Shudder to Produce the Next Installment of the ‘V/H/S’ Franchise, ‘V/H/S/94’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It wasn’t that long ago, that the found footage sub-genre of horror… dominated the industry. For The Blair Witch Project showed filmmakers everywhere, that they could go out and shoot a low budget and impactful feature using the actors as the camera crew and that led to a glut of new stories featuring this incredible new style of storytelling. To the point where even George A. Romero made use of the style in his film, Diary of the Dead. But of course, seeing a surge of new films in that style does have its drawbacks and eventually, the saturation of the market allowed for these films to wane in popularity. 

But while a great deal of these types of stories moved to on demand and streaming services to give the hardcore fans their fix, one particular franchise figured out the secret to keeping this kind of film fresh and popular. For V/H/S used the found footage perspective with a hint of nostalgia and doom to take the horror genre by storm and its refreshing take was so well received that it managed to spawn two sequels. But alas, rather than let this saga eventually become stale as well, the third film in the saga was treated as its finale so it could go out on top. 

But with the demand for new horror movies and horror sequels at an all-time high, the V/H/S franchise is about to return to life. For earlier today, Shudder announced that it is going to produce the next chapter in this saga as a Shudder original and well, here are all the details on the forthcoming V/H/S/94, per Shudder.

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, has acquired worldwide rights to V/H/S/94, the fourth installment in the hit horror anthology franchise. The Shudder Original Film will release in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand later this year. V/H/S/94 marks the return of the infamous found footage anthology with segments from franchise alumni Simon Barrett (Séance) and Timo Tjahjanto (May the Devil Take You Too) in addition to acclaimed directors Jennifer Reeder (Knives & Skin), Ryan Prows (Lowlife) and Chloe Okuno (Slut). Greg Anderson of the legendary drone metal band Sunn O))) and Southern Lord records founder will compose the film’s score.

In V/H/S/94, 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.

“The V/H/S series has been known for two things: its unbeatable lineup of filmmakers and its edge-of-your-seat terrifying found-footage stories,” said Craig Engler, GM of Shudder. “With V/H/S/94, the producers have upped their game—bigger, wilder, scarier than ever before. We can’t wait to unleash this new installment on Shudder members.”

“Thrilled seems like an understatement for just how stoked we all are to partner with Shudder”, said producer Josh Goldbloom. “We shot the film entirely during the pandemic, building sets in hotels, conference rooms, and in the spirit of the series punk rock roots we even ventured underground into a sewer. Our team channeled the misery of this past year appropriately, so rest assured it’s the biggest, baddest, and most bloodthirsty batch of tapes yet.”

David Bruckner (Hellraiser) and Radio Silence (SCREAM) served as executive producers. Josh Goldbloom produced the project for Cinepocalypse Productions alongside franchise co-creator Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting, and Kurtis Harder (Spiral).

Michael Schreiber for Studio71, Zak Zeman, & Tom Owen also served as executive producers, along with Michael Paszt, James Fler and Andrew T. Hunt of Raven Banner Entertainment.

So, as you can see, the franchise is in good hands for certain and when one considers the quality that Shudder originals bring to the table, there’s a fair chance that this could be the best entry to date in this illustrious and terrifying franchise. And we here at Nerds That Geek, will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of this new entry and every ounce of terror that it has to offer.

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