Rent V/H/S/99 (2022)

V/H/S/99 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

The V/H/S franchise continues to be one of the most exciting horror anthologies that still has some life left after so many sequels. V/H/S99 proves as much by placing a specific historical setting of 1999 running on top of the VHS concept and making it work so well. While the entire V/H/S series of films is strictly hit or miss, this one is a home run.

There was a lot to play with during the late 1990s. The Gawkers, directed by Tyler MacIntyre, plays up the obsession with webcam with a dash of Y2K hysteria thrown into the mix. It plays out like that scene in American Pie but with an unexpected twist of an unlikely monster that transforms a horny teen fantasy into a vicious slasher. Jackass pranks and 90s grunge bands are savaged in Shredding, directed by Maggie Levin, which showcases the horrors of an urban legend that comes to life amid concerts so cursed they can raise the dead.

Some of the shorts are cunning displays of pure horror. This is best seen in Suicide Bid, directed by Johannes Roberts. It’s an exciting concept of a sorority pledger being forced to spend the night in a coffin and having the joke go too far. The film series remains true to its premise of supernatural surprises in each entry, even if it seems expected that deadly ghosts would be on the menu for a story involving coffins. The same goes for the quirky closer segment, To Hell and Back, directed by Vanessa & Joseph Winter, in which two friends literally have to escape hell when transported during a ceremony, encountering all manner of demons.

The best short of this film is, by far, Ozzy's Dungeon, directed by Flying Lotus. It starts off by depicting a familiar type of physical-challenge game show for kids in the 1990s, essentially evoking Nickelodeon’s Double Dare. The captured footage plays up the exaggerated style but also taps into the dark lore of the show. One contestant is injured during the show's final challenge and is denied a win. The camera returns to showcase the family seeking revenge on the host in the most grotesque obstacle courses. And it only gets wilder from there when the dark secret of Ozzy’s Dungeon set is revealed.

The concept of the VHS tape premise is played up well enough that it’s experimental without relying on a handful of gimmicky tricks. Shredding, for example, creatively used that taped-over effect to create a haunting quality of overlapping stories and juxtaposition. The gore effects are decently staged, even if much of the bloody nature is creatively hidden on the screen. Gawker makes the intelligent call of concealing the kills beautifully, while Ozzy’s Dungeon gets viciously up close and gross with its effects. There are also bits and pieces of dark humor, as with To Hell and Back, featuring some great character back-and-forth and the most unforgettable of allies to have in hell.

V/H/S99 is at the height of its creative ambitions for this franchise. Nearly every segment is a real treat of horror that rarely falls back on being a simple dose of nostalgic-laced dread through the old medium. All of it is so brilliantly staged that it’s enough to give one hope for the future of small horror directors, as I greatly anticipate what talents will come about in the next V/H/S entry.