Rating of
2.5/4
The Price of Fame
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/08/15
The first two V/H/S films kind of gave a kick in the pants to the "found footage" genre by making it into a sort of anthology - people stumble upon a stash of hidden tapes, watch a few of them (involving everything from a zombie outbreak, monsters, cults and even aliens) and has a wrap-around story where the owner of the tapes comes back to take what is rightfully theirs. The individual stories are often a mixed bag, but the overall effect turns out pretty good.
V/H/S Viral takes things in a different direction. As the title implies, the videos this time aren't stumbled upon, but rather part of the sensationalist viral video movement. The wraparound story involves an ice cream truck driving along L.A. causing mayhem wherever it goes while a young man desperately tries to figure out what happened to his girlfriend. Various other stories are wrapped up in this one - including a BBQ with tragic consequences, an online adult site operator getting his comeuppance and the price of trying to make the perfect viral video. It has its moments but feels a bit out-of-place compared to the two previous films in my opinion.
The other individual stories are much more interesting. In the first segment, Dante the Great (directed by Gregg Bishop) , a white-trash loser comes into possession of a magician's cape once owned by Houdini himself. He becomes a world-wide hit - playing sold-out shows in Vegas and performing illusions no one can figure out. But his fame comes at a price as the cape requires a steady diet to keep the magic flowing - so much so that assistants and people around him often go missing. One assistant uncovers his secret, leading to an epic battle. This one was a lot of fun - Justin Welborn was great as Dante, as Emmy Argo as his assistant. And it had an excellent twist ending to top things off.
The second segment (directed by Nacho Vigalondo - director of one of my favorite time-travel films, TimeCrimes) is Parallel Monsters. A man invents a device that leads to a parallel dimension - where a second version of himself has invented the same device. The two men decide to switch universes for 15 minutes. It turns out while things on the surface may look the same - there are major differences leading to tragedy on both sides. My favorite segment - this one is smart with some truly unexpected moments (including another great kicker at the end).
The third segment, Bonestorm (directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead) involves a group of slacker skateboarding teens trying to become the next great Jackass stars by showcasing their "talent". After getting kicked out of various locations, one mentions an underground place in Tijuana they can skate. They go, only to find their chosen spot happens to be a demonic hotspot. Disturbing the area with a bit of blood brings out some bone-painted cultists, and a major fight ensues - guns are shot, skateboards are used as bludgeons and people (on both sides) die... or do they? This one was the most action-packed, but also the weakest out of the main entries. Weak characters and just not very scary.
There is one final that is exclusive to the home video release - Todd Lincoln's Gorgeous Vortex. This one was kept out of the theaters as it didn't "flow" right - and I can see why. This one was quite bizarre - involving a model, lots of dead bodies, people in white body masks, secret experiments and some kind of otherworldly monster - but it was told in such a disjointed manner it was just... weird. I can see why this was left out of the original release. It gets points for trying something different, but didn't exactly work for me.
Much like ABCs of Death - I hope they continue this V/H/S series. Even though I felt Viral might have been a slight step back, I still love seeing how directors handle the short form rather than a feature. It may not always turn out spectacular, but anthology horror is a better showcase of talent in my opinion. Here's hoping we get some more in the future.
