‘V/H/S/99’ Movie Review: Horror Anthology Sequel Lacks Thrills and Chills

The V/H/S horror anthology series is becoming an annual marker of the Halloween season. They offer fun insight into the minds of genre filmmakers within a low-budget found footage package. V/H/S/94 didn’t have the franchise’s strongest entries, but it offered consistency. Unfortunately, V/H/S/99 is the franchise’s least scary installment yet, offering some fresh concepts, but poor execution.

‘V/H/S/99’ introduces a new collection of videotape terrors

Taking place in 1999, V/H/S/99 is the fifth installment in the franchise and follows five different short stories. Homemade stop-motion animated video is spliced in between the narratives.

Maggie Levin’s “Shredded” is the first story, as a punk rock band called RACK goes into an underground venue to film a music video years after a previous band died there. However, they’re not alone.

47 Meters Down writer/director Johannes Roberts follows a college freshman rushing for a sorority in “Suicide Bid.” She must spend the night buried underground in a coffin if she hopes to join the group, but there’s an urban legend surrounding a girl who previously tried the hazing ritual that hints at something more sinister.

Flying Lotus’ “Ozzy’s Dungeon” tells the story of a children’s TV game show that turns dangerous when a sudden injury takes place. However, the kid’s parents aren’t willing to let it go so easily.

Tyler MacIntyre’s “The Gawkers” finds a group of teenage boys spying on the new girl living next door. However, their obsession goes too far and they learn a bit more than they bargained for.

Finally, Vanessa and Joseph Winter’s “To Hell and Back” takes place on the eve of Y2K, as a couple of videographers find themselves trapped in Hell when a summoning goes horribly wrong.

The anthology entries explore the supernatural and urban legends

All of the narratives across V/H/S/99 touch on the supernatural within the context of different urban legends. It has no overarching narrative, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rather, the shorts are allowed to speak for themselves before moving on to the next chapter. The previous installment, V/H/S/94, set the segments within a framework that ultimately diluted the pacing without having anywhere to go.

Levin’s “Shredded” has a concept with potential, as a group of obnoxious teenagers heads into the dark, maze-like underground music venue. However, its high-energy shrieking remains full-blast for its entire duration. There are no opportunities for the atmosphere to build or scares to take place. When the teenagers finally come face-to-face with evil, there isn’t an ounce of fun or tension to speak of.

Meanwhile, Roberts’ “Suicide Bid” fares better. The buried alive concept is already frightening enough before any urban legend elements are introduced, as Lily (Ally Ioannides) tries to survive the night in a coffin to prove that she’s got what it takes to join the sorority. The straightforward premise utilizes its time well, making it the most effective of the bunch.

Lotus brings the biggest gross-out moments in “Ozzy’s Dungeon.” It’s sure to bring viewers back to the days of Nickelodeon-style game shows, but with a nasty twist. Lotus incorporates a fun throwback, but it loses its luster the further it moves toward its conclusion. Not all reveals are good ones.

MacIntyre’s “The Gawkers” makes a return to insufferable teenagers creeping on a woman who just moved next door. It’s part Rear Window and part Jackass, but with a supernatural twist. However, it’s much more about watching teenage boys spying on a woman completing mundane tasks than it is about any of the horrors they uncover. It’s over by the time they make any substantial discoveries.

Finally, Winters’ “To Hell and Back” goes big, introducing the most formidable concept to tackle over the course of a low-budget short. Nevertheless, they found a way to make the tired demonic summoning convention fresh and unique. There isn’t much for these characters to do once they enter Hell other than scream and run, making it grow repetitive by its conclusion. Nevertheless, it’s an enjoyable segment.

‘V/H/S/99’ is a shrill exercise in camp

V/H/S/99 follows the franchise’s found footage style visual aesthetic, yet some of the installments are much shoddier in their presentation than previous entries. Despite selling itself to the audience as a videotape, it still looks like a more modern digital recording replicating the older medium. However, many of the creature special effects and gross-out prosthetics capture an earlier era of moviemaking.

Each installment grows progressively more exhausting due to unlikeable characters. It goes beyond the genre trope of protagonists making dumb decisions, as most of them are abominable jerks that wear on the viewer over time. There isn’t an issue with having an unlikeable character, but does every short need to be so absent of anybody to connect with?

Unlike the franchise’s earlier installments, many of the filmmakers aren’t going for scares. It’s high on camp, and most of the segments are disappointing, but that’s based more on execution than on concept. “Suicide Bid” and “To Hell and Back” are the clear standouts, but it’s a low bar to clear. V/H/S/99 fails to conjure up scares, and even its strongest segments aren’t able to carry the weight of the weaker ones that surround them.

V/H/S/99 streams on Shudder starting on Oct. 20.