V/H/S

As individual stories progress, the overarching story of "Tape 56" also intensifies, acquiring a darker tone and escalating. It was possible to combine interesting actors with good ideas, who managed to show that found footage can be innovative. It is due to its short duration and the effort to truly make something out of it. The retro connection with VHS also works quite well and contributes to the overall atmosphere. (18.07.2014)

The ultimate found-footage anthology that it’s so good as a whole that it could end the current found-footage madness with honour –  which is unlikely to happen… The film is produced, among others, by Brad Miska (chief editor of the website “Bloody Disgusting”) and the stories (there are five, plus the “sauce” around them) are directed by some of the most promising figures in today’s American indie horror scene. This means that behind the film are people who know what the fans of the genre like and they try to show it with a limited budget. Successfully so. It has a very inconsistent pace (it starts and ends with the heaviest horror bits and it slows down in the middle) and the quality of the stories is not entirely even (there are weak spots), but taken as a whole, V/H/S is very original, fun and often also very scary. Hands-down, one of the most interesting events in the genre this year. /// Otherwise, a few words about each segment. The framing story about a group of petty criminals that break into an old house, where they find a dead guy and lots of video cassettes, is by Adam Wingard. It works well as a binder and has several very creepy moments, good. 7/10 /// Amateur Night (David Bruckner): Three friends go to a bar, where a disturbing-looking girl becomes interested in one of them. At first it’s too rowdy, but once the girl shows up, the fun is taken care of. The climax is great. 9/10 /// Second Honeymoon (Ti West): A young couple embark on a road trip in the American west and during a night at a motel they get an uninvited guest. West slows things down significantly, but his easygoing style with a short but brutal climax didn’t impress me that much in the found-footage format. 6/10 /// Tuesday the 17th (Glenn McQuaid): Paraphrasing forest and camp slashers. The idea is good, but I think it would have been better with a longer run, in those few minutes, things go terribly fast. A slasher flick with characters you don’t have time to relate to can never work. 6/10 /// The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger (Joe Swanberg): A story told through web chats between a couple (the girl is being harassed by a ghost at home). Original and terrifying, and the story with the nastiest jump-scare. It’s a pity that the night chats don’t get more time than the daytime ones. 8/10 /// 10/31/98 (Radio Silence directorial quartet): And the best for last. Four friends are going to a Halloween party. The house where the party is supposed to take place looks abandoned. But it’s not… :-) About halfway through, the story becomes a fast and terrifying horror ride, really brilliant. 10/10 (07.08.2012)