The V/H/S Franchise Hits a Flat Note with V/H/S/Mixtape
I’m a big fan of the found-footage anthology franchise V/H/S. It’s hard to believe the first installment came out in 2012 (with a brief hiatus from 2014 to 2021). A few of my favorite shorts over the years include “Storm Drain” from V/H/S/94 (Hail, Raatma!), “Fur Babies” from V/H/S/Beyond (even though it wasn’t necessarily sci-fi like the rest), and “Home Haunt” from the super-vibey V/H/S/Halloween.
As different as these shorts are, the franchise keeps one thing consistent: a common thread running through all the found-footage “tapes,” with a wraparound segment that feels like a short in its own right, broken into chapters. These tapes feel cursed, much like The Ring: we shouldn’t be watching them, but we can’t look away. Will we be cursed too? Watch and find out!
That brings us to the 2026 installment, V/H/S/Mixtape, a collection of tapes centered on auditory terror and featuring some music-world directors such as RZA of Wu-Tang Clan and Tobias Forge of the band Ghost. The wrap-around segment, which feels more like a brief interlude between shorts, is presented by the musical act GWAR.
On paper, it sounds like a cool concept. But does it fit into the V/H/S universe?
Directed by Renee Zhan, “Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance” follows a studio trying to reboot, or “reimagine,” a canceled puppet show. Barbara Crampton and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop are the highlights, with a song so catchy it may get stuck in your head.
David Moreau, known for the one-shot film MadS (2024), directs “Heartbeat,” about two YouTubers who stumble onto something more than they bargained for. I loved the concept, but after a while, the one-location setting got a little wearying and boring.
Ernest Dickerson, who began his illustrious career as a music-video cinematographer for Bruce Springsteen and Miles Davis, directed “The Music of Mr. Sze.” A college student makes this faux documentary to learn more about a reclusive musician who lives in his apartment building. The visuals are wild!
RZA directs “Death Tone,” which follows the daughter of a sound engineer as she follows her late dad’s instructions to record the ultimate metal track. This segment gets really gruesome but keeps a comedic tone throughout, which I enjoyed.
I enjoyed all the shorts. “Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance” was my favorite because I’m enjoying these nostalgic children’s-show reimaginings, like the recent Buddy. Plus, Crampton never misses in her performances, and the song is catchy as hell!
Beyond the shorts, Flying Lotus and Tobias Forge each made music videos. Together with the interludes from GWAR, these give the whole movie a late-90s MTV feel, which is, in theory, really cool and inventive. I appreciate the art and creativity, but I honestly don't care for the music videos. I skimmed through them, but I just wasn’t interested.
In the grand scheme of the V/H/S franchise, it feels more like a heavy swing-and-a-miss. If this were branded as something other than V/H/S, I’d set my expectations accordingly, but ultimately, I feel the franchise lost its core purpose with Mixtape.
The major aspect that ruins it for me is GWAR. If you are a fan of the band, you may enjoy the movie a lot more than I did. But I found their commentary overly crass and more driven by shock humor. The opening scene is just plain disgusting, which put a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended). It set the tone for the rest of the movie and the wrap-around segment in a way that made me want to fast-forward through their scenes. Not to mention, I didn’t find it had anything to do with the shorts other than they’re a band and this installment is sound-focused.
Aside from the music videos, the shorts feel cohesive, each featuring a song, a loss of hearing, or a musician. It’s a bit stretched here and there, but they do share a similar thread. In my opinion, GWAR ruined that flow and made it feel clunky. None of the film is scary or creepy, and that is a huge letdown compared with previous years.
I’ve always found at least one segment that makes me jump in horror, but alas, the horror of sound isn’t so terrifying after all.
V/H/S/Mixtape makes me wonder whether this franchise can continue. Maybe it’s time for another 7-year hiatus to brainstorm new ideas. I really liked how the different years explored horror, as in V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99. It seems that when the franchise gets too experimental, it loses its footing.
I’m not sure what the answer is or what the future holds, but my theory is that using a unique band like GWAR pigeonholes you because it’s an acquired taste. It’s similar to if they used TOOL. I’m a huge fan and get Maynard’s sense of humor, but a non-fan won’t. Same concept here. But maybe the Troma-style gross-out humor isn’t for me anymore, and that’s okay.
Overall, I’d give V/H/S/Mixtape 2.5 out of 5 stars. I can’t call it my least favorite installment (since I don’t remember V/H/S/Viral), but it’s near the bottom. It isn’t rewatchable, and although the shorts are decent, the film still feels uninspired. We’ve seen versions of these short films before, in one form or another.
If you’re a GWAR fan, give it a try—you may enjoy it for their over-the-top style and distinctive appeal. If you’re not, save your time and rewatch V/H/S/Halloween instead for its spooky Samhain vibes.
You can watch V/H/S/Mixtape now streaming on Shudder.
Comments