V/H/S

Released early on demand, after it's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, "V/H/S" is a horror movie told through the "already tired" aspect of found-footage material, shown from the perspective of a hand-held camera. A group of hoodlums has been strangely assigned to break into an abandoned haunted house, and steal a particular V/H/S tape. But once making it to the house, they start to find a wide collection of plenty of V/H/S tapes, and we are introduced to a series of "found-footage" shorts, as the group starts to watch each tape at a time, as if the audience is in the room, with these guys, watching the tapes. Each tape has a different particular horror story, some work, and some doesn't. Let's recap each one! 1. A group of guys start to become haunted by a strange woman during a "guys night out" (Works), 2. A married couple on their second honeymoon, whom doesn't realize that a certain someone has been sneaking on them (Kind of works), 3. A group of friends being hunted down while on a trip to the lake (Hardly works), 4. A young girl communicates with her "doctor-to-be" boyfriend over the Internet, believing that her apartment is being haunted (Doesn't work), and 5. A group of guys awaiting an awesome Halloween party, but they got more than what they bargained for (Perfectly works). "V/H/S" is probably one of the most scariest, and one of the most disturbing movies I've ever laid eyes on. Filled with plenty of great scares, some disgustingly grotesque moments, and tons of scenes that will leave you speechless. Now, there are times when this movie follows almost every horror cliché in the book, and although this movie is supposed to be portrayed as a "found-footage" feature, the camera movements are a little too shaky. But, this movie does stay true to it's promise by giving such scares that won't let audiences sleep later at night. Although I prefer "The Cabin in the Woods" as the better horror movie this year, I prefer "V/H/S" as the better horror movie in the terms of scaring me, grossing me out, and leaving me awake at night! In ordinary horror movie fashion, there is plenty of great fun to be found in "V/H/S". I'm just saying you've been warned, because if you're somewhat interested in seeing it, I must warn you that this movie is sick and grotesque, leaving audiences in a stage of vomiting and sleeping with the lights on. "V/H/S", in my review, "A freaky, original, and grotesque scare-fest".

I love found-footage films, especially when they are done well. I also love horror anthologies withe some of my favourite TV shows being The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Darkside. The two joining together for V/H/S was a very exciting idea and gave me very lofty expectations. I was amazed to find that for the most part they were met. V/H/S sees a gang of guys break into a house in order to steal a video cassette for blackmailing purposes. Once in he house they find a huge collection of videos, each one showing a different tale of horror. The first is the story about a couple of girls picked up from a bar and recorded secretly on camera glasses. This is probably the scariest tale with some very disturbing imagery. I still can't get the look of a certain character out of my head. In it's short running time it also hits upon some emotional notes that I wasn't expecting. Perfect effects and nailbiting tension make this a great start. Video number two sees a couple on a road trip who are secretly filmed at night. The idea of an intruder watching you at your most vulnerable is nerve-racking. Story number three was my least favourite but was still mostly effective. It was let down by cheesy dialogue that over explained the details of the plot. The effects here were again very well done with a sickening look at an eyeball sliding out of a socket. Story number 4 is shot through Skype and has the biggest ambitions in terms of plot. I would like to see this again as I didn't enjoy it at first because of a terrible performance from the male lead, but there is a reason for this which makes sense after viewing. The final tale is a haunted house film that builds up incredibly well. It starts with an empty house and moves towards all hell breaking loose with some of the most flawless effects I have ever seen. Each story was interesting and most importantly it kept to the rules of found-footage. Everything appears as though it was done in-camera. It's left me thinking about the stories and getting my imagination to work overtime as not a lot is explained. The only real let down was the wrap-around that tried to connect these stories. It really didn't work and just made the film a bit too long. When I buy this on DVD I am pretty certain I will be skipping those parts. Hope we see a V/H/S 2.

The horror anthology has a chequered history, some are bad but saved by one great segment, others boast a couple of genuine creepers but are undone by one instalment so bad it tarnishes the film forever. And on it goes. V/H/S brings the format into the new age by unfolding its tales by wrapping around the latest craze of found footage.

Six indie directors have produced a picture that was well received at Sundance but has proved to be most divisive with critics and horror fans on internet forums. This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows their horror anthology onions. The usual problems are evident here, a couple of great stories are surrounded by mediocre ones, but at least there is something for everyone, with most bases covered, but that in itself is a problem, all horror fans have preferences, it's a big ask to expect a fan of stalk and slash to love a story about a winged harpy!

Then there is the issue of the found footage format, here recorded on actual VHS. Not everyone is a fan (myself for instance), and much of V/H/S is dizzying and often hard to follow, especially as regards the Tape 56/frame narrative story that cloaks the other five stories as a bunch of no-mark young crims burgle a grotty house and sift through the tapes. It's a format loved by many for its supposed realism factors, I don't get that myself, but for those people this really is up their trees!

Amateur Night (David Bruckner) and The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger (Joe Swanberg) are the standouts. The former is a cautionary tale of frat boys out for sex who get more than they bargained for when they take home the mysterious Lily, the latter an eerie tale unfolded via Skype communication as Emily appears to be a victim of a haunting whilst chatting to her doctor boyfriend.

However, if you ask another fan of the film what stories they feel standout, you may just get two different answers. So as with any other anthology horror, you roll the dice and take your chance, just don't expect genius in every story, for that is purely folly of expectation. 7/10

I just finished watching V/H/S, and it did surprise me.

The movie tells a story about a bunch of guys, going into a creepy house, looking for a special VHS. In the meantime, the movie shows you a couple of independent, short stories, recorded with a handy cam. If movies like Paranormal Activity, REC, etc. are really scary to you, then VHS will really scare you. Otherwise, don't watch it... Don't get me wrong, some of the short stories were a bit frightening, but personally I don't like movies that are filmed like this. Also, some of the characters were VERY annoying. At a certain point, I really wanted some of them to die, because of the bad acting.

So like I said, if you liked REC and PA, you are going to love this one. It was enjoyable, but I certainly will not watch this a second time.

6/10.

Arranged around and within a tenuous wraparound home invasion scenario, the vignettes that comprise this shakycam shocker prove memorably effective, each lulling the viewer into a false sense of security via meanderingly mundane set-ups that abruptly shift to more unnerving, visceral territory. Old tropes such as alien interference, haunted houses, serial killers, and femmes fatales find themselves fed through the lens of the hand-held camera to rather impressive effect. The overall picture painted by these series of snuff flicks-within-a-flick is one of a world sporadically at the mercy of an otherworldly array of entities, with the glaring unremarkability of its setting serving to amplify, rather than undermine, the atmosphere of cosmic malevolence. All these elements amount to a punchy anthology which succeeds in overriding my antipathy toward the dreaded jittercam technique - no mean feat!