V/H/S/85 is the sixth, and most recent instalment of this horror found footage anthology series. It takes in five more stories- each featuring an effective and largely rewarding mix of shocks, wacky derangement, gore, and very dark humour. As this series of films go- this is certainly one of the more consistent- with the whole thing rewardingly set in a darting & playful sea of (seemingly) random 80’s clips, eerier tape glitches, and unsettling static reels. 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/85 is from last year- been a joint production between the USA and Mexico.  As with the other entries in this film series- each of the five stories is directed by a different director.

Unlike many of the films in this series, we don’t get a proper connecting/wrap-around story- but instead, we get a story cut in several bits dropped throughout the film, and this is Total Copy/ Frame Narrative. It’s directed by David Bruckner- who has three features to his name, as well as a couple of other anthologies like the first V/H/S/ (2012). His full-length take in woodland-bound horror The Ritual (2017) modern ghost story The Nighthouse (2020), and horror remake Hellraiser (2022). Total Copy/ Frame Narrative is a scientific mockumentary following the study of a humanoid figure- that initially presents itself as a young child, but morphs/changes itself. This one recreates well the feel of 80’s docs- but blends in neat & lightly creepy horror & sci-fi tropes- with the whole thing resolving in a wonderful demented & darkly funny manner.

Next is No Wake/ Ambrosia- which is directed by Mike P. Nelson. He has twelve credits to his name- two of these are features, and the other are shorts/ TV shows. His features take in post-nuke horror The Domestics (2018), and horror remake Wrong Turn (2022). This story as its title suggests is a two-part/ connecting affair- the first part finds a group of friends heading out to the lake to camp, water ski, and make out- with things suddenly shockingly going wrong. The second part- shown a little later on in the film- takes in a seemingly normal family gathering suddenly turning very explosive. Both parts feature a fair bit of gunplay, and gore- with the jarring shift in tone done very well.

Next up is God Of Death- which is directed by Mexico City-born Gigi Saul Guerrero. She has thirty-two credits to her name- taking in one feature, with the rest being made up of shorts, anthology stories, and TV series.  Her only feature is the horror comedy Bingo Hell ( 2021). This story is filmed in Spanish, with no subtitles- though you can easily follow what’s going on. It opens as a Mexican TV current affairs/ chat show with a flamboyant female presenter. Suddenly the studio is collapsing- with the crew/ presenter fleeing into the basement- where things turn bloody & demonic- I can’t really tell you anything else, but we get gore & demented/ bloody action.

Next, we have TKNOGD- which was directed by Natasha Kermani, who has a total of thirteen credits- three of which are features and the others shorts/ TV series episodes. Her three features are Southern American set drama Shattered (2017),Sci-fi drama Imitation Girl (2017), horror fantasy Lucky(2020). This story takes in footage of a female performance artist who is raging against technology-she straps on a headset, and gloves going into a Tron-like VR world. And things don’t go too well- with flashes of fairly impressive gore, and again quite a demented feel to the whole thing.

The final story is Dreamkill- it’s directed by Scott Derrickson- who has eight features to his name. Going from exorcism horror meets courtroom drama of The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2004), onto the found footage horror & supernatural chills of Sinister (2012), the mind-expanding superhero action of Dr Strange (2016). This is one of the longer stories here. It opens in a very Sinister found footage-like manner- as we a POV follow a killer breaking into a house, to butcher a woman in her bed with an electric carving knife. As things unfold, we find out the Super Eight footage we just watched had been sent to the local police three weeks back- they thought it was a hoax, but then they get a call that the murder has happened as it did on the VHS tape.  I can’t give away too much of this one- but we get a lot of gore- going from eyeball sawing’s, fingers looped off, skin flaying, and brutal gunplay. The story felt maybe five minutes too long- but it’s still most effective, and the Sinster-like elements are very troubling- with one of them soundtracked by Throbbing Gristle's "Hamburger Lady".

Extras wise we get Uncut Super Eight footage from the Dreamkill story, uninterrupted of cuts of No Wake/ Ambrosia and Total Copy. There is also a commentary track bringing together one of the film's producers, four directors, and two writers.

V/H/S/85 is a great return to form from this franchise- with plenty of shocks abound, brutal gore, and moments of pitch-black humour. With the whole thing wonderful a swim with effectively jarring tape cuts & uneasy video tape glitches.