V/H/S/2 Review

Movie: V/H/S/2
By: Maniac E
Date: June 9, 2013

Who's tracking you?

It is not even that long ago that we reviewed V/H/S, thanks to its succes the new part is already here. With only one director returning to the anthology it is up to a new team to creat a new thrilling ride. What still is a shame is that the title got renewed from S-VHS to V/H/S/2 but will this affect the movie itself?

TAPE 49 (Directed by Simon Barrett): The wraparound story here involves two private investigators searching for a missing college student. Their search leads them to an abandoned house that happens to be littered with video cassettes and a few inviting television sets. This section is the weakest part of the movie: context, and not particularly frightening or involving context.

CLINICAL TRIALS (Directed by Adam Wingard): In a smart move, the film starts off with the most inconsequential short. A young guy receives a test-phase robotic eye implant only to discover that the implant can pick up on things invisible to the human eye - like ghosts. It's a bit gimmicky, and the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but the short is fun and doesn't outstay its welcome.

A RIDE IN THE PARK (Directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale): Easily the most inventive segment, this one involves a mountain biker who happens to be out in the woods when a zombie epidemic begins. Attacked and zombie-fied early on, we witness the rest of the film from the POV of the guy's GoPro camera as he devours hapless people. Wisely forgoing good taste, the zombies eventually converge on a kid's birthday party. Gruesome and very funny, this one gets points for making a tired genre fresh by showing it from a zombie's perspective.

SAFE HAVEN (Directed by Gareth Huw Evans and Timo Tjahjanto): If there's one short that necessitates seeing V/H/S/2, it's this one. The longest - and by far the most terrifying - features an Indonesian TV crew being granted access to the jungle compound of a cult leader they're profiling. I don't want to reveal anything else, other than before long, all hell breaks loose. (Literally.) The pacing here is brilliant with enough buildup and unnerving atmosphere to make the final stomach-churning moments quite horrifying. Special kudos should also go to the production design. Between the eerily realistic compound sets and some outstanding special effects.

ALIEN ABDUCTION SLUMBER PARTY (Directed by Joe Eisener): A bit of a comedown after "Safe Haven" but still quite capable, the final short depicts exactly what the title suggests. Again, the pacing here works well, with the major action occurring in the final third of the segment. The young teens are believable in their mischief and terror. Plus, we witness most of the events from the perspective of a small dog. (The kids strap their camera to the dog before things turn scary.) In many ways, this short went in a direction that I wish "Signs" or "Super 8" had the guts to take.

I must say V/H/S/2 is a better than the first the tapes are less of the same stuff after another, and it feels to go a lot quicker and faster than in part 1. It covered a wide array of horror, from zombie to ghosts and even monster, but the addition of aliens was a nice touch. All in all I am really surprised with the quility of all the shorts! It is a lot better than in V/H/S. V/H/S/2, as a whole, is a thoroughly amusing one, and certainly one of the better horror films of the last year. It's an exceptional rarity, as well, seeing a sequel come out less than a year after its predecessor that is equal parts more efficient and more effective.

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am really an anti found footage person. But I must say thanks to the different styles of the tapes in this movie it really was refreshing! And I must say I almost liked all the shorts. Finally an anthology that can keep you interested and makes sure you aren't getting bored with it. It is for me more superb part of the two anthologies. Everything that V/H/S was missing is here. Good job.