V/H/S/94 - What We Know So Far

For many people, their first introduction to horror comes in the form of ghost stories around a campfire or a flashlight if you're hanging out at someone's house. These are short bits of terror designed to make it as difficult as possible to go to sleep at night. Horror anthologies, such as "The ABCs of Death" and "Trick 'r Treat," carry on in that grand tradition by not giving you a single tale of horror but multiple. 

One of the best anthologies to come out in recent memory is 2012's "V/H/S." It persevered with two sequels — "V/H/S/2" and "V/H/S: Viral." It's some of the best found footage horror stories you'll find, and while it's been a while since an entry has come out, the franchise is about to be rebooted in a significant way. 

In June 2020, The Hollywood Reporter announced the fourth feature-length film in the franchise, "V/H/S/94," which will soon make its way to people's television sets. It will be a Shudder exclusive, so here's what you need to know to fill your soul with frights once more.

As of this writing, a release date hasn't been announced for "V/H/S/94;" however, ComicBook.com reports the next chapter of the saga will drop on Shudder before the end of 2021. Some more news regarding an exact date should come shortly. Producer Josh Goldbloom posted information on Twitter on July 7 about how he and others associated with the movie will attend Comic-Con and host a panel for the upcoming flick. It would make the most sense for a release date to come out at that time. 

It's safe to say its release is still a few months away at the very latest, but that gives you time to catch up with the rest of the series. All three of the previous "V/H/S" movies can be found on Shudder. Once the fourth installment comes out, you can compare each segment to decide once and for all which film is best. 

No announcements have come forward regarding who will star in the project. Previous entries have made excellent work of hiring non-recognizable actors who didn't have many credits to their names previously. Relying on newcomers helps ground the movies and make them seem all the more believable. 

However, even without knowing the actors, there's plenty of talent behind the scenes that should raise an eyebrow or two. Josh Goldbloom's tweet indicates the directors for this new anthology will include Simon Barrett ("Seance"), Chloe Okuno ("The Dotcoms"), Timo Tjahjanto ("The Night Comes for Us"), Ryan Prows ("Lowlife"), and Jennifer Reeder ("Knives and Skin"). Previous directors from the "V/H/S" series have gone on to become major players for studios. Adam Wingard and Ti West worked on the first "V/H/S," and they ended up filming "Godzilla vs. Kong" and "In a Valley of Violence," respectively. So those names are definitely ones to keep on your radar.

"V/H/S/94" is intriguing because it will be the first film in the series to have a feature-length narrative that ties all of the segments together. In previous entries, the movie as a whole begins with a framing device, such as the first one where a group of criminals break into an older person's house and find a mountain of VHS tapes. However, the segments in that one were all different without necessarily relating to one another. 

"V/H/S/94" should feel more connected, and as described by Goldbloom, "After the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launch a high intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy." Judging from the title, we'd assume the framing device or the tapes themselves deal with the year 1994, which is quickly becoming the spookiest year ever, seeing how "Fear Street Part One: 1994" also offers some throwbacks for '90s kids.

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates as they surface.