Fantastic Fest Review: V/H/S/99

Just one year after the series returned with a rejuvenated sense of purpose, V/H/S is back and ready to head to the scariest time imaginable: 1999.

Though it may seem redundant since the Nineties era should ostensibly have been covered in V/H/S/94, the final year of the 20th century has specific fears unique to it not found elsewhere; namely, the hysteria surrounding Y2K rapidly approaching.

But V/H/S/99 doesn’t limit itself to the most obvious anxieties of the era. The horror stories found in this collection of shorts utilize and subvert a litany of cultural norms and stereotypes of the time. Skateboarding burnout kids, the height of pop-punk as part of the cultural consciousness, the internet as a still yet-to-be-discovered, mysterious new world for many Americans — there’s a consistent sense of clever winking about what life was like 20+ years ago across all the segments.

Of course, as with most anthologies — especially this franchise — the actual barometer of quality hits peaks and valleys. Opening segment “Shredding” directed by Maggie Levin is a solid introduction to the overall theme, following a chaotic, ragtag group of obnoxious 90s teen band mates who go to rehearse in a supposedly haunted gig spot where tragedy struck. Bad idea if you’re in a V/H/S movie, really. This one is quick, fun, relatively scary, and though it feels like it’s missing a certain follow-through on its concept, it’s a good primer for what’s to come.

Immediately following this is “Suicide Bid” from director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey At Night). Roberts has been able to hit some surprisingly tactile and effective concept executions in the past, but this story about a young sorority-hopeful who voluntarily gets locked in a coffin to prove her worth to her potential sisters just has too little going for it, besides a decent sense of claustrophobia.

Staying on the lackluster side of things is The Gawkers by Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) about a group of peeping teens who become obsessed with the girl across the street. This American Pie style riff is clever in theory, but the length/build-up vs. the actual payoff makes for some diminished results. They do manage to work the beginning of this story into acting as the notoriously difficult wrap-around for the whole film, cleverly sidestepping what is usually the most tedious aspect of the series.

The first of the two strongest segments is “To Hell and Back” by Joseph and Vanessa Winter, about a Y2K ritual demon summoning that accidentally sends two friends straight to the underworld. Great production design, frightening demons with neat makeup and prosthetic work, and a cheeky sense of humor make this a fantastic closer. It feels like a spiritual pairing with the pair’s own upcoming release Deadstream (both even featuring actress Melanie Stone) and helps to further establish the directing duo’s inclination toward quippy, fast-paced, fun horror romps.

The obvious standout of the whole bunch, however, comes smack dab in the middle of the collection with Flying Lotus’ (Kuso) “Ozzy’s Dungeon.” It’s the longest segment but earns its length through unpredictably manic shifts of genres and tone, starting as a sharp, dark skewering of children’s reality game shows à la Legends of the Hidden Temple. Just when you think you have an idea of where this one is headed, it pulls the rug out from under you to become something more akin to the torture porn era of filmmaking, before shifting once again to become phantasmagoric, Lovecraftian cosmic nightmare. It’s representative of what the V/H/S franchise can be at its absolute best: wondrous, ambitious short-form explorations of where filmmakers can take horror without the expectations of a full feature.

Flying Lotus gets close to reaching the heights of Timo Tjahjanto’s frenzied cyberpunk freak-out and Chloe Okuno’s dread-inducing subterranean expedition from 94, though the overall product is more inconsistent this time around. However, fans who know what they’re in for are going to feel at home with yet another assemblage of shorts ideal for a Halloween party. Turn out the lights, turn up the volume — have a good time.

Rewind to our interview with the directors and producers, "Millennial Mayhem in V/H/S/99," Sept. 23.

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V/H/S/99

U.S. Premiere
Wed., Sept. 28, 11:45pm

Fantastic Fest runs in person Sept. 22-29, and online with FF@Home Sept. 29-Oct. 4. Tickets and passes at fantasticfest.com.

Follow all our coverage, news, reviews, and interviews at austinchronicle.com/fantastic-fest.