Review - V/H/S

I always say, "If you're gonna do something, make sure you incorporate a man-eating club goer that sheds her clothes faster than a pedarast at a Toys R Us”, and in that respect, V/H/S delivers. In fact, its fair to say that V/H/S delivers more often than not, and when it does it doesn't pull back on the reigns. The film, which successfully expoits the OVERLY tired found footage approach, is an anthology in nature, giving us 5 vignettes and a wrap around story that, although short in length, have no lack of money shots to make up for their running time.

The stories range from serial killers to the aforementioned man-eater and the film accomplishes to use its format to hit upon many of the major notes prevalent in the industry. Variety is a definite strength of V/H/S and probably saves its weaker entries from dillutng the strength of the others. In fact, if V/H/S has a flaw that works to negate its intent it is its uneven volume of stories. While half of the tales here are not only well rounded and well executed, but are genuinely creepy and at times shocking, the other half limp along in tired convention and risk to threaten the impact of the others.

The fist installment, an exercise in keeping your late night revelling and the lack of morality that it keps company with in check, suggests a larger, more robust anthology and is a great way for the film to really kick open the starting gate and start the thrills of at a brisk cinemaic sprint. This first story is so strong (despite the similarities to a pre-existing franchise) that V/H/S immediately piques the viewers interest, especially after the introdction of a wrap-around story whose characters are so expendable that its difficult to dedicate yourself to the film in the beginning. Sure, wraparound stories are difficullt. They are the frames that hold the prettier pictures in place and although they might provide a necessary nuance, they rarely shine as bright as their centerpieces.

Moving along is a nice piece by Ti West that probably contains one of the more shocking and abrupt displays of gore and violence in the film. West, who has been a mixed bag for me as a director, shows some of the most adeptness behind the camer here and although his segment might not be the most traditional as far as horror goes, it is probably the most polished for the format.

"V/H/S does manage to be a hell of a lot of fun using a format that seems anything but in an industry glutted with Paranormal Activity rip-offs and sub-par "shake and bake" indie entries"

The other stories, which include ghosts, a webcam romance with a twist, and a tale of revenge and a supernatural psycho killer are interersting in their own respect and have enough surprises to keep our interest. Some feel more developed than others, but as far as shorts go, we could definitely do worse. Let's be honest. I'm not making excuses for V/H/S. It’s a strong enough film that it doesn't have to apologize for its weaknesses, which are definitely fewer than its strengths. V/H/S does manage to be a hell of a lot of fun using a format that seems anything but in an industry glutted with Paranormal Activity rip-offs and sub-par "shake and bake" indie entries. In fact, isn't having fun one of the reasons we love this industry so much? Well that and living vicariously through masked maniacs who manage to deftly thin the gene pool in just under two hours. So be kind, rewind and pop in V/H/S. Recommended.

V/H/S is currently available on demand. Check your local entertainment provider for details

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Tags: found footage, V/H/S, V/H/S review, Ti West