Movie Night! 'V/H/S 94' and 'Hellarious'

You know by now that I love horror anthology movies... Well, last night ended up being one of those nights for watching just that (long story, and not very interesting, but that was all I was good for by the time Friday evening came round).I've spent the last few weeks waiting for 'V/H/S 94; to appear on Shudder so that was always going to get a watch, 'Hellarious' was one of those movies that I happen to come across, on Prime, and think to myself that it could be worth a shot. And so, here's what I thought of them both. This is going to be a shorter post than normal because, well, you'll see...


'Hellarious' (2019)

No it wasn't, it really wasn't. The first story, about killer shopping trolleys, had some legs to it (okay, little wheels...) but the rest of the stories weren't particularly funny, frightening or even original. Your mileage will inevitably vary (because humour and all that) but this was a movie that didn't work for me I'm afraid. Still watched it all the way through though, that was more in hope than anything else...


'V/H/S 94' (2021)

After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police SWAT team launch a high intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy...

Now this is more like it... I've always had a soft spot for the 'V/H/S' franchise, partly for the concept but mostly because the ratio of 'good to bad' entries always favours the good, at least from where I'm sat. 'V/H/S 94' was no exception with a very solid collection of tales that unsettle and have absolutely no problem with jump scaring you whenever they feel like it. I'd say that 'The Subject' was a little bit too long, and slightly lost the tension it was trying to create, but that's a minor quibble really. There's usually at least one 'V/H/S' tale that doesn't work but this time round they all did, albeit in different ways. 'Terror' makes you jump but also has something to say about the competence of militia forces although to be fair, how many militias have to manage a vampire...? 'The Subject' does drag on a bit but is a very convincing exploration of the relationship between flesh and steel in the meantime. 'The Empty Wake' may not do anything new but does what it does very well with a nice build up of tension leading into an explosive finale. 'Storm Drain' works along similar lines but is properly gross at the same time.

Connecting all of these stories is 'Holy Hell', the story of the SWAT raid and what is found in the warehouse. I liked the way that we experience all of this through the eyes of the SWAT team, we know just as much as they do (i.e. nothing) and moving forwards with the team is what ultimately keeps the film heading in the right direction.

Is 'V/H/S 94' the best entry in the franchise? In terms of consistency, maybe... Other entries have better stories ('A Ride In The Park' and 'Safe Haven' are my all time favourites from 'V/H/S 2') but this movie delivers over the whole course of its run-time. If you've got a 'Shudder' subscription then give this a go if you haven't already. If you don't have a 'Shudder' subscription then maybe you want to do something about that... ;o)

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