V/H/S/2

To say that my opinion of the original “V/H/S” was strong is an understatement.  I thought it was deplorable, a stylistic mess and worse of all, the film just was not scary.  Going into watching the film, “V/H/S” had received some very good online reviews and I was actually excited to see it, even giving up the chance to see the new Abbas Kiarostami film “Like Someone In Love” in favour of “V/H/S”.  Never had I regretted a decision more because I loathed the film and then swore that if any sequels were ever produced, I would never go near them.

Cut to a year later when sure enough a sequel did appear and a familiar pattern started to emerge.  “V/H/S/2” (then titled “S-VHS”) had just premiered at Sundance and immediately after its screening, word got out that it was fantastic.  Apparently it was better than the original in every way; it was actually terrifying and was the shot in the arm the “found footage” sub-genre needed.  The hyperbolic statements came thick and fast, as a feeling of déjà vu permeated my mind as I was reminded of similar reviews granted to the original “V/H/S”.  I was determined not to be burnt again by this, now, horror franchise and thus was very weary to all of the positive reviews, and yet with each review I read, I couldn’t help but start to actually get excited for “V/H/S/2”.  So did history repeat itself or was I pleasantly surprised by a “found footage” gem?

I am quite surprised to say this but believe the hype about “V/H/S/2” because it is fantastic.  This is one of those rare horror sequels that actually surpasses the original in every aspect possible (granted, though, it didn’t have much to beat).  The producers of “V/H/S” appear to have identified just what went wrong with the original film and has set out to rectify these mistakes.  First and foremost they realized that “V/H/S” was just far too long.  A two hour running time for this kind of film is counterproductive because by the time the audiences have reached the final story, their patience has waned.  “V/H/S/2” has a user friendly running time of around ninety-five minutes, which was smartly achieved by reducing the number of segments from the original’s five to four here.  The good news is that all four of these stories are better than anything in the first film and by a long way too.

The first story, entitled “Clinical Trials”, is about a man named Herman who, after badly damaging his eye in a car accident, agrees to have a camera implanted in his injured eye for free, in return for letting the scientists to be able to record what he sees and correlate that data for their research.  The only problem is that his new bionic eye makes the previously unseen world of the after-life very visible, as Herman now has to face life being aware of and hunted by some very pissed-off ghosts residing in his house.  This segment is directed by Adam Wingard, who also plays the lead role of Herman too, and he does a great job of presenting this scary tale while imbuing it with a good sense of humour too.  While the whole “point of view” shot is obviously a gimmick, Wingard does it well and actually makes this future technology believable, although I will say that this segment has the most gratuitous scene of nudity I have seen in a film for a very long time.

The second segment, which is titled “A Ride In The Park” and is directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale, is arguably the worst of “V/H/S/2” but you could hardly consider it bad.  In fact the central idea behind the segment is quite brilliant, it is just the execution of the idea hasn’t been pulled off as well as it could have been.  This story starts with a guy just hopping on his bike to go out for a ride; a camera mounted on his helmet, who after stopping to help an injured or possibly dead woman he encounters on the side of the bike path, is then himself fatally mauled by a zombie, resulting in the man turning into a zombie too.  From here we get the rarely seen point-of-view of a zombie as he roams the countryside mindlessly looking for food.  While this story isn’t really scary, it is incredibly bloody and yet, it has a surprisingly emotional and poignant finale which takes place during a massacre at a children’s birthday party.

If you have read any of the positive press regarding “V/H/S/2”, you will be aware that the third segment, entitled “Safe Haven” which has been co-directed by Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto, is meant to be the crown jewel of the entire project.  It is the longest of all the segments running a total of thirty minutes and is easily the most disturbing and terrifying of the lot.  The less you know going into the segment, the better it will be for you but briefly the story is about a group of investigative journalists who are granted access to the compound where a cult resides, as well as an on-camera interview with their leader, on the exact day the Apocalypse descends upon the world.  That is all I will say about this segment except that the journalists have a number of hidden cameras attached on their bodies, clothes and equipment, thus giving us many different camera angles and stretching the “found footage” angle to its limit.  Again, believe the hype about “Safe Haven” because it is a stunning achievement and one of the best horror shorts I have ever seen.  The whole segment is imbued with a sense of dread right from the opening frame that continues to build until the bloody and crazy finale.  There are so many scenes in this segment that are just so disturbing and unlike anything else in either of the “V/H/S” films.  It is also amazingly gory, whilst never feeling gratuitous; this is true horror guys!

The final segment by Jason Eisener, titled “Alien Abduction Slumber Party”, is an amusing and again, scary tale about a teenage slumber party that is interrupted by some pesky aliens intent on abducting the kids.  Initially this segment is very jokey, mainly due to the number of pranks the kids play on one another as they are just having a good time, but once the aliens make their presence felt, the film changes tone dramatically and it becomes quite an intense experience.  Due to the fact that the majority of the footage comes from a camera strapped to a pet dog, stylistically this segment is the most messy and there are times when it is hard to make out exactly what is going on.

Just like the original film, “V/H/S/2” has a wraparound segment, titled “Tape 49”, that loosely connects all of the segments.  The plot is about a couple of private detectives who are searching for a missing teenage boy.  They break into the boy’s house and watch his video tapes, desperate to find some sort of clue that could be used to locate his whereabouts.  The videotapes the detectives watch are the subsequent segments that we are witness to.  It has been directed by Simon Barrett and is much more effective than the similar wraparound from “V/H/S”, mainly due to the creepy atmosphere that is held throughout.  I will say that its finale is surprising and very good but is let down by a jokey gesture right at the end.

Overall, “V/H/S/2” is a massive step-up from its predecessor.  It excels in every department from production value, shooting techniques, visual style and most importantly, scare factor.  It is not a perfect film by any means, as the conceit behind some of the camera placements are tenuous at best and the placement of segments within the whole actually defies understanding; how they did not end “V/H/S/2” with the powerhouse segment “Safe Haven”, I will never comprehend.  Still these are minor complaints and I must give credit where credit is due; after a very lackluster film with “V/H/S”, the producers have gone back and worked out how to improve what came before.  “V/H/S/2” is a great horror film and if future sequels are of this quality, I will definitely be watching them.

3.5 Stars.