October Horror Movie Challenge - V/H/S/99 (2022)

 

 Plot

This found footage horror anthology is the fifth in the series. The stories are presented as clips on a tape. In between these short films are segments involving toy army men created by a character from one of the stories. 

Review

I'll discuss the shorts individually and then the flick as a whole.

Shredding is the first short. The story is about a punk band named R.A.C.K. that are basically CKY. They make music and film themselves pulling pranks. They go to a closed down venune that another band, Bitch Cat, died at. While heading there one of the members, Ankur, discusses the legend of the bhuta.  The band do some disrespectful things and Bitch Cat, now bhuta, get their revenge. I'm not going to say this was a great short, but as a fan of CKY and Jackass, I appreciate the tribute/parody featured. The undead band do some gnarly things and while it's hard to see because of the video quality, I dug it.

Suicide Bid is the second short. Lily is a college freshman desperate to get into the top sorority. She makes a suicide bid and seems to get in, as long as she does one task. Like a local legend she has to spend the night buried in a coffin. Of course things go wrong. I liked this one. It plays on very real fears of claustrophobia and hazing gone too far. The undead look a bit cheesy (kind of looking like they came out of a haunted house attraction), but were still presented in a disturbing way.

Ozzy's Dungeon is the third short and features a dangerous Legends of the Hidden Temple style game show. When contestant Donna gets serious injured because of the unsafe conditions her family plots revenge. This was probably the most unsettling of the shorts. It had a very Saw-esque vibe, just more low rent and gross. They ending is wild, but I dug it.

Gawkers is the fourth short and about a teen named Brady (who is creator of the toy soldier shorts) and his brother, Dylan. The camera Brady uses is Dylan's. Dylan and his friends are your typical horny teens and seek to use their camera and Brady's friendship with their hot neighbor to spy on the neighbor. This short made me laugh because one of the characters mentions an awesome concert and talks about Limp Bizkit and Creed. The same character also talks about Y2K. I saw the twist for this one coming, but I appreciated it. Going to be honest, I felt sorry for Brady in this one.

The final short is To Hell And Back. A couple of film makers, Nate and Troy, are filming a coven of witches as they attempt to summon a demon on New Year's Even 1999. During the ritual the pair are transported to Hell. There they encounter a demon named Mabel who tries to help them escape. This might be my favorite of the shorts. I loved Mabel. Though she only gets a bit of screen time, she made that big of an impact. Overall this short was a fun ride and reminded me of the haunted house alternatives I used to go to when I went to church as a kid. 

While the series has had some hits and some misses, I really enjoyed this installment. It's definitely not the best, but for nostalgic reasons I really dug this one. I was a teenager in '99 and this one reminded me of my younger days. If you like found footage anthologies, check this one out.

In Your Game

Mabel would be a great demon for What Shadows Hide. Though a demon and evil, she will work with mortals and can even grow attached to them.

Source

Mabel (Outsider)

Armor Class: 15

Hit Dice/Points: 6+6
Move: 12
Actions: 3
Attack: Unarmed (1d6)

Special: Regenerate (1 HP/round) Toughness +3, Dark Vision 60'

Bonuses: +2 to Melee attacks, +8 to Spot & Listen, +7 to Stealth, +8 to Arcana

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 8

Terror: 12 (when showing demonic nature)
HDE: 4

New Movies: 18

Others Horror Movies Watched Since Last Post: 

Challenge Total: 36