I have to say, there is something brilliant about the V/H/S brand and it’s that even when there’s an entry that’s a bit of a clunker – and only one or two have been outright dogs – they can win you back with the next one. It takes some new ideas, new directors (or returning), and a new focus and BAM it’s magic-time again.
The beauty of the series is that each entry is self-contained and can tackle different ideas, sub-genres, and methods. All you have to do is keep to the format of found footage, and they do.
Man, I really liked this entry.
Let’s get into it, a little.
This iteration of the found footage franchise doesn’t bother with a solid wrap-around in the traditional sense, instead letting the segments play out as if they are on a VHS mix tape (I remember making those, filling tapes with TV shows, movies, and music videos, and whatever), or on multiple tapes. There is a story that plays out in bits and pieces throughout the entire film but it’s not used to glue it all together so much as a way to have the rest appear between pieces of that film. The segments range from a firsthand look at a murder on the prowl, the effects of a catastrophic earthquake, a look at the danger of emerging technology, a science experiment gone wrong, a tale about young people at the beach, and a story about a family with a dark tradition.
Each one of the segments has its style, feel, and look, and they all absolutely nail the aesthetic of that era without feeling overly forced. The varying topics are so different that it keeps things fresh throughout. There is no real shakycam stuff here and these shorts show how much is left to explore with this subgenre.
And that’s what I love the most, that we are seeing that with the right filmmaker and the right idea, this isn’t a gimmick but a way to tell a story. It’s not for everyone, found footage, but for fans, this series has become a nearly annual treat. The news that they are looking to change genres with the next entry is fantastic. As much as I love horror I think that for this series to continue to be fresh it needs to keep changing it up. Much like every found footage movie doesn’t need to be about a serial killer or ghost house, not everyone needs to be about aliens or time travel so let’s see if they can come up with some new takes on things.
This series can indeed be hit and miss but this is a hit, hands down. The highlight and nastiest of the shorts is by Scott Derrickson, but there’s not a clunker in the bunch. It isn’t perfect and doesn’t have to be, it’s fun, gruesome, and good and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
4.25 out of 5
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 