The found
footage movie has yet to run its course as a subgenre, usually allocated to the
realm of horror. Some argue it’s here to
stay, what with the “Paranormal Activity” series fourth installment shot for $5
million and raking in almost $120 million worldwide. One of the more recent attempts involves a
group of genre writers/directors who have come together and add their own
vision to the screen.
“V/H/S” is a
horror anthology that brings five stories bookended by a sixth that has a group
of misfits who record their illegal activity like destroying houses with bats
and attacking women in parking lots. The
group is hired to break into a house to steal a videotape. When they get in they find a dead man and a
bunch of tapes. So naturally they start
to watch them. What follows is a series
of shorts that vary from clever, gory, shaky, cheesy, to more cheesy, back to
gory.
Most are
supernatural in nature and utilize the caught on video element to hide effects
and to use the ever popular jump-scare.
For the most part the film has moments that work, whether you like this
type of film or not. Other times they
rely on the used VHS angle which is understandable why they would want it to
look authentic, but it became bothersome.
The only one I took to was a caught on video chat session between a girl
and her long distance boyfriend. I liked the twist mainly because that’s my
taste. If you like this kind of horror,
give it a watch and chances are you’ll like at least one of them. Or you could just seek out 2007’s “Trick ‘r
Treat” one of the best horror anthologies since “Creepshow” then again just
wait for the next found footage horror, I think the next “Paranormal Activity”
is set in Mexico. Deus Meo.
--Robert L.
Castillo
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