Wednesday, June 5, 2013

V/H/S 2 (SIFF 2013) - Movie Review



VHS 2 is the follow up to the original film that became an instant cult classic and promises to be even scarier than its predecessor. The first VHS movie created a new twist on the found footage sub genre of horror movies by compiling several short films into one feature length movie with an overarching storyline that ties the whole thing together.


While part 2 isn't a direct sequel, it does use the same formula by bringing in some of the most creative horror directors in the business to scare the crap out of you. Its hard to give a breakdown of the story since there are several and each one is very unique, but each one is a truly scary experience. What I can tell you about is the connecting story which centers around a pair of private investigators who are sent into a seemingly abandoned house to find a missing student.


What they find is a room full of TV's, VHS tapes, and a laptop that they soon discover belonged to the young man as he left a video diary paused on the screen. His ramblings prompt one of the investigators to watch a series of the VHS tapes while the other searches the rest of the house. Each of the tapes has camcorder footage of varying quality that shows some truly unbelievable events.


To keep the shock value in place, I won't go into plot details for any of the shorts, but as you can see from the pictures, you are going to be in for a wild ride. Topics range from the recipient of an electronic eye who sees more than he ever wanted, to aliens invading a lakeside housing development and a zombie outbreak like you've never seen before.


Yeah, those sound pretty awesome, but the one that will have you completely freaking out is the story of an Indonesian cult called Safe Haven which was directed by Gareth Evans who is best known for his martial arts masterpiece The Raid: Redemption. The more you explore the crazy world he has created, the more you are liable to lose your mind from all the ridiculousness that takes place before it ends.


More often than not, sequels tend to fall short of the original it is based upon, but the creative team behind this series actually managed to ramp up the intensity and throw in even more scary moments than the original which is a truly impressive feat. VHS 2 will scare you no matter how tough you think you are or how many pillows you hide behind.


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