V/H/S/Mixtape

V/H/S/Mixtape
Starring Barbara Crampton, Jihad Brent, Alex Hsu, Neela Jolene
Directed by Flying Lotus, Renee Zhan, David Moreau, Ernest Dickerson, RZA

 

2025's "V/H/S/Halloween" was one of the best in the long-running franchise, showcasing different directors delivering their take on Halloween horror hijinks and making for a great Halloween tradition. Sadly, the follow-up, "V/H/S/Mixtape" has the opposite effect. Not only is it the worst in the franchise, but it wastes its opportunity to tell thoughtful, terrifying stories all centering around sound. What we get instead is a lazy, haphazard set of shorts (with the exception of one, but even that might be because it was the last one and therefore better by comparison) that is devoid of scares, filled with subpar performances, and sadly a waste of time.

This wraparound story is directed by Flying Lotus and basically features the band GWAR doing their bit - being strange, wearing outlandish costumes, and acting almost like hosts for the festivities but lacking anything memorable other than a pulse pounding headache.
The Score: D-

The first segment is directed by Renee Zhan and is called "Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance." The story revolves around a group of television executives who wish to revive a long-dead children's show involving puppets. However, the puppets don't like it. This wasn't too bad due to the creative nature of the story - the puppets themselves came from the Jim Henson Creature Shop - but it feels like a lazy "Buddy" rip-off.
The Score: D+

Next up is Flying Lotus's stop-motion short "Another Cabin" about a boy and his grandmother living alone in the woods when they come across an unearthly creature. This would've been great if it had not literally been only three minutes long.
The Score: D

"Heartbeat" is directed by "MadS" and "The Eye" director David Moreau and centers on two YouTube adventurers who travel to Russia to investigate a mysterious bunker. Inside they find a sound-proof room and no escape. The filming style was annoying, the characters moreso, and the only thing it did was make me more interested to go to one of those sound proof rooms where they say you can actually hear your blood flow.
The Score: D

Ernest Dickerson's "The Music of Mr. Sze" had so much promise. A young filmmaker living in a dilapidated apartment complex hears violin music playing upstairs where the reclusive Mr. Sze lives. When he befriends the old man he unwittingly learns the deadly reason Mr. Sze plays so well. This has a great Lovecraftian feel to it, if only it was executed well.
The Score: D

Tobias Forge's "Premature Burial" is a three-minute-long music video about a woman who kills her cheating man, or something like that. It's a music video, and not a good one at that.
The Score: D-

Finally there's RZA's Death Tone" featuring Neela Jolene in a completely unhinged performance. She plays the daughter of a legendary musician who receives a cassette from him outlining how to make the perfect song, and uses human suffering to get the sounds she needs. It was fun, like a "Dexter" episode, and refreshing to see a female serial killer for once and how easily it was for her to find victims. Compared to the others, this is the film's saving grace.
The Score: C-
 
Going through the "V/H/S/" franchise you might want to watch "Mixtape" first - so you'll get it out of the way and appreciate the greatness the franchise has to offer after.

The Score: D