Day 21: V/H/S (2012)

A Month of Horror

I have always wanted to do a marathon of "HORROR" throughout the month of October, one where I would revisit a new horror movie every day from the first to the thirty-first.  I will revisit the classics as well as new entries into the canon.  There are many movies that define this time of year, and I hope to showcase 31 of them this month...

October 21:  V/H/S (2012)

In recent years, the found footage genre has become one of the most popular types of horror movie.  Everything from "Paranormal Activity" to today's entry, which many have described as the scariest movie of the year.  It is scary, but the problem with most "found footage" films is that people need a reason to record every moment of what they are experiencing.

With "V/H/S", the tropes are even harder to get past, but there is still some effective film making that takes place.  The "big picture" story involves a group of deplorable humans who record their debauched exploits and post them online.  When they break into an old man's house to steal a single VHS cassette, they find the man dead in his armchair in a room filled with VHS cassettes.  It is this conceit that allows the filmmakers to present their different tales of terror, all within the basis that each story is a different tape in the man's house.

While the segments vary in quality, there is a great deal to appreciate in the fusion of low-fi filming and high quality special effects.  The first person perspective adds a sense of immediacy to the different stories, and there is definitely a growing sense of tension that increases as the jump cuts help forward each vignette.

The problem again with these types of films, is that the type of person who would film all their experiences in such a way is usually not a type of person that is easy to relate to.  With some exceptions (a couple chatting over Skype, or a guy whose costume is a teddy bear "Nanny-cam") it seems odd that the characters would be filming their escapades.  And that their modern escapades filmed on Skype would end up on a collection of VHS tapes in an old man's collection.

Still, there are some effective scares and moments throughout the different vignettes and if you can stomach the chills, it is worth popping this one into your VCR.

Tomorrow, I get the feeling that someone might be watching me.  From over in those hills...