The narrator here is so much fun to watch!!! A sequel is merited, just because of him!
Likely filmed on the weekend with friends; the biggest flaw of this MICRO-budget film is comparing itself to V/H/S in the description. V/H/S/. V/H/S was a hit or miss anthology anyway, and is V/H/S itself is not anywhere near great. It would have been better to compare it to the anthologies of the 1970's, but in found footage style. Tales of Found Footage as opposed to giving straight up "horror", tries to tread the line between Comedy and "horror", and it might give you tonal whiplash as it switches between the narrator and the "ghastly" tales in between. This may sound like a bad thing, but it actually works in the films favor. I would posit that that was absolutely intended as a satire, and not a straight-up horror film; the first story in the haunted hotel is a giveaway if the narrator didn't tip you off.
Hashtag the Challenge is downright silly, and cannot be taken seriously. It is extremely goofy, which I do think is mostly intentional... It might be decently enjoyable and funny, but of all the segments this one has the weakest acting. The girls seem to constantly be on the verge of bursting out laughing, and the scene where one of the girls is crying, well, no tears come out... Because of that, there is no suspense, combined with the absurd plot conventions that seem to be an attempt at parody, it fails at both parody and being scary. It is still mildly entertaining, but it does fall flat and is forgettable. It is so forgettable, I couldn't remember the segment at all until I went back to the movie for reference.
The second and third segments, particularly the last are far better. They have decently developed characters, and decent plots with a good build-up. Unfortunately if the budget was just a little bigger for effects, and the film makers had a little more acumen when it came to film making they would be substantially stronger. As it is, while not scary, the 2nd and 3rd segments are mildly disturbing, and they left lingering feelings of dread. Particularly "The Coven", which had some really nice forest shots contrasted by some dark interior shots, and a character that is so reprehensible and oblivious in their nastiness, the ending is pretty satisfying. "Mail Order Bride" was pretty fun, it is fairly predictable, but other than the lack of effects, it was better than expected. Based on the end credits, I can safely assume that the film maker used their films, and "Hooch" s the guys real nickname. The acting while not great, is above average for a micro-budget film, in these two segments.
Again, the narrator is fantastic, his dialogue is great, and his delivery is fantastic, I think most people who enjoyed his performance would agree, a sequel with more of him would be warmly welcomed. He is what elevates this film above just being another dumb found footage film, but even without him the segments while bad to just above average, have enough home spun charm to set this apart from the many other found footage anthologies.
Interesting note, I've been to Atlantic City and so I immediately recognized the Chelsea, which I have been to and I found interesting that they are clearly filming in New Jersey. I love Atlantic City, so it was nice to see it in a film. I am pleased the Chelsea let them use it as a location.
Enjoy!
~Amy
