V/H/S (2012)

Running Time: 116 minutes

Release Date: October 5, 2012

Review by: Stacey

 

I'm a huge fan of anthology horror films- Creepshow, Trick 'r Treat, 3 Extremes, just to name a few.  It might be my mild ADD but I love a film that gives me mini-films in itself that all come together to tell a cohesive story.  There probably aren't as many anthology films as there are found footage ones, so hearing that V/H/S was going to combine the two with a group of (then) relatively unknown directors, I was all in.  2 1/2 years later and this movie is still is a blast to watch.

V/H/S begins with the wraparound story (directed by Adam Wingard, You're Next) and follows a group of criminals who are hired by an anonymous party to break into an old man's home and steal a VHS tape.  After discovering the man dead in front of a group of t.v.'s and a huge collection of tapes, they all roam around the house searching for the one they were hired to retrieve.  With each one sitting down to watch a tape (which comprise the film), the horrors and scares progress and the criminals start to go missing one by one as each tape cuts back to the main narrative.

While the wraparound doesn't really manage to bring any true terror in it, it also doesn't feel like it was given enough room to shine amongst the other tapes (which take up a majority of the 2 hour run-time).  It did bring a great idea to the table with its use of VHS cameras and a fresh concept for an anthology film.  Wingard has definitely proved his directing chops in his other films, so we won't go too hard on "Tape 56" because really, no one wins with the wraparound film.

"Amateur Night"- Follows three friends, one wearing a pair of hidden-camera glasses, who go out for a night of hard partying and hoping to pick up some chicks.  Everything seems to be going well until they realize that one of them is not very human.  Directed by David Bruckner (The Signal), the film does get a little silly and with how douchey the guys are, you really don't give a shit what fate befalls them and their genitals.  Aside from that, the short was fun and was a great kick-off for the other shorts to follow.

"Second Honeymoon"- Directed by Ti West (The House of the Devil), this short follows a newly married couple on a road trip that goes horribly wrong when a mysterious stranger pays a visit to their hotel room.  Probably my least favorite out of the bunch, it dragged on and built up the least amount of tension with a pretty predictable twist.  Joe Swanberg as the unsuspecting husband, on the other hand, was a really good fit for the role.

"Tuesday the 17th"- In one of the scarier segments, directed by Glenn McQuaid (I Sell The Dead), we see Wendy take three of her friends into the woods for some fun- unbeknownst to them, there's a killer on the loose.  This short brought a great slasher element into the mix that I found myself wishing ran just a little bit longer.

 

"The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger"- We see Joe Swanberg again but this time in the director's chair, in probably my favorite segment of the whole film.  Shown entirely through a Skype screen, we watch Emily and her boyfriend, James, chat here and there until she starts to experience supernatural activity around her apartment.  From there it turns otherworldy and creepy as hell.  There were some surprisingly effective jump scares and I loved it.

Rounding out the film is "10/31/98" shot by directing group, Radio Silence, and definitely one of the best of the whole thing.  A group of guys going out to a Halloween party walk into a house that brings more terror than they could have imagined.  With tons of CGI and lots of scares, this segment definitely pulled out all the stops- with a creepy story, to boot.

 

V/H/S brought the names of these directors into the light of day and we've gotten to see them put out some pretty great films since then so this anthology definitely succeeded in that aspect as well.  If you can look past the incredibly misogynistic undertones (ok, they were hardly subtle) and some of the weaker segments, V/H/S is a blast of a film and one that I still haven't gotten tired of watching.

4.5/5 alien ghost kids

If you somehow still haven't seen it, here's the trailer!