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V/H/S/85 (2023)


V/H/S/85 is a collection of short horror films like the few before this.

Segment one had a methodical buildup but really lacked scary moments. There were some tense moments with a bit of gore; if that's your cup of tea, then you'll enjoy this one. Also, the character development was better than the second. 

Segment two went from lackluster to crazy really quick. It had a worthwhile ending, although its pacing could have been better. The buildup is more of a rug being pulled under your feet, leaving an overall sour taste in my mouth. 

Segment three starts off preachy, boring, and uninspired. The VR headset looks too modern to be from 1985 because remember Nintendo's Virtual Boy headset from 1995? This one appears more modern than that. The audience in segment three looks as bored as I was watching this. The monster, I won't say what its name is, looks incredibly dumb. Segment three was the worst. 

Segment four had an interesting connection to segment one, but this segment alone could have been made into a feature-length film if they had put more time and thought into it. It was short and lacked a lot of scary moments, it just had a lot of guns and blood.

Segment five had the most gore and intrigue. The characters seem realistic for the setting but were sort of caricatures of how people imagined people in that period would act. The director was Gigi Saul Guerrero which comes as no surprise that she outdoes the rest of the shorts. The best segment goes to a female director as well as the worst with segment three, also a female director. 

I enjoyed V/H/S/85 for what it was. It's another solid anthology film from Shudder. Sure it had a bad segment but it was sandwiched between some good ones. Result: B-.

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