Horror anthologies seem to be the new trend in the horror genre as films like Trick R' Treat, The ABC's of Death, and of course V/H/S have enjoyed good word of mouth, making their way through the festival circuits and limited big city theatrical releases before enjoying a fair amount of success through video on demand services. Out of the recent trend in horror anthologies V/H/S is probably the most polarizing among audiences. Is V/H/S a groundbreaking film in the horror genre or is it simply a collection of disturbing images shot on tape? Find out after the break…..
V/H/S gives us one the scariest Hollywood possessions in years in Amateur Night
For V/H/S, the answer is a little of both. The film does provide a unique take on the horror anthology as each short film is watched within the context of the movie on a VHS tape. The VHS tape playback provides some sense of nostalgia for those of us that remember and enjoy good and bad horror films on the format, but more importantly the VHS playback the film uses provides an added thrill throughout as functions like tracking, rewind, pause, and fast forward are used ramp the suspense. Without a doubt the overall use of the VHS format (or as many of us used to call them, "tapes") is what gives the film its own unique feel among other horror anthologies, and it worked brilliantly.
Second Honeymoon directed by Ti West is the part of V/H/S that feels disturbing just for disturbance sake!
As in all anthology films there are good films and bad films over the course of the entire movie and V/H/S is no different. V/H/S provides us with six different stories with six different directors: Tape 56/Frame Narrative directed by Adam Wingard, Amateur Night directed by David Buckner, Second Honeymoon directed by: Ti West, Tuesday the 17th directed by Glenn McQuaid, The Sick thing that happened to Emily when she was Younger directed by Joe Swanberg, and 10/31/98 directed by Radio Silence. Unlike some horror anthologies, each of these individual stories is truly frightening in it's own unique way. There is something for each type of horror nut throughout the course of this anthology including slashers, aliens, haunted houses, and possessions.
V/H/S isn't for everyone, so think twice before hitting play on your Netflix!
V/H/S, like most horror anthologies, is not for everyone, so think twice before putting this film in your Netflix instant queue. However the only film within the anthology that is disturbing just to be disturbing is Ti West’s Second Honeymoon. Other than that, each of the other film's scares and disturbing images work to further their story. Many of us have watched so many horror films throughout our lives that it takes a lot to scare us even a little, if at all. While I fall into this category, I can promise you poor kids you won't feel this way as you watch V/H/S. So in the end is V/H/S a truly great film? No, but at points it scared the hell out of me and for that and it’s unique premise and setup for an anthology film, it gets a GREAT!
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