Rating of
3/4
V/H/S 2 still uneven, but huge improvement.
Jacob Zembower - wrote on 07/01/13
Though not without it's flaws, V/H/S/2 Is a wild improvement over it's predecessor. It's funnier, it's less juvenile, it's scarier, it's darker, and it's flat out more entertaining. Having only four shorts this time around, rather than 5 like the original. The four entries are longer and benefit for it. As with any anthology film it's uneven, but there's still much here to like. The first two short films are more darkly humorous. One involving a camera surgically implanted into a previously blind man's face has a few jump scares here and their, but suffers from rather poor acting and just isn't very scary at all. The second installment involving zombies in the woods is entertaining in it's original take of the genesis of a Zombie out break, all seen through a helmet cam. However, this entry came from Eduardo Sanchez, one half of the makers of The Blair Witch Project. Thus his entry being more lighthearted than frightening as The Blair Witch Project was, it's something of a disappointment. Then comes along the third entry, Safe Haven, which all but raises V/H/S 2 into masterpiece horror theater. This is one of the most insane, frighting, dark and twisted pieces of horror I've ever seen. It plays it straight, throwing so many absolutely frightening imagery and builds such a deep sense of dread, that I was left absolutely stunned and disturbed. My jaw was left on the floor. Even if you have no interest in V/H/S 2 for whatever reason, AT LEAST watch it for this one. This could be an entire feature, and to divulge any information as to where it goes and what happens would be a crime, but trust me, you haven't seen anything this truly scary and harrowing in quite a long time. Finally we have house with no parents, a group of kids and teens having a slumber party, who end up running into some uninvited guests. As in malevolent alien beings. While the dialogue and characters in this one is a bit grating and unlikable, once the big eyed aliens come into the picture, the tension quickly turns up 10 fold. Honestly, with all the found footage films out there, there should be more involving alien abduction. It's a solid entry. Finally, there is the wrap around story which is the thread the holds the four shorts together. This is also an improvement over the original, dealing with two private investigators looking for a missing teen. While it leaves many unanswered questions, it still serves up quite a few creepy if inexplicable moments. Still it redeems itself with one hell of a gruesome slap in the face. So all in all V/H/S 2 is an okay- to good- to absolutely freaking great bag of laughs and scares that never lacks in entertainment. I eagerly await what the next four film makers come up with in V/H/S 3. (Again, though, if anything watch it for the third entry 'Safe Haven', I'm not kidding, it's a doozy you wont soon forget.)
