V/H/S/85 First Trailer Transforms Home Videos Into '80s-Themed Nightmare Fuel
The "V/H/S" franchise has always had a killer concept for an anthology series. Each film contains a framing device where characters look through various tapes only to discover they're all horrific in some capacity. The last couple of installments in the series — "V/H/S/94" and "V/H/S/99" — took a blast to the past. And the upcoming "V/H/S/85" promises to follow that trajectory in a terrifying fashion.
Shudder released the "V/H/S/85" trailer, and it packs a mighty punch. It starts with pure '80s goodness, with bombastic hairstyles and VR systems. But things soon take a sinister turn as people start screaming and firing guns into the unknown. It ends with what appears to be the framing device for this film, where someone in possession of the tapes gets interrogated. There's even a fun "Star Trek" reference at the end to confirm that this movie does, in fact, take place in the 1980s.
When one of the tapes gets put in the VCR, another VHS labeled "Wrath of Khaaan" sits atop it. But anyone hoping for a sci-fi romp will be disappointed when the horror of "V/H/S/85" comes to Shudder later this year.
Plenty of horror heavyweights contributed to V/H/S/85
"V/H/S/85" will premiere at Fantastic Fest 2023 in September before debuting on Shudder. The official description of the anthology film promises four shorts of '80s-themed terror. First up is "NO WAKE" from Mike P. Nelson ("Wrong Turn"), which combines body horror with right-wing extremism. Gigi Saul Guerrero ("Trap House") directs "GOD OF DEATH," while Natasha Kermani ("Lucky") explores how performance art can go very wrong in "TKNOGD."
Finally, "V/H/S/85" brings in a major force in the horror genre. Scott Derrickson ("Doctor Strange," "The Black Phone") gets into his roots with "DREAMKILL," which is described simplistically as "a disturbing vision of videotaped murders." All of this will be tied together with segments directed by David Bruckner (2022's "Hellraiser"), who's a "V/H/S" alumni, having worked on the "Amateur Night" segment of the original "V/H/S."
With blood, monsters, and wanton destruction, the trailer has a lot going for it. These could even wind up among the best "V/H/S" segments of all time, and fans won't have to wait long to see if that's the case. After its showcase at Fantastic Fest, "V/H/S/85" will be available to everyone on Shudder starting on October 6.