V/H/S (2012)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  2 / 10

  **800TH FILMFED REVIEW** V/H/S has as much use currently as a Video Home System. Vague Horror Segments. Vicious Harmful Stupidity. Very Heterosexual Shenanigans (seriously, so much "tittage" on screen). The concept should've worked, blending the recent "found footage" sub-genre with an anthology narrative structure, providing not one but six terrifying short stories. However, its execution absolutely missed the target as it was an incredibly dull, overlong, unwatchable mess. The story arc revolves around a criminal gang who break into a house to steal a single VHS tape, but they soon start experiencing unusual happenings as they watch other tapes. A gang approaching an innocent woman to film them sexually harass her, a group of friends wanting to record a amateur porn video, a husband wanting to record his wife undressing, two guys making innuendos towards a blonde teenager in the middle of the woods and a creepy boyfriend who clearly adores a good sexualised video chat (complete with female nudity). These are just five of the six stories, each of them obviously encompassing the same distasteful theme. Sure most of these characters gain their comeuppance, but if these short stories are shot from their perspective then there is no investment to be made. They are all unlikeable. The horrific camerawork with constant glitches only adds to my frustration with this film. It is simply unwatchable. Aside from the final short '10/31/98', there were no scares or suspense. One of the VHS tapes is a recording of a video chat on a Mac (makes no sense). The acting was mediocre, particularly the video chat sequence. Honestly could that guy look anymore less in love? The frame narrative strings the short stories together with no cohesion. And a nearly two hour runtime felt like five hours. I appreciate the anthology structure allows new directors to have a chance at showcasing their talent. But this was not the way to do it. Each short got progressively worse and my boredom levels and lack of patience increasingly heightened. A wasted concept with squandered potential. I'm just waiting for the inevitable 'D/V/D' to be released...

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