V/H/S – A Horror Hodgepodge

I heard everyone (friends and media outlets) tell me how scary V/H/S is, so I finally checked it out… on blu-ray, which I find quite ironic. It’s a conglomeration of various short films directed by a number of unknown writers and directors made on shoestring budgets. The outcomes are varied, to say the least.

What is it about?

It’s hard to say what this film is about. The overarching "story" is about a group of young criminals that are hired to retrieve a V/H/S tape from an old man’s house. Once they get there, they find a dead body and tons of tapes, some of which they watch and all of which contain sick, twisted found footage films. Those films are what fill the rest of the time in the movie.

Is it any good?

I enjoyed watching parts of this film. The story that is supposed to hold all the short films together is very weak and not scary at all. It also doesn’t ever go anywhere. Fleshing that story out could have improved this film by a long-shot.

Some of the short films are good, though, others are forgettable, and one in particular could have been good but is poorly executed.

Short Film 1 – Amateur Night:  This is one of the better of these short films. It takes too long to get to the interesting part, though. Once all hell breaks loose in this one, it’s a wild ride. I’d watch this one again. (My Grade: B)

Short Film 2 – Second Honeymoon:  This one has the most interesting premise of any of them, but is executed poorly. It does feature one of my favorite moments in V/H/S, though. (My Grade: C)

Short Film 3 – Tuesday the 17th:  This one is the most forgettable of the bunch. It’s so cliche that it’s not even worth watching, although it does have some pretty good scary images (even though they are a complete rip-off of Slender Man). (My Grade: D)

Short Film 4 – The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger:  This is the one that is the most "out-there" as they say. Once you learn the twist, you may want to know more about it… but they don’t tell you more. It’s a bit disappointing. (My Grade: C+)

Short Film 5 – 10/31/98:  This is my personal favorite of the set. It doesn’t make a bit of sense and is completely off-the-wall, but it offers the best scares and visual effects in V/H/S. It also has a jarring ending. (My Grade: A-)

Overall, V/H/S is not a good film but there some good parts and some creative uses of the played-out found footage genre. It’s graphically violent and quite sick and twisted, though, so it’s not for the more queezy audience member.

Nolan’s Grade:  C-

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