Found footage has muscled its way into horror the last six or seven years (to botht he pleasure and disdain of some fans, depending on who you ask) after decades of waiting in the wings with one or two notable efforts prior to the boom. This subgenre of horror caught on after Paranormal Activity took audiences by storm in 2009 and it inspired countless entries akin to the wave of 80s slashers. The popularity and subsequent over-saturation of the subgenre has left it a target for jokes and criticism rather than appreciation. Of course, not all of these films are really that great, but there have been some hidden gems over the years. One such gem was V/H/S.
V/H/S is a horror anthology (its first obstacle) featuring found footage shorts (its second obstacle) from up-and-coming directors (its third obstacle) that horror fans should keep an eye out for, notably Ti West. The collection boast unique takes on the found footage fad and put out some of the best content seen in the subgenre to date. The anthology collects five short stories found on VHS tapes by a group of criminals who film themselves exploring a house and watching the footage. Not only do you witness the horrible events discovered on the video tapes, but you also endure the strange things happening in the house between the shorts during the frame narrative titled "Tape 56."Each short film is different, making the found footage experience a very refreshing take on the otherwise stale trope. The first short, "Amateur Night," is a creepy voyeur-heavy story that doesn't end well for the guys in control of the camera (yes, there's something wrong with that girl). The second one called "Second Honeymoon" is one I would prefer to talk about at length, so stay tuned. "Tuesday the 17th," the third short, takes us to a familiar forest setting, but the friends who are out camping encounter a strange figure that distorts the camera and sets out to kill them; we know when its coming (sometimes) but the protagonists don't. The fourth is called "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She was Younger" uses webcams to follow what is happening on both sides of a video chat as a girl tells her med school boyfriend about a bump on her arm, and this one gets really weird (there's a strange little entity and then this one twists hard). The fifth and final short titled "10/31/98" tackles the standard cult/haunted house story with very frantic direction as the protagonists find their way in and out of the building.
Now back to "Second Honeymoon." This one is my favourite because it does two interesting things. I will attempt to avoid spoiling the twist, but there are some things that must be shared in order to explain what makes it the best. This is the entry by Ti West, who has gone on to direct some other great movies, one of which I may feature later this month. "Second Honeymoon" follows a couple, Sam and Stephanie, as they record their trip to Arizona for their... second honeymoon. A Zoltar-like fortune teller says Stephanie will reconnect with an old loved one. Later, a woman comes to their motel room asking for a ride the next day. That night, their camcorder is turned on revealing both Sam and Stephanie in bed. Someone else is filming them, and that someone touches Stephanie with a switchblade. That same person steals money from Sam's wallet and puts his toothbrush in the toilet before leaving. Sam notices the missing money the next day and accuses Stephanie. This mystery person has already put a wedge between the couple, creating conflict. The next night, the camcorder is turned back on to film Sam and Stephanie, but! you'll have to watch to find out. It's not hard to piece together but it is a satisfying conclusion.
I enjoyed Ti West's contribution to V/H/S the most because it combines the found footage subgenre with the POV antagonist of old slasher films. Nothing is more unnerving than seeing through the eyes of a potential killer, and witnessing acts that we may never commit ourselves but have viewed them as if we have. There's something uncomfortable about seeing the scene unfold from this first-person perspective, one where we would typically have control, but this ability is ripped from us save for our eyes. The voyeurism of this segment is also tense, especially when it is revealed in the first encounter.
V/H/S has spawned two sequels, V/H/S/2 (2013) and V/H/S: Viral (2014). The first sequel is pretty good, but the second veers so far off course from what its predecessors established that it doesn't feel a part of the series. It doesn't even maintain the found footage element in some cases.
Check out V/H/S because it's different. I'm sure you'll find something you like.
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