Music themed horror anthology mixes murderous puppets, gore and uneven shorts
V/H/S/Mixtape is the latest entry in the horror anthology series, this time centred on music and sound with metal band Gwar hosting the linking segments. The five short films vary significantly in quality and length, serving up darkly humorous gore through deliberately absurd practical effects that prioritise laughs over genuine scares.
The collection includes Renee Zhan's revenge tale featuring murderous puppets designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Ernest Dickerson's visually striking but narratively thin "The Music of Mr Sze," and RZA's repetitive "Death Tone" about a music producer's daughter using victims' screams. Whilst individual elements impress—Jim Henson creature design, Dickerson's cinematography—the anthology struggles overall, with gags that fail to land and effects so over-the-top and rubbery they would scarcely frighten a toddler. Nevertheless, the unpleasantly warped humour targets adults rather than younger viewers, available on Shudder and AMC+ from 9 October.
- Metal band Gwar hosts five music-themed horror shorts with more gore than genuine scares.
- Standout entries feature murderous puppets and visually striking but thin narratives.
- The effects are deliberately absurd, unlikely to frighten, but unpleasantly darkly funny.
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V/H/S/Mixtape is the latest instalment in the V/H/S franchise, a series that specialises in horror anthologies rather than continuous narratives. Each film collects multiple short stories around a particular theme; this edition focuses on music and sound, with the metal band Gwar serving as hosts who introduce and link the different segments.
The anthology comprises five short films that blend horror with comedic gore, prioritising grotesque humour over genuine scares through exaggerated and obviously artificial effects. The films feature work from established creative talent in horror, including collaboration with Jim Henson's Creature Shop for creature design, though the overall quality varies considerably across the different shorts.
The project is designed for adult audiences who enjoy grotesque, warped humour rather than traditional horror or jump scares. The films are available on the streaming services Shudder and AMC+.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The film successfully delivers campy, deliberately absurd entertainment with impressive production values including Jim Henson creature design and striking cinematography. The uneven quality of shorts and over-the-top practical effects serve the film's intent to provide darkly humorous, deliberately artificial spectacle for adults who appreciate horror-comedy that embraces camp and warped humour over conventional scares.
The case against
The film's uneven execution and failed gags suggest it doesn't achieve its entertainment goals effectively. Despite individual technical strengths and ambitious concepts, the shorts lack coherent direction and impact, resulting in an anthology that neither delivers compelling horror nor consistently lands its comedic moments, ultimately failing to satisfy its intended adult audience.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “V/H/S/Mixtape review – murderous puppets pull the strings in mixed bag of gory music-themed mini-movies”.