V/H/S/85 (2023) Movie Drinking Game
Do a Shot: every time it cuts to the overarching short (Total Copy)
Take a Drink: for every kill.
Do a Shot: for every brief shot of a commercial.
Take a Drink: every time someone addresses the camera directly.
By: Movie Snurb (Two Beers) –
V/H/S is an anthology film that has provided five sequels and two spin-offs which were shorts that became full length features. As with any anthology film there are peaks and valleys. With V/H/S/99 there were more valleys. So, my hope was that they would correct it with this entrant into the franchise.
A Toast
Something new for this franchise is, instead of featuring new/young filmmakers, which they did for a couple of the shorts, they also brought in horror veterans like Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Black Phone) and David Bruckner (The Night House, Hellraiser 2022).
With bringing in established horror talent, it lends to a larger budget and more surefooted filmmaking. It shows, especially with the Scott Derrickson directed short DreamKill. Scott’s short is closer to Sinister than The Black Phone. He goes true disturbing; it’s filmed like the films that Ethan Hawke watches in Sinister.
Some people might say that it feels like a cut and paste from his prior film, but it works in the realm of this short. This is the one short that could be turned into a full-length feature. I say this and all the shorts I believe should’ve been full lengths films have yet to be turned into them.
Another bright spot in this film is No Wake, by Mike P. Nelson, which is a joy to watch. They take a new approach to this short and break it up into to two parts within the movie. When the first part ends it feels incomplete, but they bring it back around.
Beer Two
The three other shorts are not bad, but they have issues and sit a step below Now Wake and Dreamkill. The big positive for V/H/S/85 is all of the shorts are closer to the middle rather than some of the lesser ones being truly poor.
The overarching short Total Copy and God of Death are more forgettable than anything. I appreciate the swing that both shorts take, but ultimately, they’re forgettable, especially up against the other shorts in this film.
TKNOGD is the wild swing of the film. I was very out on it until its end where some practical effects elevate it, but overall, this is the worst one of the bunch, but it’s no where near the bottom of the franchise.
Verdict
Fans of the franchise will be pleased with V/H/S/85. None of the entries rank super high in the franchise, but at least none are sitting at the bottom of the barrel.
