YEAR: 2013
RUNTIME: 1hr, 36mins
The looong awaited sequel to V/H/S ....wait... only 9 months after the original, V/H/S 2 has been released On Demand before it hits select theaters. Since this film is a collection of shorts I'm going to rate and review each "tape" individually. As a whole this film was pretty entertaining. Of course there were some tapes I enjoyed more than others but, for the most part I really enjoyed this sequel. There were a few things I was a little confused about and since this isn't one entire story line there was nothing to explain or hint at a possible explanation to the things I found myself lost with. However, before I go off on some unnecessary tangent I will move forward with the individual reviews. What I'm going to do is review each tape and then review the main (sub) plot [because, that wording makes heaps of sense!]. But, I digress.
Tape #1 : Phase 1 Clinical Trials (Simon Barret)
My Rating: 5/10
This was my least favorite of the 4 segments but, it was not bad by any means. It starts off with our main character in a doctor's office getting a prosthetic eye applied. Since they're still doing clinical trials on this prosthesis they implant a video chip in it so that scientists can document and analyze it. The camera pov in this segment is cool they even include stops and cut outs signifying blinking which makes it almost feel like you are viewing it through your own eyes. When leaving the hospital he sees this girl staring at him pretty strangely but, ignores it and continues to exit. This segment is in a nutshell, about ghosts and apparently getting the prosthetic allows our main guy to see apparitions of a bloody father and daughter which the doctors brush off as flash of light when he brings up his concerns the next day. The girl with the staring problem shows up at his house asking if he's been seeing anything strange and says she needs to talk to him. This is where I got confused... once in his home she asks him if he's done anything bad to anyone and explains how she was born deaf and when she got hearing implants she was able to hear the dead. Before she can go any further our eye cam operator see's an apparition of an overweight man who is revealed to be his new friend Clarissa's dead uncle. He freaks out and she tells him to focus on her and proceeds to jump his bones because, and I was totally unaware of this but, sex can save you from evil spirits. Hmmm... I won't continue with the story as to avoid spoilers but, overall this short was entertaining, the scares were good and there was a good amount of tension built.
Tape #2: A Ride In The Park (Jamie Nash)
My Rating: 7.5/10
ZOMBIES!! Yes, I love zombies so I'm a tad bit biased here. This segment was very well done in my opinion especially considering it was shot entirely with a Go Pro camera. It starts off with our main character Mikey having a phone conversation with his girlfriend. He was supposed to meet her for lunch but, went for a bike ride instead [his loss, our gain]. He tells her he'll be home soon and continues on his bike ride. After a few pedals and a jump he is stopped by a frantic bloody woman yelling that her husband needs help he's hurt and BLEEECH she starts to vomit. Mikey looks in the direction she came from and hears [what we so obviously know as] zombie moans. He then turns back to the woman who is now zombified! And I bet you couldn't see this coming, bites him. Stumbling away in pain and bleeding all over the damn place Mikey begins to turn. Let the awesomeness ensue! We are now viewing things from a zombies point of view, teeth to flesh up close and personal. This segment is quite entertaining I almost didn't want it to end. That was until the final shot [pun intended] which I found very unrealistic as far as zombies are concerned. Yes, I know that zombies are fictional but, I am the type of girl that takes my zombies very seriously. Minus the final scene I did enjoy this tape very much and it would've been an 8/10 if it weren't for said scene.
Tape #3: Safe Haven (Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans)
My Rating: 9/10
This segment right here!? Out of control to say the least. This was definitely my favorite out of the 4 shorts. A documentary crew visits an Indonesian Cult to investigate. This segment is goes back and forth between crew cameras, spy cams and security cameras from the sanctuary. Although no one comes out and says it, we are lead to believe that the "Father" of the cult purifies [as he calls it] the children by sleeping with them...gross. The interview is starting when our Interviewer's fiancee starts to feel nauseous and leaves to find a bathroom. The interviewer tells his best friend to go look after her and continues to interview the "Father". Shortly after the battery runs low and the interviewer needs to run to the car to get another battery leaving their camera man with the "father" as he starts to make a crazy announcement throughout the sanctuary. While outside the interviewer spots a monitor which allows him to see his fiancee and his bff talking about an affair they had and how she is pregnant with the bff's baby. She is captured by a pack of crazy cult women and the bff runs for his life. This is where I will stop telling the story because shit's about to hit the proverbial fan and I don't want to spoil anything. Demons, organized mass suicides, good pacing and build up this segment has it all and it is so good! Some of the cgi effects are semi cheesy but, I didn't even need a second before I was over it since I was completely enthralled in the story. I could've done without the spit and snot fused string falling towards the camera [you'll see what I mean] but, overall this segment was great.
Tape #4: Slumber Party Alien Abduction (John Davies)
My Rating: 8/10
This segment was very entertaining especially considering the hard act it had to follow. It starts with a group a young boys filming themselves with a camera attached to a dog. We see the parents leaving for the weekend and shortly after the older sister of 2 of the boys and her friends get to the house. The boys are little pranksters and constantly agitate the older sis one prank in particular happens as she and her boyfriend are having private time. This causes them to get her younger brother back with a prank of their own. They attach the camera once again to the poor dog and send him in the living room to film the oldest of her 2 younger brothers being handsy with himself, if you will. The boys all wake up a little peeved that he would do that next to them while they slept and before the argument can go anywhere a huge boat horn-esque noise interrupts. We then get to see a glimpse of creepy, lanky aliens as they approach the back doors of the house. Que the boat horn and blinding light and they are now inside the house and capture the youngest brother and the dog in his sleeping back and drag them out the the water. The rest of the segment involves our characters being chased by the aliens that's all I'll say to keep this spoiler free.
Wraparound Segment: Tape 49 (Simon Barret)
My Rating: 6/10
Our Wraparound story line involves 2 private investigators searching for a missing college student. They come across his home and enter in hopes to find some clues. Once inside they find a TV and VCR set up similar to the one in the house from the first but, there's also a laptop with the web cam still recording. Larry leaves Ayesha in the living room to view the VHS tapes as he looks around the rest of the house. Though there are a few subtle nods and hints that they're connected this story doesn't really add much to the film or really tie into the wraparound from the first film. While viewing what the student was recording on his laptop Ayesha learns that if you view the tapes in a specific sequence they begin to affect the viewer. I'm not a huge fan of story lines that are left up to you to put together and figure out on your own and this is definitely one of those. It is hinted that the student was aware of the consequences of viewing the tapes and is making a tape of his own. Somehow this turns into a story about the undead which I can not seem to make sense of. I was really interested in what happens when you view the tapes and had hopes that I would be even mildly filled in as to what the hell is going on as the story progressed but, I was just let down by the lack of details.
V/H/S 2 is definitely different from the first as it isn't as misogynistic as it's predecessor. Not that I'm a feminist by any means nor, did I find the first film offensive but, let's be honest it was pretty pro male. While there was one less segment it didn't feel like it lacked anything that the first did not. There was not as much time spent on the wraparound story which I actually preferred as I watched this sequel more so for the tapes. All in all I enjoyed this sequel, I didn't find myself bored by any of the tapes like I did in the first and I would recommend watching it.
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