New VHS 85 Trailer Delivers An Anthology Of Nightmarishly Nostalgic 1980s Scares

Found footage horror fans rejoice, as another installment in the long-running "V/H/S" franchise is just around the corner, and we've got a new trailer showcasing the '80s goods coming our way this Halloween season. That's right! The franchise is taking a trip back in time with "V/H/S/85" which, as the title implies, will be set right in the heart of the 1980s, when home video was just beginning to revolutionize the movie industry and slasher films were dominating the landscape.

The latest entry in the horror anthology series, which is following in the footsteps of last year's "V/H/S/99," is set to screen at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas this week, but it's going to be debuting on Shudder early next month, making it easily accessible for your spooky season viewing needs. So, what horrors are contained within this collection of throwback '80s shorts? Let's have a look-see.

This latest trailer gives us a much more thorough look at the five shorts that will make up the new anthology film when compared to the brief teaser that debuted last month. While we still don't get a full grip on each of the shorts, we see that the wraparound device being used this time is a goth kid being interrogated by the police. Beyond that, we've got lots of bloody chaos across a variety of settings. We even have a guy with a mullet who is excited about a Betamax videotape. If that doesn't scream the '80s, I don't know what does. The synopsis for the film reads as follows:

An ominous mixtape blends never before seen snuff footage with nightmarish newscasts and disturbing home video to create a surreal, analog mashup of the forgotten '80s.

The franchise took a break for a good while following "V/H/S: Viral," but it has since returned with a vengeance due to the success of 2021's "V/H/S/94." This new film is the sixth overall, and it contains a really impressive group of directors, consisting of seasoned vets as well as up-and-coming voices in the genre. The lineup of filmmakers for this latest installment includes Scott Derrickson ("Sinister," "The Black Phone"), David Bruckner ("Hellraiser," "The Night House"), Gigi Saul Guerrero ("Bingo Hell," "Culture Shock"), Natasha Kermani ("Lucky"), and Mike Nelson ("Wrong Turn"). That list of names, coupled with the concept of finally bringing this franchise to the '80s, feels like a winning combination. We'll know soon enough if it delivers on the promise. 

"V/H/S/85" begins streaming on Shudder on October 6, 2023.