Running Time: 98 Minutes
Starring: Josh Willis, Christopher Romero Sosa, Barbara Crampton, Julie Clergerie, Elie Kaempfen, Jihad Brent, Alex Hsu, Neela Jolene, Understanding Diggs
The V/H/S franchise has had quite the resurgence since being revived at Shudder, resulting in an annual tradition with themed features. The majority have focused on a specific year, with entries like V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99 taking the opportunity to highlight outdated technology and relics from yesteryear. Other themes have included V/H/S/Beyond going intergalactic, or a seasonal focus with the triumphant V/H/S/Halloween. For V/H/S/Mixtape, the terror draws on music and sound, hoping to capture audio fear.
With the segments being sound related, a fun idea has been included to have the wraparound hosted by heavy-metal band GWAR. For those who don't know these self-proclaimed "scumdogs of the universe" who douse their audiences in fake semen and blood, the excellent documentary This is GWAR is absolutely worth a watch. Your mileage may vary with their style of humour, but it is not a great sign when they open the film with a masturbation-related segment that grows old very quickly, but keeps on going. They promise to show viewers unholy horrors, but this may be a promise that they cannot keep with one of the franchise's weaker selections.
The inclusion of GWAR intends to make the wraparound feel like an MTV-style show from hell. Adding to this are Premature Burial, envisioned as an old-school music video, and Another Cabin, a stop-motion animation which has impressive craft to it. While both are notably short, their inclusion feels like a way to pad out the feature's already short runtime, while also feeling out of place within a franchise whose conceit is found-footage.
A similar issue is found with The Music of Mr. Sze, Ernest Dickerson's intriguing segment. It follows a college film student (Jihad Brent) working on a documentary project, who soon becomes obsessed with a tune that he hears his reclusive neighbour, Mr. Sze (Alex Hsu), playing on the violin. It's a fascinating mystery that soon unveils itself, but the full picture feels less satisfying and needing another draft of the script. Also, despite the set-up justifying the constant documentation, the found-footage aspect ends up feeling superfluous. When the use of 4K glasses could be easily excised, one wonders why this story could not have been told with more steady camerawork.
There is promise early on with David Moreau's Heartbeat. Nothing to do with the Yorkshire set TV series, this segment follows Maya (Julie Clergerie) and Wes (Elie Kaempfen), YouTube influencers who spend their videos exploring abandoned urban structures. Following a tip from a subscriber, the pair travel to their next target, which is a Cold War military station. Inside the decommissioned facility, they find a testing chamber with a warning to not stay inside for longer than fifteen minutes, which makes it a problem when they become trapped inside. Between the fantastic sound design and the impressive display of camera equipment, there is an unsettling feel which makes this tale stand apart. However, it is an idea which feels half-formed, petering out rather quickly until it suddenly ends.
A stronger segment is Renee Zhan's Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance. It follows an attempt to reboot The Curious Chorus, a beloved puppet show that has been long-cancelled. Studio representative Vanessa (Barbara Crampton) arrives with a crew to scan the original puppets into 3D models, a process that will be documented for the marketing. This does not please George (Josh Willis), the man in charge of the puppets. It may not be an original idea to have cheery looking sets and adorable puppets contrasted with the terrors on-screen, as seen to greater effect in this year's Buddy, but this remains a fun time. It is a fantastic showcase for the make-up and practical effects, depicting a descent into hell via Jim Henson's Creature Shop, with the most adorable harbingers of death delivering a catchy song.
It ends on a high note with Death Tone, RZA's segment which follows a young sound engineer (Neela Jolene) left reckoning with the death of her father, who was known as a legendary producer. To honour him, she follows instructions that he left behind in order to create the ultimate track. However, her interpretation is less Quincy Jones and more Patrick Bateman, with her method to get the perfect sounds being inspired and gloriously grisly. For a tale about putting so much of yourself into your art, involving sweat, tears, and a lot of blood, it's an inspired idea brought alive so vividly.
Despite this strong ending, it cannot take away from this being one of the series' weakest entries. V/H/S/Mixtape suffers from underdeveloped ideas and a truly grating wraparound, which is especially disappointing when it follows one of the franchise's strongest efforts. Here's hoping next year's return to cinemas will reinvigorate the series, as this is a charming annual tradition.
V/H/S/Mixtape is now available to stream on Shudder
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