Review: V/H/S/2
By Andreas Charalambous
others. One prank involves attaching a camera to the pet dog that creeps up on one of the boys doing something he shouldn't be. During this particular incident, they inadvertently film an otherworldly encounter (Clue's in the segment title). The poor little dog.
Overall, V/H/S/2 includes as many scares as the original - although it is short of the original by a segment. All four segments present a mixture of horror sub-genre representation; we have the ghosts, the zombies, the supernatural and the aliens. With these bases covered, there should be something to cater for everyone's tastes. However, if you are one of those who - as I mentioned at the start - didn't feel V/H/S was for them, then chances are that you won't feel any different about V/H/S/2. There is also considerably more gore in this sequel than the first film, so on the flip-side, if you enjoyed V/H/S, then you will enjoy the second one also.
V/H/S/2 is released in the UK on DVD on October 14th
Released in the UK on DVD/Blu Ray in time for Halloween, V/H/S/2 comes thick and fast on the back of the success of the original V/H/S. For anyone not familiar with the V/H/S concept, it's essentially an anthology containing short films from different directors, which is all wrapped up with a main story played out between viewing the shorts 'on VHS tapes'. Despite its success, the original V/H/S was not everyone's cup of tea. So, what to expect from V/H/S/2? The short answer is, more of the same.
The main wraparound story of V/H/S/2 follows to private investigators who have been tasked to find the whereabouts of a concerned parent's son, who has not been in contact with them for a while. They decide to break into his home and film any evidence they can gather on his whereabouts. While in the house, they come across some television sets, which are turned on and surrounded by VHS tapes. The female investigator decides to sit down and see what is on the tapes. So far, so V/H/S.
The first segment, entitled "Clinical Trails Phase One", directed by Adam Wingard (V/H/S, You're Next, Q is for Quack in The ABC's of Death), tells the story of a young man recovering from a serious car accident resulting in a cybernetic eye being implanted where his eye once was. Another thing to mention here, are the ingenious
ways in which a first-person point-of-view camera is worked into each segment. Having this surgery at no charge, seeing it is in the trial phase, the company requests that the artificial eye records he daily life constantly. It soon becomes apparent that this device, aimed at preserving all five of his senses, has inadvertently given him a sixth sense in the process.
"A Ride In The Park" is the second segment, directed by Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project). Here, we see a man going on the forest dirt tracks with his mountain bike. Equipped on his safety helmet, is a small camera (told you they were clever!). As he rides through the forest, he comes across a woman who appears to be very distressed and covered in blood. As the mountain-biker watches on in horror as she vomits blood, he notices some people stumbling towards him. Before he knows it, the woman pounces on him and bites his throat out. What follows is a first-person point-of-view as he rapidly turns into a zombie. A very original segment for V/H/S/2 here.
The next segment, "Safe Haven", is probably my favourite of the lot. Timo Tjahjanto (The Raid, L is for Libido in The ABC's of Death) takes us to Indonesia with a group of journalists, equipped with a mixture of hand-held and hidden cameras. They are granted permission to document life within a secluded cult. Once in the remote compound, they discover that there is more than meets the eye.
The final segment is bought to us under direction of Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun, Y is for Youngbuck in The ABC's of Death). "Slumber Party Alien Abduction" is pretty much summed up by the title. As with the final segment short in V/H/S, this segment attempts to end with an epic bang. This is the story of teenagers home alone looking after their younger siblings. As you would expect, they are all playing tricks on each other - some harsher than