V/H/S/2 (2013)

When the first V/H/S came out, my expectations were through the roof. I adore horror anthologies and this seemed like the shot of adrenaline that the found footage genre needed. To say that I was disappointed with the film would be putting it mildly. I flat out hated two of the five segments and I put the film down as having the WORST wraparound story ever assembled in an anthology horror. When it wasn't terrible, it was predictable and trite. Now, less than a year later, we have the rushed found footage sequel "V/H/S 2″ (original title being "S-VHS" which is more creative than anything found in the first film). Does the sequel avoid the mistakes of its predecessor or does it belong on a shelf need in a horror fan's basement away from all humanity?

"Tape 49/frame narrative" In the wraparound, we follow two private investigators as they search through an abandoned house looking for a missing college student. Without giving too much away, I will say that this segment, like the wraparound in the original, is completely pointless because it is predictable from the moment they enter the house exactly what is going to happen. Unless the original, at least the characters here are likable even if they aren't given much of anything to do. Overall, the weakest segment of the bunch and I'd advise the filmmakers of the next sequel to do away with the wraparound altogether. It feels lazy and just a way to add some minutes to the running time.

"Phase I Clinical Trials" A man is sitting in a doctor's office after having had eye surgery. A camera is placed into one of his eye sockets to work as a functioning eye for him while he recovers. He is told by his doctor that everything the "eye" sees will be recorded and monitored for research purposes. Little does he know that he this will not be an experiment that will end well. He begins to see the undead as well as other strange visions at night. He is joined by Clarissa as she explains it all to him about his condition as she knows exactly what he is going through since she had a somewhat similar operation done. A bit predictable as it follows the typical "new body part comes to life" horror cliché but it works thanks to some nifty special effects and an "operation" scene that had me cringing.

"A Ride in the Park" A biker goes for a ride in the park (hence the title) only to be attacked my blood thirsty zombies who want to eat him for dinner. I'm going to leave the description at that in order to avoid giving away the bloody treats of this segment. Want to see a killer birthday party attacked by zombies with more blood and guts than in just about any zombie movie of the past few years? Dig it! This one is deliciously warped with a twisted sense of humor (I love seeing the zombies try to eat things that are obviously not meant to be tasted). One of the few segments that I honestly wished was a little bit longer. Zombie fans, eat your heart out.

"Safe Haven" A news crew is sent to investigate and do a piece on a strange Indonesian cult that is ruining their "family" out of an abandoned warehouse. This "family" is unlike any you have ever met and while they are friendly at first, they have a surprise for the head of the news crew as they have special plans for her in the immediate future. Do they plan to use her as an offering or something much, much worse? An interesting segment that is loaded with some creative death sequences and some so

Fmovies: VHS 2 is a sequel to my favourite horror film, VHS. It is a compilation of terrifying short films which, first of all, are very well made and are all insanely scary.

Entertaining, intense. These are only some of the words that describe VHS 2. The directors (Brad Wingard etc.) do a fabulous job at the helm and they deliver a horrifying feel to the genre and do a successful job at making myself and others uncomfortable and scared!

Great found-footage film, impressive amateur acting and a daring view at what horror films should be. k For a great horror night out with either you or with your pals, VHS 2 will make you horrified.

See it!

Wow, what a contrast this film is with the first one! Most found-footage films I've seen have always had me wondering why the hell the people in the films are bothering to carry video cameras around and record the events that are unfolding around them as they run for their lives, this one is different, every use of a camera has been cleverly thought out and explained, from a camera mounted on a mountain bikers helmet to a documentary crew with button cameras, and even a bionic prosthetic eye, the intelligence that the film makers put it into this has made this into one of the best ff films I've had the pleasure of watching.

In comparison to the first V/H/S film I thought this one was a whole lot more mature, the stories were more believable and well written, the excellent sequence from a zombies perspective was hilarious and gory and by far my favourite, I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny, but if it was it worked brilliantly.

In V/H/S 1 there wasn't much said about the video tapes, only that they were found, someone wanted them and that they contained some pretty freaky stuff, this time I think the film makers have realised that they could have a gold mine hiding within the urban legend of the tapes, and have started to play on this legend a little more, and I think if they continue down the path they have ahead of them, expanding on the legend, keeping the intelligent use of cameras and smart reasons behind the tapes discovery for each film, then they could have a franchise as successful as the Saw franchise.

Here's hoping! More reviews at http://stuarthine.worpress.com

V/H/S/2 fmovies. There is one amazing segment of VHS 2 that has to do with a Cult. It is frenetic, gory, has a great story and makes the most of the "found footage" format. If the rest of the film had lived up to this one sequence, we would have had something special. It's better than Part One in most aspects, though I did like a few moments in that film.

Timo Tjahjanto really blew me away - his segment is imaginative and has some real shocks crammed into it's short running time. Some of the camera work is a bit too shaky as people run around, but I was able to get around that due to the intensity of the story. Out of the remaining short films, we get a return to full on Shaky Cam with Edwardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project). Truthfully, Edwardo has ALWAYS got to shake the camera like he's in a runaway car or something. He seems to think this is a STYLE. I must argue the point. True artists do not need to shake a camera like a fool to get an image to move someone. Argento, Carpenter, Bava. Masters of the art. Dean Cundy would never run around like a fool, shaking his camera at every object he can find, disregarding the basic rules of directing at will, and no real professional should allow camera-work like this. What an artistic stretch for Edwardo. Next time just throw the damned thing on the ground and drag it around with a rope.

There are a few other sparks. Jason Eisener makes the most of his segment by having some real fun with it and throwing in an Alien Invasion that is both scary and funny. And I really enjoyed the basic idea and most of the execution of Adam Wingard's segment. Still, too damned much shaking here.

I am not sure I understand it really - why so much shaking in these "Found Footage" atrocities? I mean, the old camcorder videos that my family made at Holidays and on Vacation never looked like this. Grandpa tried to keep the camera still. I never actually have seen a home movie like these. Not even on old Super 8. Have you? Eyestrain central. For part 3, maybe they can just go to an old amusement park and give us a POV of the rides or jump out of a plane while filming. At least there'll be a legitimate reason for it being so damned shaky. I think I'd rather watch "HI-8" again.

We've got a rarity, folks. More than 2012's solid horror short amalgamation V/H/S which was primarily an assault on our primal fears (and descended into emotional bleakness at times because of it) this follow-up, while still hitting the right nerves, is also funnier, more self aware, more emotionally potent, and unafraid to venture into the far reaches of the genre. Instead of just ghostly tales presented in the found footage format we get infinitely clever approaches to zombies, aliens, demons and, for good measure, spirits as well.

It is such a rarity because everything about V/H/S/2 is superior to the original even if I would have loved to see the veritable Ti West (who directed a segment as well as feature fare House of the Devil and The Innkeepers) return for another go I can't raise any other grudges. This sequel is leaner by a good 30 minutes, as I mentioned the segments are more varied in their sub genre, the framing story (i.e. the context as to why we're watching these vignettes) is scarier and lastly the film is more effective and as a whole because, simply put, the segments are aggregately stronger.

Also for round two, behind each story are better known directors, though of course notoriety isn't always an indication of talent, their experience behind the camera and in the genre is certainly on display. Returning for another go are Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard who contribute the wrap-around entry and Phase I Clinical Trials respectively, and are joined by Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale (The Blair Witch Project) with A Ride in the Park, Gareth Evans (The Raid) with Safe Haven and lastly Jason Eisner (Hobo With a Shotgun) with the wonderfully titled Alien Abduction Slumber Party.

By far the two strongest stories are A Ride in the Park and Safe Haven. Though I may be biased, my personal favourite is the former. Why you ask? One word: zombies. With my affinity for the flesh chompers through the roof, any unique take on the genre wins my affection to an extent and when it is as fun, gory and bittersweet as A Ride in the Park my heart belongs to it indefinitely. This segment follows a mountain biker with a helmet cam running into a hoard of the undead, is subsequently bitten, and then gives birth to zombie vision (by far the best type of vision). The camera work, dark humour and understanding of the tragic, damned nature of these creatures gels to truly wonderful effect.

Safe Haven on the other hand is just balls-out insane, taking the kinetic blood letting of Evans' The Raid and blending it with the sensibilities of Rosemary's Baby and Martha Marcy May Marlene. When Evans isn't directing the hell out of his short, he's presenting us with some truly unsettling imagery before going all Cabin in the Woods and setting us down in a completely different place then when we started. One scene in particular that showcases his filmmaking prowess comes during a sequence involving a car crash. How anyone could pull off such a shot is beyond me but to do so with no budget is another achievement entirely.

The other two main segments aren't quite as strong but what they lack in sustained ingenuity they make up for in straight up efficiency. Phase I Clinical Trials is essentially a mechanized blend of The Eye though the scares are certainly present. There is a sense of déjà vu in how a number of the sequences unfurl but if they can still make you grip your own fingers, then something is going right. Alien Invasion Slumber Party is a fantastic exercise in t

V/H/S/2 (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Gory sequel to the 2012 film has a pair of investigators breaking into an apartment where they find an assortment of videotapes. The first story involves a man who receives a mechanical eye transplant that soon allows him to see dead people. The second story has a biker with a camera on his helmet getting bit by a zombie and soon he turns into one. The third story takes place at a strange cult school where the leader is being interviewed when "it" happens. The fourth and final story deals with a group of boys who keep playing a prank on one's sister when something joins them. I enjoyed the first film in the series and this one here is actually a tad bit stronger thanks in large part to the first two stories. The majority of the camera work comes from the camera being placed on people head's and I must admit that this gave me a headache at times but I will give the filmmakers credit as this did allow some familiar stories to be told in new ways. This is especially true for the second story when we get the POV shots from the zombie as he goes searching for people to eat. This was a rather unique spin on the genre and it really worked. The first story was also quite good, although this mechanical eye thing left some logical issues. Still, the episode is a good one and features some nice ideas. The fourth episode is one I won't ruin but there's a nice little twist along the way and I think it manages to be quite ambitious. The third film is without question the weakest but it does contain some very twisted scenes and a high level of gore. V/H/S/2 has the same look of the first film as the quality is quite different from one story to the next but this gives the film its own unique feel. Fans of gore will also enjoy that there's plenty of that going on here and especially in the third story, which is a downright bloodbath and even the second one contains a lot of the red stuff. For the most part the performances were just fine and at 95-minutes the film goes by fairly quickly. V/H/S/2 is a nice little gem that has a few flaws but for the most part it works well and I look forward to future installments.