VHS 94 RATMAN
HAIL RATMAN
Although the pandemic has had a negative effect on productions worldwide, several horror movies have been able to retrace their historical roots thanks to it. The return of the anthology series "V/H/S" this week has a tone reminiscent of a B-movie, guerrilla filmmaking style that works really well with the material. This allows the franchise to come back after the disappointing "V/H/S: Viral" and deliver the gory goods.
The producers have returned to what made this series so successful seven years after a film that I hoped "better represent the bottom of the barrel for this franchise because I don't think I can take much more." It is a silly, bloody tribute to indie filmmaking that allows artists to freely express their most bizarre impulses. The "V/H/S/94" that results falls
With a wraparound piece (directed by Jennifer Reeder, "Knives and Skin") about a SWAT team on a mission into a building that looks to have been taken over by a cult of VHS nasties, the idea is identical to the previous three movies. Slumped bodies stare at screens, gaze fixed on the ground beside them. The anthology plays on the TVs while the SWAT team discovers more and more horrific atrocity scenes. This time, the production faithfully captures the look of a tape recording, complete with visual jumps, static, and focus problems. (It's the first one on VHS that feels like it was shot.)
The first segment, "Storm Drain," is directed by Chloe Okuno and follows reporter Anna Hopkins as she investigates rumors of a strange "ratman" living in the sewers. The reporter rapidly realizes she is in over her head, believing she is converting an urban legend about the homeless people who live in storm drains into a human interest feature. It's a good tone-setter because it's cleverly shot and has some amazing practical effects. It's slightly humorous before going downhill.
Shudder would be the ideal location for a "V/H/S" comeback. They have welcomed the nostalgia that frequently runs through the veins of horror enthusiasts, and they are accustomed to the kind of low-budget, in-the-pocket cinematography that "V/H/S/94" both honors and utilizes in its creation. A business strategy I can support is getting five horror voices together year and letting them go crazy. Bring on "95," I can't believe I'm saying this after how I felt about "Viral."
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