Found Footage and horror fans already know the V/H/S franchise from the previous films. These are anthologies made up of stories, supposedly found on old VHS and other recording devices.
Like every anthology film, the segments range from barely watchable to outstanding and deserving of expansion. These are all shorts, generally 12-18 minutes in length. The previous film VH/S/94 had an anchoring story about a SWAT team researching a mysterious cult, with the segments revealing aspects of the conspiracy. 99 has nothing connecting the story. Between the segments, we have some 'home movies' made by a kid using his toys, often brutally.For me the best segments were the first short, Shredding about a punk band interested in the mysterious deaths of an earlier all-female punk band, and the last, To Hell and Back about a film crew's misadventures while taping a supernatural ritual calling up a demon. The Gawkers and Suicide Bid were both decent, if predictable.
Sadly, the longest and most self-indulgent was Ozzy's Dungeon about a mean-spirited kid's program and the unsympathetic host
who enjoyed the humiliation and often physical injuries of the young contestants. It goes from uncomfortable to disturbing, with an ending that makes no sense coming after the earlier scenes. It's like the director suddenly remembered that this was a horror anthology and he needed to toss in a monster for no reason.
Except for that middle segment, the film is entertaining enough and I can't see this stopping the franchise from continuing.
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