[REVIEW] V/H/S/99⸺A Blood Soaked Love Letter to the ‘90s

The found footage anthology series V/H/S has been pleasing audiences and fans of the sub-genre for just over ten years. Originating from a screenplay developed by Bloody Disgusting’s Brad Miska, each entry into the anthology series features five up-and-coming or well-known directors. The fifth and latest entry into the series V/H/S/99 comes hot on the heels of V/H/S/94, which received praise from critics and love from found footage lovers. V/H/S/99 features filmmakers Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night. 2018), Vanessa & Joseph Winter (Deadstream, 2022), Maggie Levin, Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls, 2017), and Flying Lotus.

Maggie’s Levins short Shredding exhibits her punk rock influences and aesthetic that is clearly a major influence on her filmmaking. The short is nostalgic intentionally, showing popular culture that would be considered on the more gritty and grungy side of the era⸺objects that resonate, bands that endured time, and clothing that is making a renaissance today. The characters are witty with excellently scripted banter and puns. 

In a hazing ritual gone wrong, Johannes Roberts’ Suicide Bid goes underneath the surface in a claustrophobic buried alive gone wrong incident. Robert’s short has some pacing issues that slows down the adrenaline; however, it’s not enough to ruin the segment. This is one of the weaker shorts out of the anthology with its pacing issues and the special effects not hitting the mark with some of its elements. 

Flying Lotus made his debut for Shudder with segment Ozzy’s Dungeon, the short dives into the demeaning and demonic side of a children’s competition television show. Whilst dark and disturbing, the short brilliantly turns the television show set into a live bloodsport that leaves a young girl’s leg mangled. The film takes an unexpected turn, accumulating in a creative cosmic horror moment. 

A young group of teenage boys are caught spying on their neighbour in Gawker, directed by Tyler MacIntyre. The short shows the development of the internet age that many millennials remember experiencing⸺floppy discs, square HP computer monitors, and slow dial up internet. The twist in Gawkers is sublime, with a good for her moment that brings back memories of studying myths and legends in school.

Directors Vanessa and Joseph Winter return to Shudder with their segment To Hell in Back, where videographers Nate and Troy accidentally end up in hell whilst filming a ritual that goes wrong at a New Years Eve party. Led by the enigmatic Mabel, they make their way back through the desolate hills of hell, only to end up in a frustrating body swap situation. Mabel is iconic and should be the new Ratma. 

Throughout each of the shorts, you can distinctly see the exact moment of 99 that the directors wanted to capture. We witness Y2K mentions, the popular culture of the time heading into 2000, and the technology that feels stuck in time. All of these moments highlight the year that 99 was as it ushered in the new millennium, new fears, and the horrors of a new age. V/H/S/99 encapsulates those fears and puts them on the screen while taking viewers on a ride through a crucial time in history. 

V/H/S/99 is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.