‘V/H/S/99’: The Riot Girl Band Actors Share How They Managed the ‘Gross,’ ‘Icky Sticky’ Prosthetics for Their Ghost Scenes

The V/H/S franchise has been a creative hub for new voices in the horror genre. The series’ structure as an anthology of creepy short films makes it a perfect incubator for young filmmakers eager to make their name in the industry. The fifth installment in the franchise, V/H/S/99, adheres to that tradition.

The first segment of the movie is a gnarly ghost story about a dead riot girl band called “Shredding.” It comes from the mind of Maggie Levin, whose directorial effort to this point is in another less heralded horror anthology collection, Hulu’s Into the Dark series (“My Valentine”) in 2020. 

In a recent interview, Levin and the star of her segment, Verona Blue, discussed the inspiration for “Shredding” and their experiences making the short.  

‘V/H/S/99’ takes the franchise to the brink of modernity

V/H/S/99 does make slight changes to the formula. It swaps out the frame narratives for darkly comic interludes made by a character in one of the shorts. But it maintains the essential part of the franchise’s ethos.

V/H/S/99 provides a platform for five new filmmakers to create found footage mini-movies set at the end of the 20th century. In addition to Levin, Johannes Roberts (“Suicide Bid”), the musician Flying Lotus (“Ozzy’s Dungeon”), Tyler MacIntyre (“The Gawkers”), and Vanessa and Joseph Winter (“To Hell and Back”) are also brought into the universe for the first time. 

“Shredding” follows RACK, a group of scene kids obsessed with Bitch Cat, a riot girl band who died after being trampled by fans when a fire erupted in a venue years prior. Eager to use that history to make a name for themselves, the crew breaks into the old venue to film their own Jackass-style prank video. This may shock you, but RACK’s best-laid plans quickly go awry as the past returns to haunt them. 

The ‘Shredding’ crew had fun bringing this horror tale to life

Levin has experience in this world. She’s worked on music videos in the past, as does the star of “Shredding,” Verona Blue. Blue received classical conservatory training in voice at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. (“I’m not in a band but I play the drums badly and the flute exceptionally well,” she boasts on her website.)

The duo talked to Dread Central to talk about their time on set. Despite the dark subject matter, they both had a fun time making this short. Blue explained:

“This was one of those times when I could walk on set and just feel so secure that the day was going to go exactly to schedule. There would be no shouting.

It would be a very even-tempered fun time and that was exactly what it is because all of her sets are normal. She prepares, she does the work in advance, and when you show up on the day, it’s so organized. Everybody knows what they’re doing.”

She also gave a shoutout to the Director of Photography Alex Choonoo for keeping things moving on set, especially when she covered in full prosthetics. “You don’t want to just be waiting around forever because it gets really uncomfortable and it’s hard to regulate your temperature. So, it was great to work with her.”

That sense of camaraderie extended to the rest of the cast. Levin worked with several of the actors previously, and that comfort with each other made the production go through smoothly:

“I felt incredibly blessed that everyone showed up so excited to dive into this period of time and to get to do these outrageous things. And the early conversations that we had about it were really just that everyone’s job, while all of this craziness went on, was also to bring real authenticity to their performances.

I just got so lucky that everyone was just terrific and brought their A-game and worked really hard to nail that aspect.”

Divisive reception to ‘V/H/S/99’ won’t stop the franchise from moving forward

V/H/S/99 has its fans. But it is seen by many, including our own Jeff Nelson, as a lesser movie in the franchise. At the time of writing, it has a 73% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 46% audience score. 

The anthology format always leaves a movie at risk of being uneven. V/H/S/99, unfortunately, falls into that category. Several of the short films are let down either by their concept or their execution. This movie is much campier than the previous V/H/S films, and the shift in tone may leave some fans cold. The two segments praised above the others are “Suicide Bid” and “To Hell And Back.” 

V/H/S/99 only came out on October 20, but a sequel is already on the way. V/H/S/85 was announced at New York Comic Con and filming is currently underway. The directors will be David Bruckner, who directed the “Amateur Night” segment of the first V/H/S, Scott Derrickson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, and Mike P. Nelson. The movie will be released sometime next year.