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FoCC Review: V/H/S/99 – Tales From the 90’s

By Jason Delgado 

Back in the day, I used to love watching Tales From the Crypt. I couldn’t get enough of the Cryptkeeper’s (voiced by John Kassir) cheesy puns, and watching a horror show late at night on HBO gave me a fun feeling of danger and excitement, on which the show usually delivered. V/H/S/99 gives me that same feeling in a short film anthology format with a 90’s flair (also much like Crypt).

I don’t want to give away the surprises in store with these stories, but viewers are in for a treat with various creatures, demons, and evil people. The first story, titled “Shredding”, has a Real World skater punk feel, but I found it to be the weakest link of the movie. 

I enjoyed how one segment, called “Ozzy’s Dungeon”, features a Double Dare-like game show with a gory twist. Many people my age have fond memories watching that show, wishing that they too were a contestant because it looked like so much fun. The version in this movie will make viewers glad that they are not a contestant, with the horror that awaits. The overconfident game show host likes to spout off typical 90’s sayings, such as Jim Carrey’s iconic “Alrighty then!”

I get a kick out of the 90’s Easter eggs, although younger viewers may not know or care about them. These stories follow a typical horror trope that I enjoy, which is that people who mess up morally usually end up paying the price for it. Tales From the Crypt followed that convention for the most part as well. It is a popular concept, because there’s a primal center of our brain that enjoys seeing people punished for “wrongdoing.” This is what the Salem witch trials were all about, to a scary extreme. 

I think that there is a good amount of scares in V/H/S/99 for fans of the genre. I haven’t seen the other V/H/S films yet, but this movie makes me interested to check out the rest!

I give V/H/S/99 three and a half hot sauce packets out of five. It’s spicy enough to light a fire underneath you like a witch in Salem!

Here is the trailer: 

V/H/S/99 is available for streaming now on the Shudder app!

 

Jason Delgado

Jason is a CSULB film school alum and movie guy for Friends of Comic Con. He loves movies, TV, writing, comics, going to Cons, basketball (Lakers), music (all forms of rock + 90's hip hop), football (Chargers), his dog, and most importantly wife and newborn son. He's written a comedy/sci-fi script, and wants to write more in between raising a son. He doesn't often cosplay, but when he does, it's as Iron Fist. Follow him on Twitter @JasonDelgado78