Line #86 Film/VHS85


1	[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20230915_010820.jpg]]
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3	(If you're looking for information on the VHS video format, try [[Platform/{{VCR}} here]].)
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5	''V/H/S 85'' is a 2023 FoundFootage {{anthology}} film, and the sixth installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise. It features shorts directed by David Bruckner, Scott Derrickson, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani and Mike P. Nelson.
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7	* ''Total Copy'': The frame story. Presented as a made-for-TV documentary, Dr. Spratling and his team at Stamer University have come into the possession of a gelatinous alien creature named "Rory". Rory is noted to have the ability to mimic people around it by changing its shape to match theirs, and spends all of its time watching television, prompting Spratling and his team to utilize TV in an effort to communicate with Rory. When the alien gradually grows unresponsive, Spratling, to the concern of his coworkers, resorts to more drastic actions to keep his subject "comfortable" enough to talk again.
8	* ''No Wake'': Seven young adults, Rob, Kelly, Drew, Anna, Jared, Kevin, and Robin, travel to Lake Evic, an isolated body of water normally off limits to visitors, for a camping trip. Ignoring the signs that warn visitors against swimming, five of the friends take a boat and their video camera out onto the lake to try their hand at water-skiing. However, the group are swiftly gunned down by an unseen sniper- and then things get weird.
9	* ''God of Death'': In Mexico City, Luis, a cameraman for the Ahorita TV news network, prepares to film the station's morning newscast. Suddenly, the building is struck by an earthquake, crushing everyone under rubble and killing them all except Luis. A rescue team, composed of Javier, Karla, Eddie, and Miguel, manage to find Luis and get him back on his feet. Since the station's HQ is severely weakened and can collapse at any moment, Luis and the rescuers have to find a way out before it comes down on them.
10	* ''TKNOGD'': Ada, a performance artist, films herself as she puts on a show. Speaking to her sparce audience, Ada espouses her belief that humankind has forsaken and killed their gods, having replaced them all with a new "God of Technology". Rebuking the rise of technology, Ada puts on VR gear and enters the virtual world, calling out to the "Techno God" and challenging it to reveal itself.
11	* ''Ambrosia'': Ruth Wrigley uses her new camera to film a family get-together. After getting splashed with a squirt gun by her younger cousin Adam, which he got from a woman in an RV, Ruth heads inside to prepare her family for the main event. It's revealed that the Wrigleys are a family of sociopathic serial killers who have worshipped someone or something they call "The Seven" for generations, and work to appease their deity/deities by killing seven innocent victims in a creative way for continued success.
12	* ''Dreamkill'': Wayne, a police detective, is investigating a series of gruesome killings with an unusual twist: video tapes depicting these murders have been arriving at the police station days before they actually happen. He and his friend Bobby, a forensic videographer, hope to track the killer down by finding out who is sending the tapes.
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14	Preceded by
15	* ''[[{{Film/VHS}} V/H/S]]'' (2012) The original film.
16	* ''Film/VHS2'' (2013) The first sequel, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.
17	* ''Film/VHSViral'' (2014)
18	* ''[[Film/Siren2016 Siren]]'' (2016): A feature length film based on the concept introduced in "Amateur Night" with Hannah Fierman reprising her role as [[ADayInTheLimelight Lily]].
19	* ''V/H/S: Video Horror Shorts'' (2018): A series of shorts released on Snapchat.
20	* ''Film/VHS94'' (2021): Completed principal photography during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic and was released through the streaming service Shudder.
21	* ''Film/VHS99'' (2022): Debuted on Shudder.
22	* ''[[Film/KidsVsAliens Kids vs. Aliens]]'' (2023): A spinoff based on [=V/H/S/2's=] "Slumber Party Alien Abduction" segment.
23	----
24	!!'''This movie provides examples of the following:'''
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26	[[foldercontrol]]
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28	[[folder:General]]
29	* DarkerAndEdgier: After the more comedic tone of it’s predecessor, this one returns to the straight up horror route with segments like DREAMKILL, Total Copy, and God Of Death having some of the most disturbing tones/scenes of the V/H/S segments. Although some comedic moments can be found in a few scenes.
30	* DeliberateVHSQuality: Like the other films in the series, each segment looks like it came from a VHS tape. However this entry in the series is the first to be almost entirely presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio, only going into a 19:6 aspect ratio for "Dreamkill". {{Justified\|Trope}} in that it takes place in the '80s.
31	* ExpositoryThemeTune: End credits song "Doppelganger" by Bathed in Blood summarizes the events of the film.
32	* InterfaceScrew: The film is presented as a series of programs recorded over a documentary, and as such, clips of said documentary will often glitch in, along with glimpses of other ads and shows.
33	* JitterCam: As is typical for handheld found-footage films, the cameras frequently move and shake in response to the action. The exception is TKNOGD, which is filmed professionally in-universe.
34	* SnuffFilm: All of the segments feature brutal death scenes.
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36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:"Total Copy"]]
39	* AliensStealCable: Rory is fascinated by the television programs in his chamber. [[spoiler:The ending shows him still watching it while manipulating the scientists' corpses.]]
40	* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:Rory doesn't escape his imprisonment and voluntarily stays behind to watch television, so it isn't clear if Stamer University recaptures him or if he later escapes offscreen.]]
41	* AssholeVictim: [[DrJerk Spratling and his crew]] easily get their just desserts at the end for not listening to Greyson’s warnings.
42	* BadBoss: [[spoiler:After trying to save him, Spratling gives up and leaves one of his assistants Gary to die in the hands of Rory.]]
43	* ChekhovsGag: One of the clips played on the [=TVs=] to communicate with Rory is a 1980s workout tape. [[spoiler: In the concluding section, Rory attacks the research staff, and manipulates their bodies into performing the movements shown on the workout tape.]]
44	* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:Dr. Spratling does manage to succeed in getting Rory to mimic what he sees on television, but rather than shapeshifting himself into what he sees, he becomes a grotesque tentacle monster who puppeteers the dead scientists' corpses into imitating the onscreen movements.]]
45	* TooDumbToLive: Dr. Greyson, who resigned from the research team, [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that Spratling and the rest of the team should have been more cautious after discovering Rory's ability to shapeshift. Later, Rory demonstrates that he can see through the one-way mirror as he is able to copy the form of Gary, a scientist who has never been down to Rory's chamber. For some reason, no one except for Greyson is concerned about Rory's [[ItCanThink possible intelligence]].
46	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Rory is a being capable of changing his shape and at one point, mimics Gary, one of the researchers. [[spoiler:He later forms tentacles to attack and kill most of the scientists.]]
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48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:"No Wake"]]
51	* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Robin states that her brother is dead too after Rob angrily tells Drew that his sister is dead, but it is never made clear if it is Jared or Kevin that is the dead brother in question. Robin [[TheFriendsWhoNeverHang doesn't interact with Jared]], and her onscreen conversations with Kevin are neutral, with no hint that they both are siblings.]]
52	* BaitAndSwitch: Most of the {{foreshadowing}} can be misleading. The "no swimming" sign and the strange disappearance of the squirrel's corpse on the shoreline may prompt the viewer to believe [[spoiler:that the protagonists are about to run into a sea monster. However, the actual supernatural element is that the lake's water grants immortality, hence the prior buildup.]]
53	* BlessedWithSuck: [[spoiler:The lake's [[ImmortalityInducer immortality inducing]] powers don't extend to healing injuries. They simply make a person unable to die, so the campers end up staggering around with gaping wounds all over them, one even losing his entrails.]]
54	* FacialHorror: A bullet hits Kelly's face, nearly ripping off her jaw. [[spoiler:It remains a gory mess when her immortality kicks in.]]
55	* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Robin and her friends, who were affected by the enchanted water, survive their murder attempt, but not only are their unaffected friends and family KilledOffForReal, they will likely ended up as living, breathing mutilated freaks due to their exposed fatal injuries, especially Kelly, who probably will live forever with her FacialHorror.]]
56	* FeelNoPain: [[spoiler:One of the upsides to the lake's immortality is that those affected at least no longer feel pain from their injuries. Drew's intestines spill out after making it to shore, and he notes that it doesn't hurt, but it does feel weird.]]
57	* {{Immortality}}: [[spoiler: The lake water grants immortality, allowing the boat passengers shot by a sniper rifle to shrug off lethal injuries. The only campers that died were the ones that chose to stay onshore (Anna and Jared) or didn't dive into the lake to surf behind the boat (Kevin). The "dead" squirrel Rob found earlier is also immortal as [[NeverFoundTheBody its body disappeared]] when Rob looked away.]]
58	* KilledOffscreen: Played with. [[spoiler:The shooter kills Anna and Jared offscreen before taking aim at the others, but the sequel short ''Ambrosia'' reveals how Ruth murdered Anna and Jared before moving on to the others.]]
59	* MoodWhiplash: A carefree day at the lake is interrupted by a lethal (and very bloody) sniper attack.
60	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: [[spoiler:With their injuries not recovering despite their immortality, the campers can be read as more-or-less intelligent zombies who retain their memories and personality from before they were exposed to the lake.]]
61	* PinnedDown: The sniper shoots the boat's motor out, trapping the survivors onboard with no way to get to shore.
62	* ShoutOut: Robyn calls the situation "some ''Literature/PetSematary'' shit."
63	* ShipperOnDeck: Kelly thinks Rob and Robin are cute together when watching Rob help Robin with the surfing harness.
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65	[[/folder]]
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67	[[folder:"God of Death"]]
68	* AmbiguousSituation: It's not entirely clear if Mictlān caused the earthquake, or if the earthquake coincidentally unearthed his temple and allowed him to be summoned.
69	* DemonicPossession: Eddie is possessed by Mictlān, and later Karla also falls under his sway.
70	* HistoricalInJoke: The earthquake at the beginning of the film is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake the 1985 Mexico City earthquake]].
71	* MercyKill: One of the rescue crew, Javier, is mortally wounded by falling debris. He and the others persuade Karla to kill him quickly.
72	* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Today, September 19th, approximately 7:20 am, will be a day to remember."]]
73	[[/folder]]
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75	[[folder:"TKNOGD"]]
76	* AndYouThoughtItWasAGame: The audience applauds after [[spoiler:the God of Technology mutilates Ada]] as they believe it to be {{all part of the show}}.
77	* BottleEpisode: The whole short takes place in a small theatre. Well, that's the only physical location, anyway.
78	* {{Cyberspace}}: Ada enters a virtual reality to find the God of Technology.
79	* FacialHorror: [[spoiler: The final shot of the movie is Ada's cameraman lifting up her virtual reality helmet, revealing that all the skin and flesh is gone from the upper half of her face, and her brain appears to have melded with the VR helmet.]]
80	* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: Ada is still alive at the end of the short despite her severe injuries, still able to move her eyes and mumble incoherently.]]
81	* GodIsDead: Discussed by Ada. [[spoiler: The God of Technology is very much alive, however.]]
82	* HaveYouSeenMyGod: Ada conducts a ritual to summon the God of Technology, searching for it through a virtual cityscape, and loudly declares it to be dead when it doesn't show up for some time. [[spoiler: It shows up more or less [[InstantlyProvenWrong straight after she makes this statement]].]]
83	* HighTechHeaven
84	* YourMindMakesItReal: [[spoiler:Whenever the God of Technology injures Ada's virtual body, parallel wounds appear on Ada's real body.]]
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86	[[/folder]]
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88	[[folder:"Ambrosia"]]
89	* AteHisGun: [[spoiler:Ruth tries to kill herself by shooting herself in the head… but had already been granted immortality by the water gun courtesy of Robin, leading to her arrest.]]
90	* BloodKnight: [[spoiler:The Wrigleys seem to be looking forward to a fight with the cops, especially Ruth if her PsychoticSmirk to the camera is any indication.]]
91	* ChekhovsGun: Ruth's young cousin, Adam, shoots her with a water gun. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that the gun is full of the enchanted water from Lake Evic.]]
92	* CruelMercy: [[spoiler:Ruth ends up the SoleSurvivor of the family thanks to the enchanted water, but she disgraced the family name with her survival, and is arrested to answer for her and her family's crimes. Due to the immortality she's gained, the death sentence is out of the question, and she would likely face life imprisonment, which makes her immortal state a FateWorseThanDeath.]]
93	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: [[spoiler: It could be a coincidence that Ruth's house is raided by police after she fails to take seven victims, or it could be that the ritual's protection is gone. Of course, the most likely scenario is that the survivors of Ruth's sniper attack contacted the police.]]
94	* FormulaBreakingEpisode: In a meta/in-Universe sense. The segment is explicitly stated to be recorded on Beta rather than VHS.
95	** [[spoiler: This is also the first segment in the franchise to be a direct sequel to a previous one.]]
96	* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: Ruth's family have a tradition of killing seven victims each. [[spoiler: It's revealed that Ruth is the sniper that killed the campers in ''No Wake.'']]
97	* PsychoticSmirk: [[spoiler:As her mom hugs her one final time, Ruth does an AsideGlance to the camera and smirks at the chance to go down fighting with a ScareChord played in the soundtrack.]]
98	* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:The protagonists of ''No Wake'' refer to their assassin as a "he", but the this short reveals that their attacker is a woman.]]
99	* SnuffFilm: Ruth discloses that she recorded her kills on video, a departure from her family's tradition of recording their kills on photos or slides.
100	* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: [[spoiler:Ruth is the only member of the family granted immortality by the campers she tried to kill, forcing her to endure the same hell she gave them, being the lone survivor while all her loved ones are gone. In fact, it's even worse for her, as at least the immortal campers still have each other to rely on, while Ruth only has prison to look forward to.]]
101	* WhiteSheep: [[spoiler: Downplayed with James. He is not as gung ho as the rest of the Wrigley family to murder people, but he still wants to watch the tape where Ruth is killing the teens from No Wake, which makes him more in line of being a DirtyCoward and an AssholeVictim when given the YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness and YouHaveFailedMe treatment by Ruth.]]
102	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler:Ruth's [[ThisCannotBe despairing reaction]] to being unable to die and complete her ritual shows she feels this way about her "punishment" by Robin.]]
103	* VillainousValor: [[spoiler:The Wrigley family chooses to down SuicideByCop.]]
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:"Dreamkill"]]
107	* AbusiveDad: Bobby is this towards his son Gunther. [[spoiler: Comes to a near-fatal head in the climax after he goes completely mask-off. Where he mockingly mimics his son's words like a petulant child, [[NeverMyFault pins all the death that's happened entirely on him]], then calls him a freak before he raises his gun with intent of shooting him without the slightest bit of hesitation. Unfortunately for him, [[TheDogBitesBack Gunther also doesn't hesitate to]] [[BoomHeadshot shoot when he's given the chance.]]]]
108	* BigBadFriend: [[spoiler:Wayne and Bobby were best friends on the force. Then Wayne discovers just what Bobby [[DirtyCop got up to]] [[KillerCop behind the scenes]], and Bobby proceeds to murder Wayne to keep it a secret.]]
109	* BloodierAndGorier: This segment has some of the goriest deaths of the franchise.
110	* CrusadingLawyer: [[spoiler: The second victim, who fought back against the killer, even taking a swing at his assailant with his {{Fingore}}d hand, was the lawyer hired by the two rape victims to prosecute Bobby.]]
111	* DirtyCop: [[spoiler:Bobby, who stalked and sexually assaulted two women, creating a big enough scandal that he was forced to turn in his badge. Only he then slips into KillerCop territory when he retaliates by brutally murdering them ''and'' their attorney.]]
112	* FormulaBreakingEpisode: The segment includes sequences that appear to be shot on film stock, a first in the series.
113	** It's also the only short in this film to use the 16:9 aspect ratio instead of 4:3.
114	* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Bobby is killed by his son right after threatening to kill him.]]
115	* KillerCop: [[spoiler: Bobby. Originally a DirtyCop, firmly establishes himself as this after brutally murdering the people involved in a lawsuit against him, then murdering his old friend and partner in cold blood in an instant for simply ''implying'' he's going to turn him in, then commits a mass-shooting at his own precinct shortly after.]]
116	* PolicePsychic: Attempted by Gunther, who tries to anonymously mail tapes of his visions to his father's police department.
117	* SeeingThroughAnothersEyes: Gunther's power shows him gruesome home-invasion slayings through the eyes of the murderer: [[spoiler:his father, Bobby.]]
118	* SharedUniverse: Gunther has a cousin named Gwen who also has PsychicPowers; director Scott Derrickson confirmed she is the same Gwen from his previous film ''Film/TheBlackPhone'', set in 1978.
119	* UnhappyMedium: Bobby explains to his partner that his family's hereditary psychic powders [[DrivenToSuicide drove his sister to suicide]]. Gunther himself is a [[{{Goth}} Gloomy Goth]], which may or may not be because of his powers.
120	* VillainousValor: [[spoiler:Bobby's maybe an AxCrazy KillerCop, but he engages in a shootout with with former colleagues, putting up an impressive fight with both marksmanship and hand-to-hand-combat. He only goes down when Gunther shoots him from behind.]]
121	* YouCantFightFate: Gunther warns [[spoiler: his father Bobby that he knows how his vision ends before putting Bobby down for good]].
122	[[/folder]]
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Context Film / VHS85