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This movie arrives during an unfortunate time where found Footage movies are coming out in waves. However, this is a notch above most of them. It's not perfect but it does add some new fresh twists and in today's world that's enough to warrant a recommendation and put it above most movies in this genre.
This is an anthology, so for those who've seen Creepshow it's like that except these are found footage movies or for those who haven't seen that movie, it's basically a bunch of mini movies(5 to be exact) all put into one movie. The story is really simple, it's a group of guys who get hired by some unknown party to break into some old man's house and retrieve a video. However, it's not as easy as it seems since there are stacks of VHS tapes so they have to start watching them in order to find the right one but that's not their only problem as something else lurks in the house.
Before I say anything, none of these movies are ever boring. With that being said, some videos work better and are genuinely a lot creepier than the others. The second film, while intriguing is not scary at all. I see what they writers were trying to do(a side note: each video had different writers and directors) but it never came off as creepy or suspenseful, luckily it's not long. The 3rd film is also not that scary, but it does have two generally creepy shots and I like how they actually made the camera a crucial part of the video. The 4th film is scarier than the 2nd and 3rd as it does provide a nice "Boo" moment or two but compared to the first and last film, it's not as effective.
The first, and last films as well as the actual film(the guys breaking into the house to search for the tape) is where the actual scares of the movie lie. The first and last movies are so well done, beautifully told, and creepy that they make up for the lack of scare in the movies in between. The actual story itself is extremely creepy too, as once they break into the house you know they're not alone. A lot of scary stuff happens in the breaks between each short film. I also like how(with the exception of the 2nd film and the main story) that they manage to incorporate the camera in a way where it's a crucial part of the film(hence the third and fourth film) or avoids the common found footage movie flaw, why can't they just put the dam camera down? In first and last film, the person either has the camera in their glasses or in their costume so they manage to avoid that pitfall. I'm trying to avoid describing each film because it's more fun when you don't know much about a movie.
I should also warn that this movie is certainly not for everyone. I've never seen this much nudity in a film before(both male and female, both frontal and back) and some of these films are sick and twisted. So those of you with an easy stomach, you've been warned.
In a time where found footage movies are coming out on a monthly basis(or so it seems), it's nice to see a movie like V/H/S that completely surprises you by putting a little twist on a genre that's become monotonous. Sure some films are better and more frightening than others but this movie is never boring, at least to me it wasn't. This is also a notch above most horror movies today because it's you know, it's actually scary, something lacking in most horror movies today. It's also a bitch slap to those watered down, lame PG-13 horror movies(with the exception of Insidious and The Woman in Black of course) that are constantly coming out every week(at least, that's what it feels like). Horror fans should be pleased by this movie, and it's a nice edition to the found footage genre.
