 points). My shriveled evil heart approves (1.5 points).

Dreamkill

A detective receives tapes of murders before they happen.

Here we have the best segment of the anthology. To make it clear, none of these are out and out howlers. They are all competently made, well acted films.

This one, though, feels less like a segment in a Horror anthology and more a movie in it’s own right. It is distinctive in a back of stories that are themselves distinctive.

Really a great time (2.0 points). I sort of wish it was it’s own beast, but it’s not like the other stories are a chore to watch. I loved this one (2.0 points)

Total Copy

This is the anthology’s wrap around story, playing out in pieces as the film goes on. Unlike the other segments, this is for the most part presented as an episode of a TV series, which sets it apart from the others.

Handling the story this way both hurts and helps the segment. It hurts in that it breaks up the narrative flow. It doesn’t build tension in the way it should build.

That said, it’s a unique way of handling the wrap around. Enough information is given in the segments between segments to make the viewer (aka me) curious about how it’s all going to turn out.

A fine job over all (1.5 points). I rather liked the whole thing (1.5 points)

Remember how last time I said that this system had potential future headaches? Here it is today. With six stories each, the average subtotals come to 1.333… and 1.333… which adds together for 2.666… Scores not even the better run sites use.

Seemed like such a good system at the time.

Another thought that came after writing up the last review: there are very few anthology movies that will get a perfect 4.0 with this system. On a more positive note, it’ll be harder to get an abysmal 0.0.

Both extremes should be rare in any case. I think most films should fall in 2.5 to 1.5 range as a whole. That said, I expect even the threes and the ones to be rare beast.

Also, I’m throwing a RECOMMENDED on this bad boy, as I think it is a great representation of not only what the V/H/S series can be, but what anthologies can be as well.

Recommended

The average of the subtotals give a clear set of scores, both at 1.5 points. Thus the whole film gets 3.0 points.