V/H/S: Review
V/H/S is a horror movie in the found footage genre. This movie is actually a compilation of different short films featuring footage of strange and disturbing paranormal activity. Six different directors took part in the making of this movie, this is evident because each short piece of found footage has a completely different feel to it. This lent to the idea that these were a part of a man's extensive collection of gory videos. Its clear that this film gives thanks to the genre it stems from, exercising many of the the different themes that have been executed, before and throughout the genres growth. This film is not only aware of its roots, it also pushes the genre forward. Taking it places it has not yet been, yet still exploring and building upon the same path that has been expanding for nearly the past two decades.
The main story arc is centered around a team of criminals that is sent into a supposedly empty house to retrieve a VHS tape. Upon entering the house they're confronted with a corpse and an extensive collection of tapes.
Amateur Night directed by David Bruckner is the first video in this anthology.The idea of using a hidden camera in a pair of glasses was inventive, it let the story skip over the mandated mention of the camera by everyone being filmed that's so common in found footage. The girl, Lily was inherently creepy from the beginning as she kept saying, "I like you" to the camera guy, actually I think that's all she said. Nearing the end of the story when she nearly gets gang banged by the coked out dude there's a sense of sympathy built up for sure. By the time she attacks the first guy I was pretty sick of his character and rooted for her anyway. The cameraman refusing the succubus' advances, making her feel inadequate was a pretty hilarious take on erectile dysfunction. The last scene was beautiful, and a creative way to use the camera.
These characters were probably the most believable of all of the shorts in the anthology.
This is a video chronicling a young married couple's vacation in the American mid-west. The whole story was pretty weak, and the characters weren't very likable at all, but I also didn't dislike them, they were just pretty boring people. I guess their blandness should have made them seem more real, but they just seemed boring and were out shined by the beauty of the Grand Canyon during their visit, and all of the scenery really. The fortune telling machine's elaborate fortune about betrayal was pretty telling, and gave away the ending. The murder scene at the end of this short was pretty gruesome, but that and the beautiful scenery of the American mid west were the saving graces of this story.
This video reminded me of so many standard campy horror movies of the past. The teenagers weren't the best actors. The repeated creepy announcements of Wendy (the driver of the car) were corny, but the feel of the whole video was corny, and the campiness seemed purposeful. The idea of a murderer that can't be caught on camera is interesting, and really gives the camera a purpose in the story, but Wendy's purpose for being out there doesn't add up. I thought that this short film was fun and campy, but the purpose behind the trip could have been a little more fleshed out.
I think that finding reasons for the camera to be in the scene is the most important part of this genre, and a webcam was a pretty clever idea. The build up of the story line and the character's relationship flowed very naturally. The horror element was dealt with realistically and candidly. The plot twist near the end of the short was pretty surprising and confusing. I had no idea what the fetus had to do with anything, and I've never heard of an abortion happening through the spine, but the fear factor was there and it was an enjoyable scare. The unanswered questions were of the sort that are fun to ponder over after the fact, I didn't feel ripped off by the loose ends.
The story was confusing, but the special effects were convincing. I wasn't sure if the characters in this video were the same as the characters from the main story arc. The story seemed kind of rushed and like it was added as an aside. It didn't have very much substance, but it served its purpose.
Over all I found this film to be a very inventive addition to this genre. It takes some of the most recognizable themes this genre has dished out and puts its own individual twist on them, producing a finished product that will leave audiences taking a shocking kick to the nerves.
Labels: film, found footage, horror, movies, reviews, V/H/S
Monday, October 8, 2012 @ 9:20 PM / 0rad comments