31 Days Of Horror (Day 5): V/H/S

Director(s): Ti West, Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg, Radio Silence

Writer(s): Various

Starring: See list HERE

Release Date: January 22, 2012 (Sundance), October 5, 2012

Plot: The film is presented as an anthology of short horror films, built into a frame narrative which acts as its own short horror film. Each short film is linked together with the concept of found footage (each segment is from the VHS tapes found in the room).

" I like you"

I thought I'd continue my late viewings with another anthology film and may even do so again tomorrow. This time I dove into the realm of the masterminds behind many successful modern day horror films. Such as Adam Wingard, Ti West, Joe Swanberg and more. This circle of directors has brought us, what I believe to be, one of the better anthology films to date.

V/H/S is a blood-bathed nightmare that fills our screens with the best found footage horror any person could want. This is a film that is disturbing, eerie, unnerving and at times hilarious. The thing that made this film great was the ability to feel like reality. In plain sight it is nothing more than a found footage film about someone watching found footage films, but it had a lot more to offer. It was able to manipulate the audience in just about every way it pleased. To the point where it got you to sympathize with terrible people. It is vicious, unapologetic and it works.

This film was filled with so many moments that are just praise worthy. The transitions being one of those moments. The way the narrative switches from one story to the next is where a great deal of horror stems from. You invest yourself in one story only to find that you have changed over into a brand new and unknown environment. Granted, much of the stories are a bit formulaic, but each segment offers a new set of rules that you have to learn and follow. No story is the same and no style of horror is similar. They all tend fall under several sub-genres of horror which calls for at least 6 different types of experiences. The only thing that remains the same is that each segment is found footage. Yet the film still never feels the repeated.

Another thing that made V/H/S so successful was its various uses of the camera within the story. Most of the time the character that was holding the camera was unaware or had completely forgot that the camera was there in the first place. Which rids you of any thought that might question the “actuality” of the segments.

Like any normal anthology, It does showcase a series of shorts, but is done so in an intelligent manner. The segments are intertwined with a separate, larger narrative that follows a group of young criminals who eagerly take a job given to them by an anonymous third party. Who has claimed to be willing to pay them a large sum of money to burglarize a house and steal a single VHS videotape.

Amidst all the destruction and chaos they cause in the home they run into the only occupant – an old man who lies dead on a recliner in front of a mountain of VHS tapes and a television set playing white noise. Without any worry, the gang feels free to roam the walls of the seemingly unoccupied home. As they decide to venture off and track down the V/H/S they were hired to obtain, one of the criminals stays behind in the room with the old man's body to watch the VHS tape left in the VCR. What he found on the tapes would leave him shocked and confused.

Without spoiling to much I thought I'd talk about two of my favorite segments. That way you have an idea of what to expect while still being filled with mystery and hopefully fright.

Amateur Night

Directed by David Bruckner, Amateur Night follows the adolescent, sex driven accounts of three friends; Shane, Patrick and Clint. The three rent a hotel for the sole purpose of bringing women back to have sex with them after they prowl the near by night clubs and bars. To top the night off, Clint's glasses have been outfitted with a hidden camera that will allow them to turn their planned encounter into an amateur porn video.

All seems to be going according to plan. They have found a couple of girlfriends, Lisa and Lily who gladly return with them to their hotel. After more drinks and a failed sexual encounter with Lisa – who is now passed out on the bed – Shane decides that Lily would be a more suitable fit to fulfill his primal desires. As time passes and the sexual desires are heightened Patrick disrobes and tries to join, aiming to start a threesome. Lily rejects Patrick and lets it be known that she does not like him. Lily then breaks loose and becomes something terrifying and demonic.

This was probably the most disturbing segments in the entire film. Its visual representation of Lily is completely frightening. The image of her lifeless face is one that haunts your mind even after the film ends. The sense of realism that it had to offer is what shined through. I am now weary of any strangers I may pick up at a bar. Which will now be none.

This short had a good sense of what it was doing and it definitely showed well.

10/31/98

A haunted house film on steroids. This was the last segment of the film and damn was it great. The story follows three friends who were invited to a Halloween party. Once they arrive to the address they discover that no one is there. Assuming that they arrived early, they explore the house in hopes of finding other party-goers. What they found was more than they bargained for. In the attic they discovered a group of men gathered around a young woman, reciting bible verses, almost like a cult. The boys work to untie her and get her to safety, as they flee the home it begins to comes to life with poltergeist phenomena and ghostly hands coming out of the walls and floors to claim the lives of the woman's captors.

This is when all hell breaks loose. This entire scene is just terrifying. Yet oddly badass. It was like the Haunted Mansion, but if the Mansion were filled with malicious intentions. The arms that protruded out of the walls mixed with the shakiness of the camera kicked the scene into full effect. At every corner you were unaware of what might pop up and try to grab them. Not only were they scary, but they also looked great. This is one haunted house you may want to skip. The kiddie ride never seemed so great until now.

V/H/S was the complete package. It was fun and completely terrifying. Of course, there were a few misfires that could have been removed without hindering the overall horror aspect of the film. The good news here is if you dislike one segment there is another one waiting around the corner to scare the shit out of you. I mean there a total of 6 stories, one of them has to catch your attention. V/H/S is a rare treat by a team of people who have a deep love for horror and it clearly shows.

3/5 Tonies

Written by Anthony Centeno