Directed by David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Adam Wingard
Starring Adam Wingard, Calvin Reeder, Hannah Fierman, Simon Barrett, Jas Sams
RATING
8/10
Horror anthology is a bit of a wildcard. Usually it ends up being an uneven mess, or it thoroughly entertains all around. When "V/H/S" was announced, so was a slew of mostly unknown directors, who each stepped up to the plate of delivering something that has never been seen before. Were we to trust these guys? I sure as hell didn't, but after seeing the intense and very violent trailer for it, my mind was instantly changed, and this leaped up to my most anticipated horror movie list of the year, next to "Sinister" and "The Bay". Just so you know, the latter was a massive disappointment. Fun fact: the name of my blog, "Primal Nightmare", came from this film, when a critic was quoted in the trailer of the film as saying "it plays on a primal nightmare level." That's about the coolest phrase anyone has ever used to describe a film. Ever.
"V/H/S" revolves around a central story about a group of misfits who go around raping women and robbing people. Then one day they suddenly decide to break into a mysterious house to retrieve some V/H/S tapes that are said to contain some gruesome "snuff" footage. Upon arrival, they discover the corpse of an old man, with a bunch of tapes scattered on the floor. The misfits decide to explore the house while one person waits inside the corpse room, and to kill time, he begins watching the tapes...
"V/H/S" is one of the most innovative, fun, and viscerally thrilling horror movies of recent years. What really sells it is the fact that its comprised of many components and parts that never quite mesh together, but always seem to elevate anxiety levels at the perfect moment, delivering scares with grizzly accuracy and stunning catharsis. There are five tapes in total that play around the central story, but each one showcases a tale as strange as the last, until the final tape runs out. What's most interesting about them is they all find unique ways to differentiate the found footage genre, not simply using a flimsy camera but other recording devices too. For example, the first tape is about three douchebags (well, two douchebags and a geek) who go out for a wild party night on the town, and everything is documented by a tiny camera in the geeks glasses. It puts viewers in the first person perspective and makes for a more personal scare. They stumble across a quiet girl with very big eyes and another drunk girl, then take advantage of them by inviting them to their motel room. Let's just say, things don't go quite as planned and a lotta blood is spilt. A lot. It's the perfect set-up for the rest of the film, even if the next couple tapes don't quite reach the high standard set by the first. The second tape (and most anticipated) is directed by Ti West, and is about a couple who go on vacation, but run into trouble while staying in their hotel. Unfortunately, West's efforts are notable, but they don't match up to the rest of the tapes and this one ultimately ends up being the weakest of the bunch.
The third tape is a spin on the whole "Friday The 13th" formula, where a group of stupid horny teenagers go out into the middle of the woods to smoke pot and hike, and they expect everything to be okay. Meanwhile, one of the girls has an agenda of her own, which attracts an ominous serial killer to start hunting them down. Only thing is, the way this serial killer is portrayed is very inventive and refreshing. The fourth tape, a webcam episode, is a traumatizing story of a woman whose apartment is haunted by something, which drives her to commit gruesome acts of self-mutilation, all of this happening while her boyfriend watches helplessly. The pay-off? Nothing short of headscratching and confusing, but it surprisingly works. The final tape, however, is nothing short of spectacular. A group of friends dressed in ridiculous Halloween costumes break into an abandoned house only to discover some sinister doings happening in the attic, which causes all hell to break loose. And trust me when I say, this is a display of some heart-stoppingly horrific and eye-opening freak supernatural occurences, and quite a fitting climax that goes out with a bang. It is probably the biggest reason to see this film, if the other tapes don't suit your taste. It's one that will stick with you for quite some time.
When all is said and done, "V/H/S" ends up being more than just a horror anthology, and you feel like you've taken away something from this film. I'm still not quite sure yet what that is, but it feels nightmare-inducing. With an array of very talented upcoming horror directors helming this piece of clockwork filmmaking that always engages but never slips away, it's easy to say that its one of the best horror films of the past five years.
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