I recently watched V/H/S85 (2023) on Shudder. This horror anthology is skillfully presented as an 80s-style documentary, with a collection of videos that perfectly capture the camcorder-caliber quality of the 1980s. The stories within cover a range of themes, from cults and teenage antics to glimpses of the future and a compelling police interrogation.
Co-directed by David Bruckner (The Ritual), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone) and Natasha Kermani (Imitation Girl), the film features a solid cast, including Freddy Rodríguez (Planet Terror), Jordan Belf (Entourage), Andrew Ghai (For All Mankind"), Chelsey Grant (Scare Package I & II) and Justen Jones (Accidental Family).
This installment has quickly become one of my favorites in the V/H/S series. The stories involving cults, the police interrogation, and the boat segment were particularly outstanding, I'd rate them between an 8 and 10/10. All of the segments featured commendable gore effects. Even the technology-themed episode, while not my personal favorite in terms of storyline, made up for it with its impressive gore effects. Unfortunately, the final episode didn't quite measure up to the rest.
In conclusion, V/H/S85 is a worthwhile modern-day horror anthology that I would strongly recommend. I would give this a rating of 7.5/10.
