V/H/S/94

A typically uneven anthology film, V/H/S/94 follows the members of a SWAT team as they raid a purported drug lab and instead find a series of videotapes left behind by a mysterious, sinister cult – with the bulk of the picture consisting of four separate stories derived from said videotapes. It is, as a result, certainly not surprisingly to note that the picture suffers from an exceedingly hit-and-miss feel for the duration of its overlong running time, although, having said that, there’s little doubt that V/H/S/94 does contain its fair share of striking images and compelling stretches – with the movie’s intriguing, creepy first tale, which follows a reporter as she investigates a mysterious figure known as the Rat Man, kicking things off with a fair degree of promise. (The tedious wraparound story is mostly disposable, however.) From there, V/H/S/94 progresses into an often aggressively erratic midsection that contains a few highlights, admittedly, but are also padded out to the point of distraction – with this particularly true of Timo Tjahjanto’s slow-moving segment, The Subject. (Any qualms about the effectiveness of this short are, at least, obliterated by a first-person-shooter-inspired finale that’s nothing short of breathtaking in its audaciousness.) The film’s overall impact is diminished significantly by Ryan Prows’ closing story, though, as it suffers from a plodding, arms-length feel and a payoff that isn’t even remotely worth the interminable buildup – which does, in the final analysis, cement V/H/S/94‘s place as a watchable yet far-from-memorable endeavor that falls right in line with its equally so-so predecessors.

**1/2 out of ****