As enjoyable as anthology films can be, with so many varied elements involved they often lack consistency. Still there are a few diamonds in the rough, including “Tales from the Crypt,” “Creepshow” and more recently, “Trick ‘r Treat”. Despite the fact that “V/H/S” features multiple directors, it is certainly consistent… but not in the manner one would hope for.
The premise itself is intriguing. A small group of hooligans are hired to break into a house and retrieve a specific VHS cassette, one which they are told will be immediately recognizable. Upon arrival, they find the resident dead and begin to sort through stacks of tapes, viewing five strange short films in the process.
Unfortunately, with five tales and a wraparound each running between 15 and 20 minutes, there’s little time to establish any characters. This film doesn’t offer many likable roles and features wildly inconsistent performances from a mostly unknown cast. The successful anthologies mentioned above included some familiar performers to whom viewers could immediately relate to. Sadly, “V/H/S” leaves us no one to identify with.
There’s also a regrettable predictability to the tales themselves. Several feature a male desperate to record a sexual encounter with a random woman or girlfriend, only to pay the price for it. The leads make absurdly terrible decisions, simply because they are jerks or just aren’t very smart. After all, as most of us know, it’s never a good idea to trust a person behaving bizarrely and saying disturbing things. As a result, in most cases the final sting is obvious, killing any suspense. It can be assumed that mimicking these tropes are in homage to older horror flicks. Still, the repetition quickly becomes exhausting and irritating.
Particularly disappointing is the ineffective close to the wraparound, which does little to even subtly answer any questions raised in the film. This includes, but is not limited to, why such strange events are occurring or what the significance of the mystery tape is. In fact, the mystery tape thread ends up completely dropped.
Perhaps worst is that all but one of the stories is shot using a small, hand held camera. This technique results in some of the shakiest footage ever presented on screen (apparently, no one filming was familiar with the image stabilization feature on their recorder). It will likely be more tolerable for those who watch it on the small screen, but in a movie theatre the majority of the stuttering camerawork is so amateurish in appearance that it becomes a major distraction.
In spite of its many flaws, there are some strong individual shots. This includes the reveal of one character as a full vampire, a character lurking over a couple as they sleep and a malevolent spirit that moves suddenly in the background. Additionally, there are impressive effects in the final tale, including some well-realized Haunted Mansion-style household objects floating in the air.
Ultimately, there may still be some appeal to those who can stand the wobbliest of found footage flicks. Yet, in spite of the very talented filmmakers involved, this experimental exercise just doesn’t work. One hopes the next group of thieves who break in bring a bulk eraser with them and save everyone the trouble of a repeat experience.