Slow down everyone, you're going to run out of years. At this rate we'll soon see chapters with titles like V/H/S/February, or V/H/S/Thursday, or V/H/S/12PM/No!/A.M.!
News came last evening that Shudder and Studio71 are moving on to the next chapter of the successful (and endless) anthology series, V/H/S. This time we're going back, back, back to the wonderful year 1985.
Back in 1985 all the girls I had a crush on had big hair. There were also pinnacle cultural moments like the Live Aid concert, New Coke, Nintendo arrived in the U.S., Michael Jordan was Rookie of the Year and we found the Titanic! On the opposite end the Rainbow Warrior was sunk, there were volcanos in Colombia and earthquakes in Mexico, airplane hijackings were en vogue and the Unabomber killed his first victim. Ebbs and flows.
The lineup of directors is pretty awesome. Probably the most noteble names on the list to the casual horror community are Scott Derrickson of The Black Phone and Sinister fame and David Bruckner who directed a segement in the very first V/H/S film, the new Hellraiser, Night House and The Ritual. Mike P. Nelson, director of The Domestics and Wrong Turn will join them, along with two terrific ladies, our awesome friend Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell, Culture Shock) and Natasha Kermani, who directed the excellent horror/thriller Lucky. This is a really, really good lineup, y'all.
Shudder is going to release V/H/S/85 next year. The complete announcement follows.
Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today the continuation of Studio71’s hit found footage anthology franchise, V/H/S, with an all-new installment, V/H/S/85. The Shudder Original Film will release in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and will feature renown genre filmmakers David Bruckner (Hellraiser, The Night House), Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone, Sinister), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Bingo Hell, Culture Shock), Natasha Kermani (Lucky) and Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn).“Since its inception, the V/H/S franchise has been a showcase for both established and emerging horror filmmakers to terrify audiences with innovative takes on the found footage genre. Following the success of last year’s hit V/H/S/94 and this year’s upcoming V/H/S/99, we are totally stoked to take Shudder members back to 1985 with a wicked new collection of scares from some of the most radical horror directors working today,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler.“The V/H/S series is a continued love letter to found footage nastiness and the mad variety of anthology horror,” said director and producer Bruckner. “Having helmed a segment of the OG film, I’m beyond excited to be back behind the camera in V/H/S/85, alongside some of my very favorite voices in the genre.”The franchise’s first Shudder and Studio71 collaboration, V/H/S/94, debuted to rave reviews from film critics, with The New York Times calling the film “a grisly, gory gem,” and a 90% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. V/H/S/94 was the biggest movie premiere in Shudder history, setting a record for the most viewers during its opening weekend, and it continues to be a top performing title nearly a year later.In the upcoming V/H/S/99, which debuted at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and premieres on Shudder on Thursday, October 20, a thirsty teenager's home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations. The film features five new stories from filmmakers Maggie Levin (Into The Dark: My Valentine), Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City), Flying Lotus (Kuso), Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) and Joseph & Vanessa Winter (Deadstream). V/H/S/99 harkens back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium.Producers of V/H/S/85 include Josh Goldbloom for Cinepocalypse, Brad Miska for Bloody Disgusting, Bruckner (V/H/S, The Night House, Hellraiser), filmmaking collective Radio Silence (Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, & Tyler Gillett; Ready or Not, Scream), and James Harris (47 Meters Down). V/H/S/85 is executive produced by Michael Schreiber & Adam Boorstin for Studio71.The deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto and Nicholas Lazo on behalf of Shudder and Schreiber and Federico J. Blanco on behalf of Studio71.