After sitting through several nausea-inducing found footage films and numerous missed opportunities for anthologies, a horror fan is justified to have speculations with a film that combines both techniques. Well, give it one more chance because V/H/S offers a surprisingly impressive and creative example of independent horror filmmaking.
The premise is simple. A group of deviants are asked to break into a house and steal an important videocassette. Once in the house, the group discovers more than a few tapes scattered throughout. Their curiosity is enticed and they begin to watch the tapes, each introducing a new horrifying perspective for their viewing pleasure.
V/H/S is helmed by a bevy of horror's newest independent talents and their individual resumes are only further certification of the quality of work they have done in the genre. With the creative pool being so large and eclectic, it allows for the proposed gimmick of “found footage” to find fresh perspectives. This concept alone is difficult to achieve with so many films utilizing the cinéma vérité technique, but the group finds some unique ways of presenting it.
A couple of ways the film achieves this is through the application of perspective. For instance, the use of video camera spyglasses for one entire segment and a creepy combination of a computer webcam and video chat feature both work effectively. It’s crude and naturalistic photography that, along with the narrative, proposes a gritty and realistic tone successfully. The cinematography works by leaps and bounds for a majority of the film but there are moments, when the style stumbles more than accommodates.
The success of any anthology weighs heavily on narrative variety and pacing. While the storylines don’t always need to interweave themselves, a la Trick ’r Treat, they need to be individually surprising and fluid. The narrative structure of V/H/S is well conceived and, without spoiling any of the surprises, offers a little bit of everything for all genre fascinations. There is also a nice balance that is achieved between the usual horror film elements; specifically gore offset by frights and vice versa. Another delightful aspect is the seamless use of practical film and computer generated effects to assist in development of the atmosphere of many of the segments.
V/H/S has taken a few familiar film styles and, through some clever and innovative restructuring, made an excellent independent film. The five stories held together by a simple wraparound compose a satisfying horror anthology, accompanied by an innovative, if sometimes overly jolted and slightly disrupting, use of cinematography. This is not an over-polished studio feature with recognizable stars; this is a bare bones, concept driven film from a group of horror enthusiasts with an understanding of specific genre conventions.
Film Score: 4/5
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