1994: A police S.W.A.T. team swoops in on a cult that trades in illegal VHS tapes that lull viewers into drug-like trances or death. As they make their way through their compound, the tapes begin to roll and show the full range of insanity that they trade in.

The fourth film in the V/H/S/ series is here — and the first I’ve seen — with each short film converging for the first time into a unified narrative. While David Bruckner wrote much of this, he couldn’t direct — he’s working on the new Hellraiser — and Radio Silence had limited involvement as they’re working on the Scream reimagining/reboot/sequel.

Made with older video equipment, physical tape transfers and digital effects so that each segment looks like 90s video, this film has a look much like our beloved Shot On Video 80s films like Boardinghouse, yet infused with the look of found footage. There’s also plenty of first-person shooter feel to a lot of the stories, which should be disorienting yet totally works.

How can this get even better? Tons of gore — seriously, it’s out of control in the best of ways — and a soundtrack by Greg Anderson — performing as The Lord — who is one of the hooded people behind SUNN O))).

“Holy Hell,” written and directed by Jennifer Reeder (Signature Move, Knives and Skin) is the connecting story that tells the tale of the cops finding all of the static, noise and eyeless bodies.

The first tape that they watch, written and directed by Chloe Okuno, is “Storm Drain,” which has a debt of gratitude to the WNUF Halloween Special. That said, it has its own energy and I love the reveal of the creatures, including the demonic rat god that lives in the sewer and the human rats that feel a lot like Giuliano Carnimeo’s Ratman.

Simon Barrett’s (who wrote The Guest and You’re Next) “The Empty Wake” has a mortician’s assistant alone — on a night with a tornado warning no less — with a dead body that may not stay dead. This reminded me of Silent Hill — the video game — in all the right ways.

Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) has the most technically advanced portion of the film, “The Subject,” in which a mad scientist has turned numerous human beings into mechanized killing machines. This sequence makes an inspired leap from video diary medical gore freakout to SWAT video game attack to realizing that S.A. is the victim and then it becomes her tale as she battles her way to freedom.

Ryan Prows (Lowlife) wrote and directed the last segment, “Terror,” which has a religious militia keeping a supernatural weapon guarded day and night, ready to unleash it to cleanse the world of sinners. This segment boasts an incredible idea and close, but may take a bit too long to get there.

There’s also a commercial for a Veggie Masher that looks about as real as a TV commercial as I’ve seen. It’s directed by Steven Kostanski, who made two of my favorite movies in recent years, Psycho Goreman and The Void.

The streaming world is filled with way too many horror anthologies. So many of them don’t understand the need to have a framing story and a unifying theme. That’s because so many are just shorts all jammed together to try and take your money. V/H/S/94 has the one thing those movies are missing — well, besides actual talent and artistry — and that’s fun. Everyone looks like they had an incredible time making these, filling the screen with big ideas and plenty of guts and fluids.

You can watch this on Shudder.

Three years after The Blood of Wolves, Korô no chi: Level 2 (AKA The Blood of the Wolves 2 and Last of the Wolves) finds Shuichi Hioka taking over after the death of the corrupt Shōgo Ōgami and fulfilled his mentor police officer’s plan: a truce between the various gangs of Hiroshima. Yet when Shigehiro Uebayashi (Ryohei Suzuki, Tokyo Tribe) is released from prison, the Japanese-Korean criminal reunites his old gang with their old mission and reinvents the violence his yakuza brothers were once feared for.

Based on Yuko Yuzuki’s novel, this film — directed by Kazuya Shiraishi and written by Junya Ikegami — recalls the glory days of Japanese gangster cinema. There’s some gorgeous imagery — tattooed bodies in cages, for one — that pushes against the grime, blood and brutality on display here.

Both Hioka and Uebayashi have lost a boss and have something to prove to their fellow officers and gang members. The only questions are ones of moral principles and honor: will Hioka follow the path of Ōgami and accept that he must be tainted by corruption for even a small portion of justice to be delivered, while Uebayashi feels that loyalty must be followed even if it means that he must die.

The old ways and violence of the past are giving way to the politics and business of the future. Yet for these two men, they stand at the crossroads of history. Yet the desire for power and the need for violence forever remain constants.

I haven’t had the opportunity to see much modern Japanese gangster cinema and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I adored this. Near-constant rain, plentiful blood and violence, still photo history moments — it’s stylish and exciting. If you’re looking for something new, you should track this down once it comes to the United States.

Last of the Wolves is currently plating Fantastic Fest and is not otherwise streaming in the U.S. You can learn more about this feature at the official site.

Leynilögga means Secret Log in Islandic, as far as Google tells me, which is a funny joke if true, as this film is all about a tough cop in denial of his own sexual orientation who falls in love with his new partner.

Directed by Hannes Þór Halldórsson, the goalie for Iceland’s national soccer team, it’s all about criminal mastermind Rikki Ferrari (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), who was once a model before being disfigured. Now, he’s gone full Joker and is on a murder spree that can only be stopped by buddy cop — odd couple buddy cop at that — duo Bussi and Hörđur. Bussi is the tough guy who can barely keep his apartment clean and his face shaved, while Hörđur is a male model cop. Yet the longer they’re together, Hörđur’s looks and Bussi’s repressed homosexuality soon turn their partnership into more than a work relationship. And Rikki starts to blackmail them once he learns their cop secret.

Aren’t all buddy cop movies romcoms when you really get down to it? Instead of all that macho posturing and showing off guns, didn’t you ever wonder if they really just wanted to, well, show off their guns in private? I’ve never seen a coming out in the middle of a brutal gunfight, but hey — that’s the kind of ballistic buffoonery that Cop Secret has in store.

And if the end feels very Nolan Batman, well, director of photography Elli Cassata was a cameraman on Batman Begins.

Cop Secret is not streaming anywhere outside of festivals as of yet. We saw it as part of Fantastic Fest. Keep checking the official site for more information.

Sophie and Vincent have run the family butcher shop for a decade, but business is bad. So bad that it’s on the brink of bankruptcy and so is their marriage. Yet what turns things around? When Vincent kills a vegan activist who had vandalized their business. And when he butchers the body and his wife accidentally sells it and customers can’t stop lining up and the two fall in love again, who is to say that some murder and cannibalism can be bad things?

So yeah — Sophie only cares about serial killer shows and Vincent only cares about their dog Chubster and by the end, well, their marriage of thirty years feels as fresh as that new cut they have in the case.

Get ready for plenty of the blackest of the black humor, as vegan hunting becomes the couple’s new sport. And people find that new special pig, that artisanal taste, so exquisite. Now, this is no Eating Raoul — what is — but I had fun watching it.

The French Some Like It Rare — known as Barbaque in their country — isn’t streaming yet in the U.S. outside of Fantastic Fest. If you like some dark humor, keep your eye out for this one.

As part of Fantastic Fest, several animation shorts played Drawn and Quartered 2021. There’s lots of love here — you should try and check out each of these as they appear online.

Sunbelly (Directed by Jordan Speer): A canine astronaut travels through the galaxy yet still has to deal with fleas. This movie, packed with color and great music by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, is a great kickoff to this collection of shorts.

Dust Belly (directed by Seth Smith): This rotoscoped short is incredibly gorgeous and offers the intrigue of how a chicken looks at life and contemplates death.

Heart of Gold (directed by Simon Filliot): A poor young mother must sell parts of herself to a sick old woman for the gold her son needs to survive. Yet by the end, all of her organs, skin and even face have been replaced with mechanics. While a claymation piece, this is a pretty haunting looking segement, even if the message is pretty basic. That doesn’t take away from the artistry.

Self-Actualization of the Werewolf Woman (directed by Connell Pendergast: Two creatures of the night meet and discuss philosophy in this black and white line art cartoon. I loved that the cartoony look was juxtaposed with such mature dialogue.

Death and the Winemaker (directed by Victor Jaquier): A winemaker who is known for the finest vintage in the world is visited by Death, who wants to taste his wine. Yet while he shares a drink with death, he learns that his bride is on her to do list in this exquisitely animated fairy tale.

Launch (directed by Leah Shore): Of all the animated shorts in this collection, Launch has the most vibrant and in-your-face look, showing a reality on the brink of the end of everything.

Mother Bunker (directed by George Metaxas): During the robot-human war, one of the military commanders — named Mother —  dresses in drag. Human drag, that is, and performs for her troops before going back into combat. I really loved the energy in this segment. Check out the official site for some awesome behind the scenes imagery.

Nuevo Rico (direcrted by Kristian Mercado Figueroa): Winner of the Best Animated Short at SXSW, this film is set within an future version of what Puerto Rico could be, as a brother and sister become music stars at the risk of losing one another. They got their abilities by stealing them from dieties of the island, so when fame takes them far away, it may doom everyone. This is an incredible looking showcase of Latinx voices and artists and is well worth tracking down. Learn more at the official site.

This year’s Drawn and Quarterly program was a great opportunity to see films that I may never have had the chance to get to otherwise. As these animated films play fests this year, make it a point to watch them!